Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-08-14
MIR. BRYAN'S ABLE SPEECH

The able speech OF Hon. w liam
j. Bryan, accepting the presidential
nomination. must challenge the ad-
miIation OF every patriotic Ameri-
can citizen who hopes to see the
achievement of those reforms for
VIII ch the Democratic party has
stood for so many years.
This address is comparatively
brief. for, as has been previously
indicated, the distinguished candi-
date WI deal with the various is
sues now before the people more ex-
haustycly in several separate speech
c3 during the campaign
In his response to the notification
committee he contents himself with
important suggest ons which came
mp casually in the course of his gen.
eral theme Shall the People Rule?''
This is the basic issue. 1t is the
one question which underles and
oycrshadows every other question
with which the two parties must
go before the people, and the ad-
dress of Mr.. Bryan leaves no room
to doubt that if the question is to
be answered, it will have to come
through the triumph of the Dem
ocratic party.
Out of their own mouths the Re-
publican leaders are condemned.
They have made free and frank con.
fcssion Of the gross abuses which
have crept INTO governmental affairs
but the crushing answer to all this
IS that these abuses have, for the
most part grown up during the pc.
Rod when the Republican party was
in control. and the failure to RENE
dy them lies at the door of the Re
publican administrations which have
been in power during the continu-
ance of those abuses.
The spirit of boastfu'ness has led
the Republican party to recall that
it has been in control of all or nj
least a part of the government ever
since the war. with the eception of
two years. But this boast rises up
TO plague the Republicans them
selves when it carries with it the
responsibility for the delilquencies
under VIII oh the people suffer
Mr.. Taft's personal wishes count
for little in the matter OF popular
election of senator's for instance or
public ty of campaign contributions
or many Of the other Democratic
doctrines towards which he has
thrown an anchor, when the Repub.
Lean party itself, i'm convention as.
semblcd, has distinctly repudiated
those measures. The clear-cut DO
sition OF the Democratic party.
voiced in the platform, leaves no
doubt as to what the people can ex-
pect ii the Democrats are placed in
power while the position of the nom
ace is in exact accord with the ut
teranCes of his party
Mr.. Bryan dwel's at some length
on the question of tarR reform and
the trusts. Their inter relation and
pointed out and emphasized. But re
form in tariff like the publicat on
of campaign expenses. is to be left
by the Republicans until after the
election and the people know only
600 well by the experience OF the
past just what to expect from the
hcncficiaries of special interests
which have contributed so argely to
campaign funds in the past and may
be expected to do so in the future.
on the whole Mr.. Bryan has given
his party a keynote speech which
is nothing short OF inspiring. Read
In The light of hiofory md the ira
.dltIonal alliances Of the Republican
party. TOO deeply entangled to he
freed by an individual Republican
leader however sincere he might be
it points the way for the people Of
the United states and gives encour-
agemcnt to the hopes which are ris-
ing hghor every day that victory
awaits MS next Atlanta
Journal
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