The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-12
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
ContInued from PAGE one.

| deal with the platform In detail. 1t Is
sufficient, at this time, to assure you
| that | am In hearty accord with both
the letter and the spirit of the plat
form. endorse 1t in whole and in
part, and shall. IL elected, regard its
declarations as binding upon me. And,
| may add, platform is binding as to
| what 1t omits as well as to what It
contains. According TO the democratic
idea, the people think for themselves
and select officials to carry out their
wishes. The voters are the soverelgns;
the officials are the servants, employed
| for fixed time and Mt stated salary
, to do what the soverelgns want done,
and to do 1t In the way the sovereigns
want 1t done. Platforms are entirely
In harmony with this democratic idea.
A platform announces the party's po-
sition on the questions which are at is
sue; and an official is not at liberty to
use the authority vested in him to
urge personal views which have not
! been submitted to the voters for their
| approval. If one is nominated urop a
| platform which Is not satisfactory 10
| him, he must, If candid, either decline
the nomination, or In accepting 1t, pro-
pose an amcNded platform in lieu Of
the one adopted by the convention. No
| such situation, however, confronts your
candidate, for the platform upon which
was nominated not only contains
nothing from which dissent, but it
specifically outlines all the remedial
legislation which we can hope to Sc
| cure during the next four years.
Republican Challenge Accepted.
The distinguished statesman who re-
cclved the Republican nomination for
president said, in his notification
speech: "The strength of the Republican
cause In the campaign at hand Is the
fact that we represent the policies es-
sentlal to the reform of known abuses,
to the continuance of liberty and truc
prosperity, and that we are determined,
as our platform unequlvocally declares,
to maintain them and carry them on"
In the name of the Democratic party.
! accept the challenge, and charge that
the Republican party is responsible for
all the abuses which now exist I'm the
federal government, and that 1t Is i'm
potent to accomplish the reforms which
are imperatlvely needed Further.
can not concur In the statement that
the Republican platform uncquivocally
declares for the reforms that are nee
essary; on the contrary, affirm that It
openly and notoriously disappoints the
hopes and expectations of reformers,
whether those reformers be Republic
ans or Democrats. SO far did the Re
publican convention fall short of its
duty that the Republican candidate felt
It necessary TO add to his platform in
several important particulars. thus re-
buking the leaders of the party, upon
whose cooperation he must rely for
the enactment of remedial legislation.
AS ! shall. IN separate speeches. dis
cuss the leading questions at issue,
shall at this time confne myself to the
paramount question, and to the far
reaching purpose of our party, as that
purpose is set forth in the platform.
Shall the People Ruler
Our platform declares that the over
shadowing issue which manlfests itself
In all the questions now under discus
sion, is "Shnll the people rule?" No
matter which way we turn no matter
TO what subject we address ourselves,
the same question confronts us; Shall
the people control their own govern
ment, and use that government for the
protection Of their rights and for the
promotion OF their welfare? or shall
the representatives of predatory wealth
prey upon defenseless public, while
the offenders secure immunity from
subservlent officials whom they raise
to power by unscrupulous methods?
This is the issue raised by the "known
abuses to which Mr.. Taft refers.
Presidents Indictment Against tho
Party
In q message sent to congress last
January. President Roosevelt said:
"The attacks by these great corpora
tlons on the administration actions
have been given a wide circulation
throughout the country, In the news
papers and otherwise, by those writer's
and speakers who, consciously or un-
consciously, act as the representatives
of predatory wealth-of the wealth ac-
cumulated on giant scale by all forms
of inlquity, ranging from the oppres-
sion of wage earners to unfair and I'M
wholesome methods of crushing out
competition, and to defraudlng the
public by stock. .Jobblng and the manip-
ulatlon of securities. Certain wealthy
men of this stamp, whose conduct
should be abhorrent to every man of
ordinarily decent conscience, and who
commit the hideous wrong of teaching
our young men that phenomenal busl-
ness success must ordinarily be based
on dishonesty, have, during the last
few months made II apparent that
they have banded together to work for
reaction. Their endeavor Is to
overthrow and discredit all who hon
estly administer the law, to prevent
any additional legislation which would
check and restrain them, and to secure.
II possible, freedom from all re-
stralnt which will permit every un-
scrupulous wrong-doer to do what he
wishes unchecked. provided he has
enough money."-What an arraignment
OF the predatory interestsl