The wageworker., 1908-10-10
Bryan Talks to Chicago
Railroad Brotherhoods

Following is an address delivered |
by w. j. Bryan to a meeting COM |
posed of members of the Brotherhood |
of Railroad Firemen and Enginemen,
at Chicago:
Ladies and Gentlemen: The in
PRODUCTION is coupled with a prophecy.
He has introduced me as Mr.. Bryan,
the next president. 1 am indebted
to my parents for the first part of
the introduction, my name, and l
shall probably be indebted to you for
the last part, for the title that the
chairman seemed anxious to affix to
my name. 1 am glad to present very
briefly the distinction between the
republican party and the democratic
Iarty in this campaign. We are very
fortunate that our platform is so
clearly written and that its position
Is so definitely taken that We have
nothing to apologize for, nothing to
explain, and we can scarcely make
the subjects palmer by argument than
they appear in the statements in the
platform. And yet. you will pardon
me II l occupy just a few moments
in presenting and in a word support
ing the propositions that directly af-
feet labor. Two of these are sub
stantially like the propositions in the
republican platform. need not,
therefore, dwell upon them. The
democrats and republicans agree in
their platform as to the eight-hour
day and the employers liability act
And all l need to say on those two
subjects is that the laboring man is
to decide to which party he can best
entrust the carrying out of these
propositions upon which the two
agree in their platform. All l need
to say on this subject is this, that
the republicans have been in power
now for more than eleven years and
they have been in a position to do
those things and they have not done
them. and when they propose them
now. they simply promise to do in
the future what they have refused to
do in the past; whereas. the demo-
Gratis in proposing to do these things,
propose to do as soon as they can
get an opportunity to do it, what
f. they would have done if they had
mad an opportunity.
But there are four propositions
upon which the parties differ and 1
take it that you are more interested
win the discussion of these four propo-
sitions upon which we differ than you
would be in the discussions about
propositions upon which our platforms
are in agreement.
The first proposition presented by
our party and objected to by the re-
publican party is that there should
he department of labor with a
cabinet officer at its head That is
our position. and the republicans are
opposed to it. That proposition was
in my platform eight years ago. and
am glad it is in my platform again,
for l believe that that great group
that We call wage-earners ought to
have a representative in the presi-
dents council and if l am president,
/ want a representative of those who
toll in that cabinet that l may con-
suit him on questions that affect the
toilers of the nation.
The Sanpp1 proNnc;f;ou ,,,o,,
We differ relates to the scope of the
antitrust law. We say that that law
should be SO amended as to exempt
from its operation the organization
known as the labor organization. The
> republicans say that the antitrust law
saould include the labor organization
Now. why do We take the position
that We do? Because the difference
between labor organization and
an Industrial combine known as the
trust is SO great that no one Law
can properly deal with both. Tht
labor organization is composed ol
human beings; the trust deals witt
matter and merchandise, and 1 hope
l will not offend you when 1 tel
YOU what we democrats believe tina
human being. with a heart, a brain
and soul. ought not to be degraded
TO the level of matter and merchan
disc.
The third proposition upon which
we disagree relates to the issuanc,
of the Injunction and our platform
says that an injunction should no
he issued in labor dispute excep
under conditions that would justif.
sn injunction il there were no labo
dispute. This is, that the labor dis
~. L., s4.ols ch.ll not i,.o %.