Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-04-13


votion to the rights of the people OF
whatever class or degree as against
all claims of privilege, as against all
selfish vested interests which seek
control instead of freely serving the
life and development of the nation.
1T is so far from being party of
mere Renaissance, party which
tries to draw the country back to pol
icies which belong to another time,
to the circumstances of another age,
that it is, above all others, young
mans party, because party of move
ment, of readjustment, party that
presses toward the future with I'M
shaken faith, with unwavering conf
dence and ever renewed hopes and
Aspirations for the principles of free
dom, which are none other than the
principles of opportunity, the princi-
Piles of men not made. but on the
make, struggling from achievement to
achievement in free exercise of
their powers.
these things are embodied in JEFF
ferson, the thoughtful, philosophical,
penetrating thinker for mankind, and
in the rugged Jackson, who seemed
to cut his way toward the right by
rough instinct and the mere energy
of an honest, indomitable nature; and
so we see embodied in them the two
sides of democracy, its thoughtful
ness, its vision of hope, its confidence
in the progress and liberation of man.
kind, and linked with these its force
as Of the common people, it's abound.
ing energy outside as well as within
the field of cultivated thought.
Democracy is not a mere theory of
government. 1t is an energy of life
dwelling in the rank and file, inter-
preted>once and again by great lead
ers, but not confined to their private
cult and understanding. It's blood is
the blood of the people. It's purposes
are the purposes shared by all man
kind. Its hopes are the hopes of all
rational civilization.
This is the day upon which we ut.
ter our creed and renew our views. It
behooves us to ask ourselves what our
creed it, and to answer the question
without subtlety or sophistication, in
the plain terms of everyday life. We
must state our creed in the concrete,
not in the abstract. Our thoughts run
back, of course, to the great Declara-
ton of independence which Jefferson
gave us, but We can not stop with
that. The Declaration of Independ.
ence did not mention the questions of
our day. 1t is a mere starting point
for our thoughts 1t is of no conse-
quence to us unless we can translate
its general terms into examples of the
present day and substitute them in
some vital way for the examples it
itself gives, so concrete, so intimately
involved in the circumstances of the
day in which it was conceived and
1t is an eminently practical
document, meant for the use of prac-
teal men; not a thesis for phil
Osophers, but whip for tyrants; not
4 theory of government, but a pro-
gram OF action. Unless we can trans
ate it into questions of our own days,
we are not worthy of it, we are not
sons of the sires who acted in re-
sponse to its challenge.
I'VE say that we are against priv
lege and for the rights of the people,
but privilege has worn many forms.
What is the especial form of priv
lege we now fight? How does it en-
LANCER the rights of the people. and
what do we mean to do in order to
make our contest against it effectual?
What are to be the items of our new
declaration of independence?
by privilege, as we now fight it,
we mean control of the law, of legis-
alton and of adjudication, by organi-
,ations which do not represent the
people, by means which are private
md selfish and worthy of all con.
We mean specifically the |
conduct of our affairs and the shaping |
II our legislation in the interest of |
special bodies of capital and those |
Who organize their use. We mean the |
lliance for this purpose of political
machines with the captains of organ
zed industry. We mean the exploita- |
ion of the people by legal and polit-
,al means. We have seen our gov
under these Influences cease
0 be representative governments,
ease to be governments representa-
I've of the people, and become govern
tents representative of the special in
srests, controlled by machines, which |
] their turn are not controlled by
10 naonIa