The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-03-16
BRYAN STIRS HEARTS
OF STATE DEMOCRATS
Continued from Paxe 1.

nation. whose very name has been a
synonym for despotism. now has a
representative body and the third
duma is Struggling to give the voice
of the people expression.
within six years Persia has Sc
cured constitution. Within six
Years Turkey has secured constitu-
ton and representative body And
what has happened in China in six
years:
China Makes Progress.
Six years ago the dCWager en-
press of China called her wise men
together and asked them how long it
would take to establish a constitu-
tional government. and they told her
it would take about Is years. She
was afraid This was too long. but
they advised her otherwise. 4 senate
was first Called but with this taste
of representative government the peo-
pie became impatient, and now they
have a republic. And they paid us
the high compliment Of passing over
kings, and enperors and czars, and
calling their executive the president
of the United States of China
Mr.. Bryan then dispelled the claim
that only backward nations had
shown symptoms Of Democracy by
giving an eloquent word picture of
the splendid achievement of the peo-
pie OF England in curtailing the
power Of the house of lords He
dwe!t on the struggle of the COM
mons to pass the budget and the veto
of the lords. He carried his hearers
through every step of the contest to
the day Of the final act when the
house Of lords abdicated.
On that Hateful day. he said, this
most ancient and illustrious of all the
hereditary bodies Of this globe bowed
before the onsweeping tide of Dem
ocracy that rose around the world.''
Men Of Learning in Light.
The speaker then referred to
number of men Of learning and Of af-
fairs who We're doing good work in
America. He paid a tribute to Ru-
dolph Spreckels of San Francisco; to
Frederick Townsend Martin of New
York. he who has sounded 9 voice OF
warning to the idle rich: to Louis
Brandeis. the renowned lawyer of
Boston, and to several others who
are unselfishly fighting the battle Of
the people in the face of social and
business ostracism.
political issues of the approaching
campaign. He discussed the election
of United States senator's by popular
vote and referred to the attitude of
stand pat politicians and the system
servers Of the past on this reform. He
paid high tribute to Robert NJ. La
Toilette in the senate for his un-
swervinG fidelity to the cause Of popu-
lar government.
Mr.. Bryan then discussed at length
the initiative and referendum He
told Of it's new converts; of Woodrow
Wilson who for twenty years had
taught his pupils that it was danger
GUS principle, and who lately has
candidly confessed he was mistaken.
Record of Roosevelt Exposed.
He at this point took up the record
of Colonel Roosevelt on the initiative
and referendum and held that the
former president was but a recent
convert to the principle of direct leg
islation.
-Four and one-half years ago." he
said. "President Roosevelt sent Taft
all the way to Oklahoma to tell the
people Of Oklahoma that they ought
to delay statehood until they could
get another constitution that did not
have the initiative and referendum in
it. And Mr.. Taft, faithful to his SUI
perior officer, went to Oklahoma, and
after the people had heard him they
ratified the constitution by 100000
majority.
Then Oklahoma sent the constitu-
ton to Washington and said: Mr..
President, here is constitution that
suits us. how does it suit you?'
Well he said. it does not suit me at
all. it is miserable old constitution,
but since YOU have adopted it, take it
nome and see what you can do with
it,
Colonel Changes Front.
And so they took it home and
they did SO we'll with it that the very
man who sent Mr.. Taft of Ohio all
the way to Oklahoma to oppose the
initiative and referendum. now goes
all the way from New York to Ohio
to tell the constitutional convention
that it ought to initiate Oklahoma
and Arizona in that respect"
MI. Bryan then took up the recall
and referred to the result of it's adop.
ton by the people Of California. He
ridiculed Mr.. Taft's position on this
question and decried the use of the
phrase "the rule Of the mob
The speaker then discussed the
candidacy Of Colonel Roosevelt and
held that there was nothing in his
record as president to- give him more
from the people than was given to,
Washington. Jefferson. Jackson and
Lincoln. IF the Republican party is
in search Of a real progressive he
declared, why does it not nominate
bob La Toilette who made the fight
when there was not Republican to
bear him company?"
Nominate il Progressive.
Mr.. Bryan urged upon the Demo-
Gratis to nominate a progressive. He
declared that he was not a candidate,
out he asserted that if good pro-
SreSslve was nominated he wanted a
chance to show how he could. fight
for some one besides himself
Ele closed with the following pre-
GRAFTON: II have been handicapped
by the fact that tlev thouobt v,as