Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-29
BRYAN TALKS
To ASSEMBLY
Only Indirectly Alluded to
New Jersey Situation.
tFrom the NEWS correspondent)

convention or other New Jersey is
sues and the reactionary fight
against them was made by Secretary
| of State William Jennings Bryan
| in his speech yesterday afternoon be-
| fore the Assembly. 1t was under
stood that Secretary Bryan had talk
ed over the New Jersey situation
with President Wilson before leaving
Washington, and on that account 1t
! was thought he might say something
relating to the politics of this state.
| Emphatically. his speech was a pro-
| gressive one, but contained no direct
bearing upon New Jersey questions.
Secretary Bryan, who came to
| Trenton to speak at the annual dim
ner of the local Chamber of Com
| merce last evening, was given a
rousing reception by the House of
Assembly. He was not greeted by
Governor Fielder because the gov
ernor could not be at the State House
yesterday.
Pursuant to the adoption of the
resolution requesting the distin-
guished visitor to address the AS
sembly, Colonel Bryan was met at
Clinton street railroad station by
Democratic Leader Egan of Hudson
county. and Assemblyman Hates, Re-
public, of Camden, who were the
committee named for the purpose.
They escorted the Secretary of State
to the Capitol. The news that he was
to speak had spread around the city
and the galleries and lobbies were
we'll filled with people anxious to
hear the "Commoner." Secretary
tn t1a ~ l,-
chamber with the members and 9TH
ers standing, and he was applauded
as he was escorted to the speakers
chair. Speaker Taylor introduced
him and as he rose to speak he was
applauded again.
He spoke in part as follows:
There are two points of view
from which all public questions are
considered. One is the aristocratic
and the other is the democratic 1t
| makes a great difference whether
representative believes in one or the
other. The aristocratic side of repre-
sentative government is that the
people themselves are not intelli-
gent enough to think, but select rep
resentatives to think for them.
Those who hold this view regard the
legislators as superior beings selected
to relieve the people of the burden OF
thinking and to do that which the
representatives think ought to be
done.
"The Democratic view is that the
people ought to think for themselves
and select representatives who will
carry out the ideas of the people;
to be the spokesman of the people
and do what the people want done
| need not tell you that lean toward
the Democratic view on this subject
| might admit to you that l hold my
present position as the direct rela-
tion to the fact that take this view,
because the President looks at his
questions from this Democratic
: -sceandpoint, and he announced quite
early in the consideration of his cab
met that only those who were i'll
sympathy with progressive principles
would be appointed.
Whatever doubt I may have about
my ability to measure up to other du-
ties of that position, have no doubt
that on the subject Of Democracy and
it's application to every department
Of government / am in full. lasting
and complete sympathy with the
Chief Executive.
Now, the view which have pre-
sented as the Democratic view is the
view which most candidates take
during the campaign, and the aristo-
cratic view is that which they take
after election. After election we
some times find that men become too
conscientious and cannot stand by
1nt,, Ntaf ~ ~
one to discredit conscience. / am
sure that the President places the
highest esteem upon conscience, and
! I would not admire him so much II
he did not.
IF platform is not binding 1t Is
a fraud, and ought never to be writ
ten. To repudiate platform is like
obtaining money under false pre-
tense. If man is elected upon
platform and finds after his election
that he cannot conscientiously carry
it out, he should resign and give
| somebody else a chance to carry 1t
out.
1--WE need law making 1t as much
a crime to embezzle power as to en-
bezzle money. I predict the time will
come when 1t will be regarded as
much a crime to betray platform as
to take money belonging to another.
"The great fault with representa-
| tive government Is that 1t does not
represent. The contempt for the
people in our government on the
part of the representatives has led to
the demand for the initiative and
refendum In order that the people
may get control Of the representa-
tives. 1t has cost hundreds of years,
millions of dollars and thousands OF
lives for the people to be able to
participate in their own govern
ment.
"If / understand the progressive
spirit Alright it Is struggle to get
the government nearer to the peo-
pie and more responsive to the peo-
pies will. The defect Is not in the
people, but in the representatives
whom the people select. There is
more virtue In the people than is
ever reflected in their representa-
tives. All of the people know more
than any of them. A Democratic
form of government is not only the
wisest, but also thes trongest, for as
Bancroft said: "A republic in the
strongest because it's citadel Is In the
hearts of men,
In closing Secretary Bryan paid