The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-24
1.-THE VALUE OF AN IDEAL
BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
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reputation for honesty. OF course. .
lawyer can fool q Judge q few times
and lead him into q hole, but after
awhile tho Judge learns to knowk the
lawyer, and then he cannot follow me
lawyers arguments because he Is look
ing for the hole all the time. which
he knows IL somewhere and which
mind you that nothing Is 50 valuable
to a jury lawyer AZ q reputation that
will mako the jurors believe that he
will not under any circumstances
misstato q proposition OF law or OF
evidence. And so I might take up
each occupation, calling and profess
sion. and show that the ideal con-
trolls the life, determines the char
acter and establishes a mans place
among his fellows.
But let me speak Of the ideals Of a
larger group. What Of our political
ideals7 The party as we'll as the In
dividud must have It's ideals. and
we are far enough from the election
to admit that there is room In all
the parties for the raising of the
party ideal. How can q person most
aid his party? Let us suppose that
one Is passionately devoted to his
party and anxious to render 1t the
maximus OF service: how can he rem
der this service? BY raising the ideal
of his party. If young man asks
me how he can make a fortune in a
day, 1 cannot tell him. If he asks
how he can become rich in a year.
I know not what to answer him. but
I can tell him that II he will locate in
any community and for twenty-five
n n
life, a useful life, he will make friends
and fasten them TO him, with hooks
of steel; he will make his impress up
on the community and the chances
are many to one that before the quar-
ter Of a century has elapsed his fell
lows will call upon him to act for
them and to represent them in i'm
portant matters.
The country is suffering today from
a demonstration Of its ideals Instead
OF measuring people by the man
hood or womanhood they manifest.
we are too prone to measure them by
tho amount Of money they possess,
and this decentralization has natural
" and necessarily extended to poll
tics Instead of asking us It right?"
we are tempted to ask will 1t pay 7"
and 'swfll 1t VIM" As a result the
public conscience Is becoming scared
and the public service debauched. We
And corruption in elections and cor
ruption In Office. Men sell their votes,
sell their influence. while
State legislators and federal represen-
tatives turn the government from its
legitimate channels and make it q pri-
vate asset in business
How are we to stop this corrup-
ton? Not by going into the market
and bidding against our opponents.
but by placing against money some
thing stronger than money. And what
IL stronger than money? A conscience
Is stronger than money. A conscience
that will enable a man to stand by
a stake and smile while the flames
consume him Is stronger than money.
and we must appeal to the conscience
not q Democratic conscience or to a
Republican conscience. but to an
American conscience and to a Chris
tan conscience and place this awak-
ened conscience against the onflowing
tide Of corruption in the United
States.
We must have parties in this coun-
try. Jefferson said that there were
naturally two parties In every coun-
try--a democratic party and an arts
tocratic party land he did not use
the word democratic" in partisan
sense, for at that time the party
which we now call Democratic was
called the Republican. party. JEFF
ferson said Democratic party would
naturally draw to itself those who be-
lieve in the people and trust them.
while an aristocratic party would
naturally draw to itself those who do
not believe in or trust the people.
Jefferson was right Go into any
country in Europe, and you Will md
A party of some name that Is trying
to increase the participation OF the
people in the government. and you
will also find a party OF some name
which ia obstructing every step to-
ward popular government. We have
the same difference in this country.
but the democratic spirit Is broader
here than any party. Wherever the
question has been clearly presented
and on the one side there was an at
tempt to carry the government near
er to the people and on the other an
effort to carry the government fur
Their from the people. popular gov
eminent has always won. Take the
demand for the election of senators
by the people: upon what does 1t rest?
Upon the belief that the people have
the right to and the capacity for
self-government. This reform is sure
to come. because the people believe
In self-government. and they will in
time insist upon making the govern
ment conform to their belief.
The initiative and referendum in
volve the Same principles. The ini-
tiative describes the process by which
the people compel the submission OF
a question upon which they desire to
vote. and tho referendum describes
the process by which they act upon
q question submitted. In each new
the power Of the people 10
Limitations arc placed
upon Legislative power ana new
questions arc submitted to q popular
vote. II Is now necessary almost
to submit to the people OF
. city the question OF issuing bonds
The movement In favor Of submitting
franchises also Is an irresistible one.
and the time will come when II will
be impossible for councilmen to sell
in return for money paid
to themselves
The people have q right TO have
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