Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-09
PRESIDENT HELD
HERO OF new ERA
Secretary Bryan Reviews Prog
ress of Legislation at Chi
cago Dinner.

Chicago, Ill, AIN. Secretary OF
State William Jennings Bryan last
night made a vigorous address defena'
I ing President Wilson's aims and POI
icies. He expressed perfect conn
dence in the policies and declared the
incoming of the administration was
enc of the signs of a new era in Amer
incan politics. period OF fairness to
the masses.
Mr.. Bryan's address was given at
the Congress hotel at the annual din
ner of the Chicago Real Estate board,
with United States Senator l. Y
Sherman as the other principal speak
er. More than eighty Chicagoans,
many of them prominent in CONNER
cial and political affairs, attended.
Mr.. Bryan referred repeatedly to
the presidents sympathy with the
masses" That, he remarked, was one
OF two important traits, the other be-
ing that the president follows his
conscience" And the results of this
combination, he said, would prove
that the best interests of the people
at large are by no means incompat-
ible with the best interests of bust
ness. Mr.. Bryan said:
THE new era in American politics
is characterized by the transfer or
powers from those who are interested
in special privileges to those who
have a common interest in the. COM
mon veal. The revolt against gov
eminent by the interests has been
growing for some years. 1t culminat-
ed when the issue divided the republi
can party and made the election of
President certain. Even before the
election of 1912 the rules of the house
had been changed in response to
IL cir demand. and an amendment
providing for the popular election of
United States senators had been SUBJ
mitted to the states. Since the eiec-
tion the rules of the senate have been
changed, and now that We have a
progressive president no obstruction
TO immediate legislation remains, ex-
cept the ancient rules of the senate. !
which permit the active minority to /
extend debate and delay action.
MY object in taking as my subject !
The New Era is to bring to your at
tention the character of the man who,
as president, is leading the movement
and the nature OF the questions which
have already been acted upon. and
those thus far outlined. President
Wilson combines the two necessary
qualities in the lead of such a move
ment-he follows his conscience and
he is in sympathy with the masses.
No man can be trusted in high
place, unless he has both the dispo-
sition and the courage to do what he
believes to be right, and no man can
lead the people unless he takes their
side of the questions under considera-
ton There are just two standpoints
rom which people lcok at the prob
ems OF society. One is the aristo-
cratic standpoint and the other the
democratic standpoint"
Mr.. Bryan then spoke of the dis
lnctio1 between the democratic and
aristocratic view, and continued:
The president took up the tariff ,
question first, it having been made /,
paramount in the campaign. He has
'ucceeded in securing a material re- i
iuction of tariff and the country is
to1ustlng itself to the new law with '
ess economic disturbance than was
Expected. ,
THE tariff law includes an income $
AK provision-the rate running from b
to per cent, according TO the size
Il the income. This. too, has been ac- 2
epted by the country without pro- '
est. In fact, one of the most strik- f
1g evidences of what is taking place a
5 the fact that those who. nineteen F
ears ago, regarded a per cent in v
ONE tax as demagogic. now regard Q
per cent tax as entirely reason q
BILE, and are willing to pay it.
The currency question was the
econd one taken up by the president,
nd the law which he helped to frame
as gone into operation. It is a mar =
ell OF constructive craftsmanship and I
winning approval as rapidly as its -
rovisions have become known. 1t :.
ives to the banks an advantage =
'hich they never have had before, in II
lat 1t permits them to secure gov :,
rnment money upon their ordinary ~
ecurities without requiring deposit W
j bonds. Money loaned to a bank on H.
onds could be of no real benefit in A
4 emergency. because the bank was
'mpelled TO send out of the commu- dl
ty more money to purchase the ii
'nds than it could borrow on the
'nds. The new law makes it pos F
Die Tor bank to bring new money hi
10 the community in time of need
ID thus meet the requirements of To- NJ
business. Only those who use the 70
INK as a meanS 0f axtorfipo fror, Sc
e public Will find the law harmful" Ell