The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-15
GREGORY PRAISES
 WIL SON POLICIES; FLAYS ROOSEVELT
AttOrney-General Gives Flo quent Defense of Admin . iStration.
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 New York, April 15-sIf Abraham Lincoln were living today he could no more be Republican than Theodore Roosevelt could be a modest man., declared Attorney >s General Thomas w. Gregory at the Jefferson Day din | ner of the National Democratic club given in the WaIdorf-Astoria Thurs day night. Other speakers were Sen ator Flames IA. Reed, of Missouri, Sen ator Jarf1es D. Phe1an of California, and Cone Johnson, solicitor of the State Department John M. Richie presided.
 Attorney General Gregory was ap- plauded by the 300 diners at every attack on Roosevelt and at every compliment he paid to President Will son. He expressed the utmost confi- dence in the success of the Demo- cratic Party insthes coming national election HesSafd thar in passing the income tax law the Underwood Tar if bill, the Federal Reserve Bank act, and the Clayton act and Trade Commission bill, the Democratic Par ty had written upon the statute books more constructive legislation than the Republican Party had passed in the last fifty years.
 Others at the guest table were Mayor John PurFoy Mitchell, Senator | James A. O'Gorman, Charles F. Mur- ] phy, District Attorney Edward Swann, Mgr Michael J., Lavelle, Sheriff Al fred E. Smith, William Church Os- born, County Clerk William F. Schnei- | der, Norman E. MacK and Frank L. Bowling
 Thef act that President Wilson was bitterly criticised by those who stand 1 for peace at any price and by those who welcome miIitarisrn, he said, was | proof that he was pursuing the right course Attorney General Iauds Wilson
 MT Gregory said VI part:
 6G fs,1I lfT-faT1 cvG oral hundred citizens of this great l city I have discovered that you have three classes of Democrats-Nthos { who always vote the ticket, those who sometimes vote the ticket ana those who never vote the ticket I am as- suming that those who sit before me tonight belong exclusively to the first two classes ''It is astonishing in how few words the faith of the rounder( of Democ- racy can be written should say that almost the entire principle can be fairly summed upin the four words personal liberty and individual op- portunity. Henry George saw this eternal principle of Jefferson when he said, T stand for men Abraham Lincoln recognized it when he pro- claimed on the battlefield of 'Gettys- burg that government of the peo- pIe, by the people, ana Tor the peo- pie shall not perish from the earth, And woodrow Wilson recognizes and applies it in every act of his official life.
 eeIf were called upon to name the three greatest exemplars of pure and undefiled Democracy T should name Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and woodrow Wilson If Abraham Lincoln were living today, he could no more be a Republican than NTheo- dore9Rs2oSSe8edf could De 2 mooes1
 PsThis administration stands for peace 50 long as it can be preserved with national honor, but it prefers, as did Thomas Jefferson, every conse- cuence to insult and habitual wrong. The liberties which were good enough for our ancestors to die for are good enough for us to die for. But every reasonAbfe means should be resorted t0saAe=Frevent an fssue@of-a arms and save our country from the awful con sequences of war.
 srWish reference to those who l cIamor for a great military establish ment, I quote the following extract from a letter written by Jefferson to Henry Knox on March 27, 1901:
 A class are ardent for the in-
 tEoaAetl9neof Hlonarchys eager for
 armies making more noise for
 great naval establishment than
 better patriots who wish it on
 national scale only comInensurate
 to our wants and to our means.
 
 ated but not trusted.
 'I commend the last sebtence in this letter to the careful considera- ton of Colonel Roosevelt.
 Compares Wilson to WatchmaIas
 Between the contending forces o1 those who stand for peace at any price and those who would welcome 7nilitsIyism, if not war, stands the great guardian of our peoples safety and the fact that he is bitterly criti- cised by those who harbor each o1 these extreme views is substantial proof that his policies are about right
 "In the history of America no mar since Lincoln has been confronted with such grave and numerous prob lens as he who occupies the White House today. He may make nis- takes, for probably all men do, but am firmly convinced that when the final record has been made and the result declared the number will be remarkably few This is true wher all true Americans, irrespective oi party lines, should uphold the hand. of him who stands upon the watcI tower and s1uInbers not nor sleeps
 4Henrv Clay said that he would rather be right than President d. not know whether Henry Clay reall! meant this or not, but I say to you with all gravity and with firm convic ton that Woodrow Wilson would no be willing to be President unless h. felt in his heart that he was right I strict adherence to the principles O. Thomas Jefferson can make a ma1 right, then who can doubt that ou1 great leader is right for with hin devotion to peEsonal liberty and indi vidua1 opportunity is the ruling pas sion.
 'sAnother great national election fl approaching. carrying with it mightie issues and vaster possibilities for gooC or for evil than any which have eve confronted our country. We approacl M 1t armed with a deserved conviction that the work has been we'll done