Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1916-06-30
BRYAN GAVE fine ADDRESS
THE GREAT CONfMONER SPOKE
ON GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL Re-
LATIONSHIP AND RELIGION''

this event: as we'll as Randall, Pierz
Royalton, St. Cloud and even Staples
Melrose and Brainerd. All pronounced
Mr.. Bryan's speech the greatest they
had ever heard and man. were the
wishes expressed that he return here
again in the near future to speak.
Contrary to custom, Mr.. Byran did
not choose for his subject "The Prince
Of Peace,' or "War and It's Lessons"
or the two or three subjects on which
the people generally prefer to hear
him talk, but nevertheless everyone
seemed fully contented AMI pleased
with his talk on questions of govern
ment, social relationship and religion.
In opening Mr.. Bryan stated that it
was just twenty years since he visited
Little Falls the first time in the inter-
ests of his campaign for president of
the United States in 1896. During the
two decades that have elapsed since
that time he has used the ciautauQra
as a means of reaching the public to
discuss the questions in which he was
vitality interested.
The Commoner said that the ques-
tions Of government, Of social rela-
tionship and of religion are the three
dominant questions Of the day and
their discussion involves not merely
a surface indication of what they mean
but thorough discussion Of the un-
derlying principles. On the last nam
ed we must build to build characters,
therefore this one is most important.
The three questions touch on three
lines of thought which are in relation
to each other, and for this reason we're
| chosen by Mr.. Bryan as his subject.
He said that one must enter into this
! relationship whether one wants to or
| not. Many relationships of life are
| voluntary-one can enter upon them
or not, as one wishes, as in the case
Of friends. Man has the right to de-
termine, with the permission of others,
his circle of friendship, but whether
he is to citizen or not is not a mat
ter of his choice
In the discussion of these three
| questions, Mr.. Bryan said, it is neces-
sary to understand the underlying
principles, the controlling and domi-
nant principles, and unless these prin-
ciples get hold the time spent in dis
eussing them is simply wasted. As an
illustration Of this Mr.. Bryan told
about the man who had cut down a
tree and had to get it through a mar
| row gate. The proper way to have
started taking that tree through the
gate would have been to take hold of
the trunk and pull it through first,
then the limbs would be pressed in
ward and the tree could be pulled
through the gate. Instead of this the
man took hold Of one of the branches
and when he pulled On it the other
gate posts, and it was impossible to
branches spread out and caught on the
get the tree through the gate. The
some trouble is often found in dis
cussions-one tries to pull them
through by the branches instead Of by
| the trunk.
Mr.. Bryan said he would treat his
subjects in the inverse order of their
| Importance SO as to conclude with the
most important one. The subject of
the government is the least important,
he said and it's relation to man is not
as great as man. s relationship to So
ciety. The second subject is not as
great as that Of the relationship of
man to God. The speaker said that in
the past he has spent the greater part
of his time dealing with the less i'm
portant Of these three subjects, bnt
said that he had done so because the
| conditions compelled it.
Mr.. Bryan said that he started out
to be lawyer but by accident was turn
ed aside to politics and was proposed
as candidate for congress on he
democratic ticket and was nominated,
perhaps because it was thought that
he could not be elected, the district
being hopelessly republican. No lem
ocrat wanted to accept the candidacy
and he was selected without opposi-
tion. And at the election he was elect
by majority Of 6,700 votes, and then
the old democrats wondered why they
had not seen this great opportunity
long before. Two years later he was
reelected and it was then that he came
in contact with the dominant questions
Of the day. When he went out of Of
fee he felt that he could not return to
his profession as lawyer and refuse
to discuss the questions which he had
helped to start and therefore he de-
cided to postpone returning to law un-
til after the next convention, and af-
ter that was over he got further away
from law than ever.
Our theory of government. the
speaker said, is the best that man has
put on paper, government to which
all the world is approximating.
Ten years ago Mr.. Bryan made a
trip around the world, and on this
trip he visited nearly all the civilized
nations in the world, and as he stop.
ped in each he took pains to inquire
and found that in each there was some
dominant question involved, and that
principal among these were aristocracy
and demOcracv. He defined aristocrac ~
as that class of people who believe
that society is suspended from the tor
and the democrats as those who be
lieve that society is built from the
bottom. He said that he used the
word democrat in broad sense
not referring to political party bu
for the purpose of distinguishing aris
tocracy from democracy and aristo
Gratis from democrats. He repeated tht
statement that aristocrats believe tha
society is suspended from the TOP an,
that democrats believe that it is br:
from the bottom. Since he has com
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