The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-14
DEMOCRATIC PARTY PUT THROUGH
 LEGISLATION OF BENEFIT TO PEOPLE

Contract With tho People" Q plat form of tho Progressive convention in Chicago, August :. 1912. After some preamb bles glorifIfng both Jefferson and Lincoln, 1t begins this way: The delibcrH party, and the fatal inca pacity of the Democratic fparty to deal with the new issues of the new time. have compelled the people to forge a new instrument of govern rnent through which to give effect to rheir will in laws and institutions"
 And so they founded their party be- cause they wanted certain new and necessary social legislation and be- cause as they believed. the Republi- can party had betrayed Its rust, hay Ing failed to improve it, and that the Democratic party was incapable Of carrying through these great re- forms.
 Now. they were correct in their first proposition--that tho Republican longer was worthy of the confidence of the American people. but they were wrong in their suggestion that tho Democratic party was incapable of cnrrying forward these new meas ures and placing them in the struc ture of our laws-remedial statutes which have proved so benehcent in their operation, and 50 splendid in their effect that no opponent dares suggest their repeal
 And just Rlancing through tho Pro Eressive platform of 1912, l find that thcy ask for effective Legislation look ing to the prevention of industrial ac- cidents, occupationnl diseases, over work involuntary unemployment, and other injurious by-products Of modeTn industry. You all know what we have done in the matter of voca- tioual training. You know what we have done in the matter of the Work mems Compensation Act. You know that the Democratic party for thc first time in the history of the Gov cruIn ent. has placed in the Cabinet of tEo United states a Secretary of La bor. and you know what the Federal employment agencies are endeavor- ing to do and you know that the power of these agencies to find employmen for the unemployed has been dciib- erutely impaired by the Republican party.
 one other of the prominent blanks in tho Progressive platform was the prohibition of child labor. You all know what the Democratic party has done in that regard. For the first time Iu the history of America, we rassed the Child-labor law, and when r' courts declared 1t unconstitutional ul we G ere SO intent upon that meas ure that we have provided alternate measures so that it may be effective. The eight-hour law. a recognition of the rights of labor in that regard. urged by the Progressives, was one of the Democratic bills, and to 1t has been added the great international recognition of labor which is one of the splendid things of the covenant of peace drafted at Paris.
 progressives Asked, Democrats Gave.
 I pass along to moro important plank. They wanted this: We pledge ourselves.to the establishment of q ron-partlsan scientific tariff com mission"
 The Democratic party established and there is now in operation a scientific non-partisan tariff commis- sion. They condemned the Payne Aldrich bill as unjust to the people. We repealed it and supplied vast improvement over that system.
 They asked for a reform in the cut -ncv of this country, believing that the present existing method that was in 1a12-would be harmful to American business. Against the greatest opposition that ever con frorted q Congress. against the com
  of America. against the protest of the great Republican leaders fin the Sem afc and in the House. against the protest of all the special privilege in tcrcsts of America, under the leader ship of President Wilson there was established tho Federal Reserve Sys- ten. and that system has provtu so effective in practive that it not only barished panics which had been a re. nf hi fi4.av istrltious for Eears. but it enabled us 10 withstand the -rat shock of war. which was the sIp~ test of any financial structure.
 In addition 10 this. just think of the various accomplishments of the Ad- mnistration, we sometimes forget. They asked, did these Progressives, that the gold and other natural re- sources of Alaska should be opened up to development at once. The American people had to wait for the Democratic Administration before the great reaches of Alaska were opened to commerce and develop ment
 IL is one of the most splendid pages of constructive statesmanship fin the history of America the manner in which the Department of the In- terior. under Secretary Lane. and the OLheT departments nave CO-operatei to open up that splendid new ter Titory.
 Corrupt ornctices Act.
 The Progressives asked for a cor rupt practices net. We passed one. They asked for a Department of La bor and and we created that, and provido1 the plnce in the Cabinet for a representative of labor They asked for an inheritance and an in- come tax and we established them both.
 ask you to reflect what would have been tho condition of America today and how would 1t have been possible for us to have found the means to finance tho war if 1t had not been for the splendid work of the Democratic Administration. If 1t had not boon for tho Democratic Admin iatration the income tax and the Federal Reserve System, to which I