Evening star., 1920-01-09

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
noting of the welfare of society
in general
1T would prevent strikes not by
prohibitory laws, but by the Gre
alton of machinery which will in
vestigate disputes and thus secure
a peaceful settlement of differences
before the controversy reaches the
stage of strike or lockout.
Touches ON Freedom of Speech.
The democratic party will dis
revolution, guaranteeing freedom
of speech and press to every one
who advocates governmental
changes by constitutional methods,
and. at the same time prevent the
use of either freed an of speech or
freedom of the press for the over
throw of constitutional govern
ment.
The democratic party has for
twenty years denounced private
monopoly as indefensible and in
tolerable. 1t cannot surrender its
position on this subject now when
the beneficiarieS of all the private
monopolies are mobilizing under
the banner of the republican party
for united attack upon the right
OF the people to own and operate
all necessary monopolies in the
interest of the public.
Will Fight PrOnteer.
The democratic party will con-
tlnue its fight against the profiteer.
A government that restrains the
individual from the use of force
in the protection of his rights as
Sumes the solemn obligation to
protect the disarmed citizen from
every arm uplifted for his injury.
We need machinery in every state
and in each community that will
give to the consumer a tribunal be-
fore which a dealer accused of
proflteering can be brought for
examination. The Federal Trade
commission is step in the right
direction, but the subject is too
big to be handled by the nation
alone or by d national commission.
The remedy must be as complete
as the evil, and it cannot be COM
plete unless states and communi-
ties as well as the federal govern
ment are prepared to deal with this
subject,
Prohibition Permanent,
assume that the party will ac-
cept prohibition as the permanent
policy of the country. Three fourths
OF Abe democrats in the Senate and
two-thirds of the democrats in the
house voted to submit the national
amendment, and every democratic
state voted for ratification-and
every republican state except three.
1t is inconceivable, therefore. that
our party should antagonize the
moral sense of the nation. John
Barleycorn is dead. The demo-
cratic party cannot tie itself to a
corpse or become the champion of
an outlawed traffic.
Il assume that the party will ac-
cept woman's suffrage also as an
accomplished fact. The women
saved our party from defeat in the
last campaign. and we need their
aid to hasten the triumph of every
righteous cause.
Three New Proportions.
Il venture to suggest three new
propositions, for which l ask con-
sideration:
into every state, wide enough to
accommodate both passengers and
freight, and permanent so that it
VIII be a lasting tie binding to-
gether the forty-eigft common
wealths. 1t will be a memorial to
the soldiers and to all others who
took part in the war. and a monu-
ment in commemoration Of peace
restored. 1t will not only be an
expression of patriotism, but it
VIII be educational as well as use
hry h4
into the thought and conversation
of all our people for centuries.
~. We need above all other
things just now a national bulle-
tn-not newSpaper-but a bull
letin-under bipartisan control.
furnished to all who desire it at
nominal cost bulletin which
will present to the people the is
sues upon which they must act,
with editorials presenting the ar
Suments for and against the ac-
tion proposed, so that every cit
izen may intelligently exercise the
duties of citizenship and give to
his government the benefit of his
Judgment and his conscience. The
avenues of information are t pres
ent in private hands, and the ed
itors. being human. have a bias.
which makes it impossible for
them to present both sides fairly;
and to make the situation worse,
the great predatory interests are
in position to influence many news
papers in addition TO those which
they absolutely control. If there
is anything for which a govern
ment like ours can afford to spend
money, it is to inform those upon
whose will the government rests.
%. The initiative and the REFER
endum are not new. For a quarter
of century the idea has been
growing and spreading. Since the
reform has been put into opera
tion in states like Ohio, Illinois.
Missouri and Massachusetts it has
ceased to be a thing to be ridlculed.
Instead it now eXciteS the deter
mined opposition of those who are
not willing that the people SHAH be
the masters of their own destiny
through government entirely
within their control.
The progress that democracy IS
making throughout the world ought
to encourage our party to make the
adoption of the principle of the ini-
tiative and referendum its next
great reform, a reform entirely IN
harmony with the election OF SEN
ators by the people and the pri-
mary. The people are the source
of authority, and any nachineiy
which obStructs the popular viii
and puts into the hands of the mi
nority the right to determine the
course of the government is an
tagonistic to our institutions and
must give way before the progress OF
popular government.
1--WE Are Worlds Teacher
1--WE have become the worlds
teacher in the science of government,
and we must not hesitate to express
in practice our own faith in the prin-
ciples that we proclaim. Our party
must respond to the call that comes
from every state and from across the
sea to apply to every problem the
principles of democracy. Faith in
the people-faith in their capacity
for seif-govenment. as well as IN
must be our party's policy now and
alWavS"