New-York tribune., 1920-03-20
Stop Trying to
Dam Progress,
Urges Bryan
Civilization Swept Aside OBJ
struciiOns to Direct Vote
for Senators, Suffrage
and Prohibition, He Says
Hitchcock Is Criticized
Ex.Secretary of State at
Birthday Dinner Out
lines Reform Program

dinner in honor OF the sixtlcth Rnnl~
versary of his birth held last nig at
Aldine Club.
Civilization, he said, is running
stream and can no more be damned
than the current of a mighty river.
He declared that we have learned at
least one great lesson from the de-
bates in Congressional it is mistake
to require a thirds vote to ratify
treaty He referred to the great re-
forms he has urged in the last thirty
years, including direct election Of
United States Senators, woman suf-
frage, reform of the currency, and pro-
'hibition, and he said that woman's in
fluence is needed just now to silence
opposition to the prohibition amend
ment and to hasten the day Of uni
vcrsal peace.
Teachings of Experience
Il. know not how can better mani
fest my profound appreciation of the
kindly greeting called forth by this
the sixtieth anniversary Of my birth
of age and submit some conclusions
drawn from thirty years of experience
in the arena Of politics." he said. "My
father taught me to believe that, in a
land like ours, the science of govern
ment is noble science, worthy of the
thought of every citizen; that science
ment becomes more popular. To un-
derstand it one needs to know only
human nature and the principles that
underlie representative government.
The lesson .hat | deem most i'm
portant for this occasion can best be
presented by an illustration familiar
to all. The running stream obeys Nan
irresistible law that draws its waters
onward to the sea. No dam can long
ohstruct its course. Why? Because
the, water that rises behind the dam
automatically accumulates the force
necessary to remove the obstruction
which impedes it's progress. Those
who live on the banks of the stream
are virtually interested in preventing
any interference with the flow, be-
cause the temporary damage caused by
the stream when it sweeps away the
dam will be in proportion to it's
height.
civilization is running stream ard
can no more be damned than the cur
rent of mighty river. If the people,
Will is obstructed, the force that ac-
cumulates behind the barrier is the
guaranty that it will be removed. If
temporary damage is done in the
transition from the abnormal condi.
tion which finaly gives way before the
normal condition of progress, the
blame is not upon those who remove
the letters placed upon the peoples
will. but upon those who are foolish
enough to deny the right of the people
to have what they want in government
And here, too, the temporary damage
done is in proportion to the obstruc
tioa which finally gives way ebfore the
forward movement OF the masses.
p "Right ~Always~T risimphs" &a
: owe can better understand the polit.
ica situation which we have to meet
to- day if we bear in mind three propo
sltions: First, that greed and selfish
ness always are attempting to obstruc
human progress; second, that thu
sooner an obstruction to the popular
will is removed the better for all con
cerned; third, that right always tri
umphs in the end
"Just now the world is recovern,
from the most destructive war know
10 history. In time the world will b,
again normal, and God grant that tn
lessons learned in the awful conflic
may never be forgotten. We hav
, learned at least one lesson, namely
that it is a mistake to require two
thirds vote to ratfy treaty. A ma
jority of Congress can declare war. /
sought to be as easy to end war as t
t begin it.
"The league of nations, with our ma
! ton member, is the highest tribuna
that has been conceived by the min
and heart of man, and our nations in
f1uence in the league should 60 ia
toward making war impossible by cul
tivating the spirit of brotherhood. Ou
nations representatives in the leagu
l should be elected in districts by popu
lar vote.
= 'It so happens that my life has bee
. spent in successive efforts to obtai
! reforms, every one Of which, in it
last analysis, has had as it's object tn
! removal Of obstructions which specis
! interests sought to interpose to tn
:. political progress of our country.
, "The first was constitutional amend
y ment which provided for the diree
- election of United States Senators b
6 the people. 1t required twenty-o
. years to clear the stream and let tn
i
', House passed the necessary resolutio
! six times before it could pass the Ser
v ate once. But who would now retur
to the old system? And what woul
). be the situation to-day if this refor1
a had not been secured?
Income Tax Battle Won
It at required seventeen years TO 81
cure an amendment to the Constitute
It authorizing an income tax. Suprem
Court decision obstructed the stream
and wealth was protiting by exemptio
from its share of the burdens of III
government. How could our govern
ment have distributed with equity tn
=. burdens of the war without an incon
~ tax? And what would be the feelin
~ toward the big tax dodgers to-day,
=, they could still throw upon the bacl
!" Of the poor the burdens that the rc
= ought to bear?
u u "For a generation few money ma,
mates in Wall Street were able to col
10 troll the financial situation, giving tt
+ people panic or prosperity according
8 they found it profitable. The currene
'e law removed the center of power fro
u New York to Washington, and tt
{, greatest war of all time has been u,
q able to disturb our financial security
% "a third constitutional amendmel
> has been recently adopted after col
+. test lasting nearly fifty years. TT
: saloon has been abolished, and, with
the brewery and the distillery. 1t W,
tltantic struggle; no such powerf
, financial interests had ever Before q
:. tempted to thWart tho purnose of II