Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1920-01-17
ADVISES YIELDING
ON RESERVATIONS.
Mr.. Bryan's speech i'm fuIl fo,loye

l So"NoNEN ADVISES YIELDING
| ON RESERVATIONS.
MIR. Bryan's speech in full follows.
Seldom has such an opportunity
Tor great service come to any part,
/ as now PRESENTS itself to our party
! But opportunity brings responsibility.
Much is required of those to whom
much Is given. A soldier is a soldier
until his day Of opportunity COMES,
after that he is either hero or a COW
ara. so with the party, opportunities
improved become stepping stones to
success; opportunities neglected a O
mlllstones about the party's neck.
Tho opportunities now offered are
as large as the nation and as wide
as the world. In this hour when we
take council together for the coming
campaign it is the duty of each mem
Der OF the party as l take it to pres
cent the situation as he sees it, with
out stopping to inquire whether his
views arc shared by others, One can
not call mass meeting to Determine
"hat to think. The theory of demo-.
cracy is that all think and give OK
preston to their thought and then
conclusions are reached by comparison
of views.
! Permit me, therefore to present
the moro important of these opportun
tiles as | sec them. The nations arc
entering upon new era; old systems
lare passing away; democracy Is daw
ming everywhere. Our nation Is the
only great nation in position 20
furnish the moral leadership rcuuir-.
cd. The nations of Europe are busy
with their own problems; our people
are the only ones disinterestcd enough
to be trusted by all and the Democrat
&c party is the party whose ideas best
fit for the task Of leadership in such
a work.
"A Democratic President was the
spokesman of the United States In
holding out I" a war worn world the
hopo of universal peace, and he
Eought back from Paris the covenant
OF League OF Nations that provides
means for settling international, dis
pntcS without Il resort of force. lie
ala tho best he could, and succeeded
better than we had any right to eX-
pect when we remember that he
fought single handed against the sci
fish interests Of the world.
BLAMES G 9. =. FOR DELAY
"Thc Republican party, In control
Of the Senate, instead of rat flying at
once or promptly proposing changes
that 1T deemed necessary has fiddlcd
kuh twill
CT with conflagration. 1t could
ha>c adopted its reservations us we'll
five months ago as later, but it pes
mittcd cndless debate While suffering
humanity waited.
, 'The Democratic Senators stood
with the President for ratification
without reservation and | stood with
them, believing that it was better to
secure within the league after it was
established any necessary changes
than to attempt to secure them by
I reservations III the ratifying resou-
, tons, But our plan has been rejected
and we must face the situation as It
is. We must either secure such com
promises as may be possible or pres
cnt the issue to the country. The lat
ter course would mean delay Of at
least fourteen months and then sue
cess only III case Of cur securing n
two-thirds majority In the Senate
! eve cannot afford either as citizens
or as members Of the party to share
with the Republican party RESPONSE
- hility for further delay; we cannot 20
before the country on the issue that
such an appeal would present. The
Republicans have n majority in tho
Senate and therefore can by right die
tate the Senate course. Being in tho
n'nority we cannot demand the right
10 decide the terms upon which the
Senate will consent to ratification
Our nation has spent 100000 precious
lives and more than twenty billions
Of dollars to make the world safe
for democracy and the one fundamen
tai principle OF democracy is the
right OF the majority to rule. 1T ap
lplics to the Senate and to the House
as well as to the people.
According to the Constitution. a
: treaty is ratified by n two--thirds
'vote but the Democratic party can
not afford to take advantage OF the
constitutional right Of a minority
to prevent ratification. A majority
of Congress can declare war. Shall
We make it more dicicult to conclude
la treaty than to enter a war?
| CANNOT IMPAIR CONGRESS
Neither can we go before the coun
try on the issue raised by Article X
If we do not intend to impair the
right Of Congress to decide the
question Of peace or war when the
time for action arises how can we
insist upon moral obligation to go
to war which can have no force or
value except rs 1t does impair the
Independence OF Congress? We owe
it to the world to join in an homes.
| effort to put an end to war forever,
! and that effort should be made at the
| earliest possible moment.
"a Democratic party cannot be a
party Of negation; it must have con
F., struction programme. 1t must not on
ly favor a league Of nations but 1t