The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-20
ID PAY DEBT OF
 GRATITUDE ONLY
 DESIRE OF BRYAN
Compares Civilization to Mighty River Which Will Not Be Denied By Any
 Sized Dam
By A,,ocIatsd Prsss

New York. March 19.-William Jen- nings Bryan declared here tonight that his ambition was not to enjoy the hon ors of public office but to discharge as fully as possible his debt of grati- tude to the American people. This was the Nebraskan's first pro- Inouncement on the democratic presiden- tia1 nomination since the announcement of his brother in Lincoln on March g that the "commoner' would not vote for United States Senator c. NJ Hitchcock if he were elected a delegate to the nazional convention.
 -sr. Bryan made known his stand in a speech at dinner at the Aldine Club, arranged in celebration of his sixtieth birthday anniversary by friends and ad- mirers of all parties. This address was the first on speaking tour that will embrace many states.
 After submitting some conclusions drawn from thirty years of experiences in the arena of politics" Mir. Bryan said
 Even in my youth I had no doubt VI iAAC AiHdl Ol every Ii5AlCOhS cause and my faith is even greater now since I have seen reform after reform accomplished and great principles that are at first scoffed at written into the unrepealable law of the land.
 No one has been happier than I in the character and constancy of his friends or more generously rewarded for labor in the political vineyard. My ambition is not to enjoy the honors of office, but to discharge as rul1y as I can the debt of gratitude I owe the American people.
 T am aware that my place in history will not depend upon what others do for me, but upon what I am able to do for my country. If kind providence adds years to my life they will be spent in an earnest effort to aid in putting the American people in com plete control of their government and to promote peace among all the na- tions, to the end that the conscience of our country and the world may more surely and more speedily overthrow in- justice and establish among men the nearest possible approach to the divine measure of rewardsJ
 BEWARE OF DAM
 Beware of the dam was the sub ject of the Nebraskan's address. Com pairing civilization to a mighty river which will not he denied, he listed ob- structions which have been swept away in his lifetime and those which he de- clared must go.
 In theflatter class he placed the profi- teer, private monopoly obstacles to the wage earner's progress and the farmers advance. and theJrules of the United States Senate, which he declared should be changed so as to allow majority to close debate and compel vote
 He suggested three remedies that surpass all others in effectiveness, free- dom of speech, supplying of citizens with ''incorruptible channels of infor- nation" government bulletin, not a newspaper" and faith in the intelli- gence and capacity of the people. He refused to admit the possibility of revolution in the United States"
 If the peoples will is obstructed, the force that accumulates behind the barriers is the guaranty that it will be removed" he said.
 If temporary damage is done in the transition from the abnormal con dition caused by the obstruction, to the normal condition of progress, the blame is not upon those who remove the fet- ters placed upon the peoples will, but upon those whb are foolish enough to deny the right of the people to have what they want in government.
 HOW TO UNDERSTAND
 We can better understand the polit- ical situation which we have to meet to- day if we bear in mind three proposi- tions:
 First. That greed and selfishness are always attempting to obstruct human progress.
 Second. That the sooner an obstruc- tion to the public will is removed, the better for all concerned.
 Third. Right always triumphs in the end. A
 Just now the world is recovering from the most destructive war known to his- tory. God grant that the lessons learned in the awful conflict may never be for gotten.
 We have learned at least one lesson, namely, that it is mistake to require two-thirds vote to ratify treaty. Al of Congress can declare war: it ought to be as easy to end a war as to begin it.
 The league of nations. with our nation a member, IS the highest tribunal that t1xonx r--