Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1908 — WILLIAM J. BRYAN DEFINES THE ISSUES [ARTICLE]

WILLIAM J. BRYAN DEFINES THE ISSUES

Hi* Fight-in Full Blast Following Speech at Chicago Jackson Day Banquet. STICKS TO 1896 PLATFORM. Praises Roosevelt for Adhering to What He Calls Tenets of the Democratic Party. William J. Bryan spoke at the Jackson day banquet in Chicago. The Nebraskan praised President Roosevelt for having ehcroacJjqjl on the Democratic platform by indorsing many of the .principles of the Bryan party, and political wise ones have since declared this looks as if the Democratic standard bearer were outlining his campaign with the idea that his opponent will be a candidate who will not reflect the Roosevelt policies. —— Mr. Bryan reaffirmed allegiance to the platform of 1896, pblntlng out how Democracy had grown stronger in th/ advocacy of the principles enunciated then. He did not refer to 16 to 1, but declared that the Democrats at that time advocated “qualitative currency,” and then added: “The men who despised the ‘SO-cent dollar’ in 189(1 are now hungering and thirsting for the dollar without any cents in it.” The Nebrastan at the outset of his remarks signified his willingness to lead the Democracy again when he said: I shall ask no editor of a subsidized press whether I shall ever be a candidate or not. I shall ask no trust magnate whether he prefers some other candidate. There is only one body to which I shall submit the question, and that is that great body of voters in the Democratic party, and these voters know better. than any self-styled or constituted leaders what they want done by the Democratic party. Taking up the platform adopted at the Chicago convention in 1896, when he was first nominated for President, Mr. Bryan said: > Did we not denounce the trusts in ’96 and is not our position stronger to-day than it was then? Did we not demand regulation of the .railroads then and is not our positjon stronger to-day than it was eleven years ago? Did we not demand tariff reform them and has not the sentiment continued stronger now than then’* Did we not demand arbitration between labor and capital? Who denies’ that on that subject is not stronger now than it was eleven years *go? . Did we not then denounce government by injunction as an attempt to destroy the laboring man’s right to triakhy jury? Who denies our position is stronger upon that subject to-day than it was then? A Republican President has indorsed our platform on the railroad question. A Republican President has accepted our platform on the trust question. A Republican President has indorsed our contention on the subject of arbitration, and a Republican President has said in his last message that if things get much worse he will have to indorse our position on government by ifijunction. Our position on imperialism is stronger now than it was seven years ago, when it was'announced. I repeat that there is not-one single Democratic doctrine that is not stronger now than it was then. I will go further than that. There is not one single Republican doctrine that is as strong now as it was then. Are you surprised that I am happy? Who has more reason to rejoice than I have? Some Democrats have criticised me because I have praisetTthe President where lie has done things Democratic. What else could I do? It was only justice to praise him when he took his place upon a Democratic platform and to announce to him 'fhat he couldn't drive me off of the Democratic platform by getting on it. ,