Show j TO WilliAM J DRY BRYAN AN Elaborates on Position on Government Ownership and Replies to Those Who Misconstrued Words Hopes That Regulation May Yet Suffice but Believes Rail Railroads Railroads Railroads roads Are Too Powerful to Be Controlled I Louisville Ky Sept Sapt 12 On the tho occa occasion occasion sion slon of ot his entry into tho the south where his recent declaration ti n as to government ownership of ot railroads has aroused most opposition William J Bryan tonight made ma e a more explicit statement as to his position in tho the matter In dead daad silence he read a lengthy statement elaborating his hf position but declared that tho the mak malt ing of platforms rests with the voters m of af tho whole party p and I never have havo and never nover will wUl attempt to force my my ion lun or r those of any few fow men on the peo pIp While thus Indicating that tho the doctrine of government ownership is In the hands of ot tho the voters Mr Bryans speech indi mu plainly that nothing has Ims as 05 yet oc to shake shalto his belief beUer in the ultimate efficacy and und necessity of It He declared that he would gladly make malte and sacrifice in exchange for the tho assurance that regula tion instead of government ownership would answer the needs of the people peo le but ho expressed grave doubt as to whether regulation would ever suffice Ho He also took pains to present arguments argun to convince his hearers that government ownership of or trunk lines and state owner ship of state lines Unes not only preserve the rights of or the tho states but will permit tho people of each ouch to adopt government ownership when they are arc ready for it A tremendous yell arose when at the finish of or the statement Mr Bryan with all aU the tho emphasis he ho could muster to his hearers that Whenever I saw a danger danser threatening the tho people I have spoken out without ask ing Ins anybody an bod permission or querying what the tho effect may be bo on me Warm Welcome Entering the tim southland for the first fir t lime timo in two years William Villiam J Bryan to toI I laY day fla received a welcome that in warmth and spontaneity has not been surpassed bv In any of oC the greetings given him since his bis return from his tour of the world worl His arrival In the city provoked a great outburst of acclamations from thousands of or marchers and yet ct more thousands on the street His reception at tho tim armory tonight where he addressed ad a crowd of people was nothing less than a vol volcanic 01 canic eanie eruption of enthusiasm Although the attendance of southern notables was smaller then than at first expected on account of oC Mr Bryans recent acceptances of nu numerous Invitations from other southern lUcK dueL still tho tim mass muss meeting at the he armory armor was a u representative southern gathering graced grac d by the Kentucky Tenders leaders of ol Democracy a number of prominent Democrats from other southern status states and anda an anA a great gront nui nUu mooting meeting mp Ung of citizens from Kentucky and anti Indiana Mr Bryan was welcomed to Kentucky by his op opponent opponent Henry Watterson who presided over ever the tho meeting The other speakers I Mr Bryan were Senator Car Carmack I mack of Tennessee Tenne tsee representing the south and Sena a W r J Stone of Mis 1115 Missouri Mauri who Introduced the great orator When Mr Bryan entered the hall liaU lean leaning leanIng ing inS on the arm arm of Mr Ir Watterson there was W 4 a demonstration that lasted ten min minute mm ute thousands s of flags being waved in unison with the surges of oC cheers that wept swept over the throng As soon as the noise had subsided Mr began his address of or welcome A One Paramount Issue Mr Watterson spoke In part as follows a Thore There is but one paramount Issue for forthe fort forthe the t h next presidential battle battIe and that Is the t 11 rescue of the government from hands that have haye misused and debauched it and Its restoration to the custody of the plain put hut sovereign people The parties to It are upon tho the one hand han a standing stan army armyo of o if trained partisans held together not alone by the cohesive power of the public patronage but by a community of oC In Interest terest as unyielding as it is unthinking richly caparisoned in all aU the panoply of successful war and on the other hand the mas ma and body bod of those who hew the wood and draw tho the water and pay taxes unskilled and widely wl ely separated often groping In the tho dark sometimes misdirected mi by counsels always lacking the th resources by which results rosult are aro reached and dangers turned but never nover yet ot united except to conquer It IB Is veteran troops Against the raw militia an unequal though riot not a bootless array arra as many man well fought fields felds In days of old boar bear wit witness ness H r J Give us but half halt the discipline of oft th t thc 1 regulars olid a tithe of their equipment f and ind nd we wc shall drive them before us across hn hr barricades of criminal wealth though led ld by b Theodore Roosevelt himself T r recognize reco as our chieftain In this approaching conflict the Hon William WilliamJ Jennings J Bryan Br an of Nebraska Appeals to Moral Nature It lt costs me mo no sacrifice either of ot per por personal preference or pride of opinion to tomake make ko this declaration Mr tr Ir Bryan Br an and I have hav not act always agreed as to the means w wt Have never nover disagreed as to the end The appeal app nl to the moral nature of the I people J which W he lie has made with so much eloquence and power I was making when h wag wn a boy He Ho grew to manhood un under under der dC my m teaching If at times tunes I have haverA I raised rA the warning finger Inger of the tho school schoolmaster master even threatening the rod he was big bi enough and old enough and ins ing In enough h to sand it and to survive It find and nd has bas thrived in spite of it maybe by reason rr son of it and in any event has quite outgrown out rown it ft I J too have lived and learned apace and one ono of or the tho things I have hae learned has been to look more to the then objective n point and an less to nonessentials in tn matters matt rs of difference to agree to dis disagree agree ree with my m comrades and friends on great rent occasions and in great affairs to send end all aU minor differences to the rear the hotter to march abreast against com corn common common mon men enemy emmy Wo We Vo purpose to reform not to revolutionize revolutionize the tho government We Ve purpose to tc tor reestablish r democratic institutions in the nations capital returning to the voters what belongs to the voters oters We purpose to drive from itom tom the floor of or the senate those who sit there not as servants of the tho peo people pie le but as corporation counsel We Ve pro propose propose pose to drive from Crom the floor of the house fe the Hie speaker and his rules committee who Vve made an autocracy of ot that which I ILs has Ls created create a n legislative body bod In a word vord u wr P purpose to readjust the lost between the tile people and their lawmakers Our Jury is the nation our proof the I record of the Republican party our wit It n lit y e O Theodore Roosevelt our attorney Mr h Bryan of Nebraska Mr Mr speech touched off ocr the enthusiasm almost at tt the start sturt urn nd when at the th close dose he pointed to Mr Ir Bryan and amI said Mr Bryans Reception Here he is God bless him and give ghe him wisdom wl the yelled for fox five ly minutes Mr finally com corn commanded silence nence long enough to Introduce f lator Carmack of Tennessee Senator k was as followed ed by b Senator Sena tor W J Jol rne of ot Missouri who ho In a few words worm I I Introduced d Mr Bryan 1 Tho The demonstration that greeted Mr lir Bryan on his entrance to the hall haIl was re as the Nebraskan arose to speak Mr Bryan announced that ho he would read a statement concerning a topic which had bad been d since he had touched on it during his speech at New York He Ho then read his state ment which is in part as follows In my speech at the New York re I made some remarks concerning the tho government ownership of railways s and I thought that I had expressed my m self so clearly that my position could not be misconstrued oven even by those who de sired to misconstrue x it ft The Now New York speech was prepared in advance It was not only written but it was carefully re It stated exactly what I wanted to state and I have havo nothing to withdraw or modify In the statement therein made What I say tonight is rather In the na ture of an elaboration of the ideas there in i n presented Public Ownership or Competition Comp After quoting from the Democratic Platform of 1900 that a monopoly Is I s indefensible and amid Intolerable and after laying It down as a principle that public ownership should begin beSin where tion ends and that the people should have the benefit of any monopoly that might be found necessary I stated that I 1 had reached the conclusion that rail ralI roads partake so much Of the nature of a monopoly that they must ultimately be come public property and be bo managed by b public officials in the Interests of the whole community I added I 1 do not know that the country Is ready for this legislation I do o not know that the ma of my may own party favors it but I believe that an increasing number of the members of all parties see In public own asure assure remedy p for discrimination between persons and places and for the extortionate rates for tor the tho carrying of freight and passengers I then proceeded to outline a system of or public ownership whereby the advantages of public ownership might be secured to the people without the dangers of con coil This system contemplates federal fe eral ownership of the trunk lines hues only and arid the ownership of local lines IInes by b the several states I further expressed it as my opinion that the railroads themselves were responsible for Ute tile growth of the sentiment In favor of public ownership and said that while I that the rate bill recently enacted should shO ld be given a n fair trial we might expect to see the railroads still more alive in politics un less our experience with them differed from the thi experience we y had hind had with corporations This statement of or my views has boen been assailed by b some as an au attempt to force these views vl ws upon the Democratic party and an by some as an announcement of my tion to insist upon the Incorporation of form these views in the next Democratic plat Two Charges Answered Let Lot me answer these two charges I have tried to make it clear that I ex pressed my own opinion and I have never sought to compel the acceptance of my m opinion by anyone anone else Reserving the right to do my ray thinking I respect the right rl ht of everyone else to do his thinking ing I have too much confidence In the lade inde In c pendent thought In my own wn party to ex cx Q that any number of Democrats would acknowledge my right rl ht to do their thinking for them even if I wore were undemocratic un enough to assert such sucha a arl right If you ask me whether the question of ot government ownership will be an Is Issue issue sue In the campaign of iOS 1008 I answer that I do not know If It you ask me whether it ought ou ht to be he in the th platform I reply that hat I cannot tell teIl until I know what the democratic voters think upon the subject If Ie the Democrats believe that the next platform should contain a n plank for gov ownership then that plank ought to o be Included If the Democrats think it ought not contain such plank then such sucha a plank ought not to be included It rests with the party to make malte the platform and individuals can only p advise I have spoken for myself and for myself only onland and I did not know kno how the suggestion would b i received I am now prepared to confess confers conf s to you that It has been re received received more favorably than I expected There is however that I do expect namely that those Democrats who op pose government ownership will accompany nany pany their declaration against it with the tho assertion that they thc p will favor govern government government ment mont ownership whenever they are con ed that the country must choose be tw on government ownership of the roads and railroad ownership of the govern government go n ment mont For Strict Regulation IT I r still sUlI advocate strict regulation and 1 shall rejoice if experience proves that that regulation can be made ma e effective I will go farther than that and say I believe we can have more efficient regulation un der a Democratic administration with a Democratic senate and house than we weare weare are arc likely to have under a Republican administration with a Republican senate and an house and yet et I would not be honest with you If I do not frankly admit tint observation has convinced me inc that no such efficient regulation r is possible and that government ownership can be undertaken on n the tile plan outlined with less danger to the country than is involved In private ownership as ns we have had it or as we weare weare weare are ly to have it Among the thc reasons that have led me to believe that we must in the end look to government t ownership for relief reller I shall mention two or three First and foremost Is the corrupting In Influence fluence of the railroad In politics When the president following the Democratic platform insisted upon regulation he lie hewa wa was met with the opposition of the rail ralI railroads railroads roads ai every point gained in favor of or orthe the people was gained after a strenuous fight I hove have no flO Idea that the railroads are going to permit regulation without a struggle and I fear that their Influence will wUl be bc strong enough to very much de delay deta demy lay my ta If it It loes does not entirely defeat reme remedial dial legislation Another reason which has led me to favor government ownership is is the fact tact that the people are annually plundered of ef f fan an enormous sum by extortionate rates rat s that places princes are discriminated against and individuals driven cut of business by fa favoritism favorItIsm shown by b the railroads roa s You Yousa sly say sa that all these things can be cor eor corrected corrected without Interference Int with private ownership I shall haU be glad if experience proves that they can be but I no longer hone for It It The of ot Mr lIr Bryans Br ans general ad address dross dress followed the tho h lines of last nights night s address 4 at St Louis The latter part of or Mr Bryans speech s was wa devoted to an un emphatic condemnation of imperialism and the policy of or the Re nfl administration in holding on to the Philippines |