In 1908, campaign finance law was in its infancy. The Tillman Act had just passed, banning direct corporate contributions to campaigns. But enforcement was non-existent. William Jennings Bryan, running for president a third unsuccessful time as the Democratic nominee, made donor disclosure a major plank in his populist campaign’s platform.

Thanks to the Library of Congress you can hear Bryan give a speech promising to publish all his contributions over $100 and accept no more than $10,000 from any individual. (Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $2,440 and $244,000 in 2010 dollars, respectively.) He then challenges the Republican Party of retiring President Teddy Roosevelt and nominee William Howard Taft to do the same.

“There is no sound reason for secrecy in regard to campaign methods; and publicity will in itself prove a purifying influence in politics,” he declares. By the end, his oratory boldness comes out: “If there are any who love darkness rather than light, the excuse must be found in holy writ — it is because their deeds are evil.”

A full transcript is below. Special thanks to Redditor biblianthrope for pointing this out.