The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-23

owl of dcsolation and darkness buiit its
nest in the forsaken eyrie. Mexican
Empire, dead French Empire, dead.
You see, my friends, it is no unusual
thing for a government to perish, and
in the same neurology of dead nations,
and in the same graveyard of expired
governments will go the United States
of America unless there be some potent
voice to call a halt, and unless God in
His mercy interferes and through
purified ballot-boX and a widespread
public Christian sentiment the catastro-
phe be averted. This nation is about
to go to the ballot-box to exercise the
right of suffrage, and I propose to set
before You the evils that threaten to de-
stroy the American government and to
annihilate American institutions, and
if God will help me will show you be-
fore get through, the mode in which
each and every one may do something
to arrest that appalling calamity. And
/ shall plow up the whole field.
The first evil that threat ems the an
Inhalation of our American institutions
is the fact that political bribery which
once was considered a crime has by
many come to be considered a tolerable
virtue There is a legjtimat~ use of
money in elections, in the printing OF
political tracts and in the hiring of
public halls, and in the obtaining of
campaign oratory; but is there any
homunculus who supposes that this
vast amount of money now being raised
by the political parties is going in q
legitimate direction? The vast majority
of it will go to buy votes. Hundreds
and thousands of men will he-e set be-
fore them so much money fog TNrepub-
lican' vote, and SO much fora demo-
cratic vote, and the superior financial
inducement will decide the action You
want to know which party will carry
the doubtful states day after tomorrow?
will tell you. The party that spends
the most money. This moment, while
l speak, the peddlers carrying gold
from Wall street, gold from Third
street, gold from State street. and gold
from the Brewers Association, are in
all the political headquarters of the
doubtful states, dealing out the in
famous inducement.
There used to be bribery, but it held
its head in shame. 1t was under the ut
most secrecy that many years ago a
railroad company bought up the Wis
consin legislature and many other pub
lie officials in that state. The governor
OF the state at that time received $780,
900 for his signature. His private sec
rotary received $4,000. Thirteen mem
bers OF the senate received sl75, 00C
among them in bonds Sixty members
of the house received from s., 900 to $40,
each. The lieutenant governor received
100000 The clerks of the house re.
ceived from $1,000 to $4,000 each. The
bank comptroller received $40, 900. Two
hundred and fifty thousand dollar;
were divided among the lobbyists. You
see, the railroad company was very
generous. But all that was hidden, anc
only through the severest scsstiny or
the part of legislative coiYfnatbe was
this iniquity displayed. Ndwp5htica
bribery defies you, dares You, is AFRO
giant, and will probably decide tn,
election next Tuesday.
Unless this diabolism ceases in thi.
countr Bartholdi's statue on Bedloe'.
Island, with uplifted torch to ligh
other nations into the harbor, had bet
ter be changed, and the torch dropped
as symbol of universal incendiarism
Unless this purchase and sale of suf
frage shall cease, the American govern
ment will expire, and you might as wei
be getting ready the monument for an
other dead nation, and let my text in
scribe upon it these words: "Alasl alas
for Babylon, that great city, tina
mighty city, for in one hour is thy judg
ment come" My friends, if you hav
not noticed that political bribery is on
of the ghastly crimes of this day, 20,
have not kept your eyes open,
| Another evil threatening the destruc
ton of American institutions is tn
solidifying of the sections against eac1
other. A solid north. A solid south
If this goes on we shall, after while
have solid east against solid ives,
we shall have solid middle states agains
solid northern states, we shall have
solid New York against solid Penn
sylvania, and u solid Ohio against
solid Kentucky. 1t is twenty-seve
years since the war cloud, and vet a
every presidential election the old ar
tagonism is aroused. When CARTEL
died and all the states gathered aroun
his casket in sympathy and in tear,
and as hearty kilograms of condolenc
came from New Orleans and frol
Charleston as from Boston and Oh
cago, said to myself; 81 think Sc,
tionalism is dead" But alasl no. TIL
difficulty will never be ended until eac
state of the nation is split up into tw
or three great political parties TIL
country cannot exist unless it exists g
: one body, the national capital tn
heart, sending out through all tn
arteries Of communication warmth an
life to the very extremities This n,
ton cannot exist unless it exists as or
family, and you might as well ha,
.. solid brothers against solid sisters, au
solid bread-tray against solid cradl
and solid nursery against a sol
dining-room; and you might as we
have solid ears against solid eyes, an
solid head against solid foot. What
, the interest of Georgia is the interest ,
Massachusetts; what is the interest
, New York is the interest of South Car
lima. Does the Ohio river change i