Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-11-10
TALMAGE To VOTERS.
A THRILLING ANTE-ELECTION
SERMON IN BROOKLYN.
Democratic aud Republican Parties
Arraigned for tho Use OF 40 Much
Money-The nestinics OF the Nation
Weighing In the Balance.


mage to-day selected for his sermon
subject sufficiently appropriate for
these times, when, throughout the
United States, great political questions
are being discussed and the nation is
about TO go to the ballot box and de-
eide who shall rule in neighborhood,
town, city, and nation. The text
chosen was Rev. ls:lO--"Alas, alas,
that great city Babylon, that mighty
city! for in one hour Is thy judgment
come
Modern scientists are doing "A spicn-
did work in cxcavating the tomb OF
dead empire holding in its arms dead
city, mother and child of the same
namc-Babylon The ancient mound
invites the spades and shovels and
crowbars while the unwashcd natives
look on in surprise. These scientists
find yellow bricks still impressed with
the name of NebuchadneZZar, and they
go down into the .sarcophagus of Il
monarchy buried more than two thou
sand years ago. May the explorations
of Rawlinson and Layard and Cheva-
lier and Opperto and Lotus and Chcs-
uey be eclipsed 10y the present arch;eo-
logical uncovering.
You see, my friends, it is no unusual
thing for 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 Ia and unless
through "a purified ballot-boX and a
widespread public Christian sentiment,
The catastrophe be averted. This ma
ton 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 destroy the American gov
crnment, and to annihilatc American
institutions and if God will help me
will show you before get through
the mode in which each and every one
may do something to arrest that appal-
ling calamity. And | shall plough up
the whole field
The first evil that threatens the an
initiation of our American institutions
is the fact that political bribery which
once was considered a crime, has by
many come TO be considered a tolcra BILE
virtue. There is legitimate 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 Legitimate direction? The vast
majority of it will go to buy votes.
Hundreds and thousands of men will
have set before them so much money
for Republican vote, and so much
money for Democratic vote, and the
superior financial inducemcnt will de-
eide the election. 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
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, de aling out the infamous in
ducement
There used to be bribery, but it held
its head in shame. 1t was under the
utmost secrecy that many years ago a
railroad company bought up the Wis
consin Legislature and many other
public officials in that State. The gov
ernor of the State at that time re-
ccived $500 for his signature. His
private secretary received $1,000. Thir-
teen members of the Senate received
SIS, 600 among them in bonds.
Sixty members of the other
house received from 5000 to
$40, 600 each. The Lieutenant Governor
received $4,000. The clerks Of the
House received from $1,000 to SO, 200
each The bank comptroller received
$4,000. Two hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars were divided among the
lobbyists. You see, the railroad com
pany was very generous. But all that
was hidden, and only through the Sc
vercst scrutiny on the part of Legis-
lative committee was this iniquity dis
played. Now. political bribery defies
you, dares you, is arrogant, and will
probably decide the election next Tues
day.
Unless this diabolism ceases in this
country, Bartholdi's statue on Bedloe' $
island, with uplifted torch to light
other nations into the harbor, had bet
ter be changed and the torch dropped
as a symbol of universal incendiarisn.
Unless this purchase and sale of suf-
frage shall cease the American govern
mcnt will expire, and you might as
we'll be getting ready the monument
for another dead nation, and let my
text inscribe upon it these words:
Alas! alas. for Babylon, that great
city, that mighty city, for in one hour
is thy Judgment come" My friends,
If you have not noticed that political
bribery is one of the CHASTITY crimes OF
this day, You have not kept your eyes
open
Another evil threatening the destruc.
ton of American institutions is the
solidifying of the sections against each
other. A solid North. A solid South.
If this goes on we shall, after a while,
have a solid East against solid West,
we shall have solid Middle States
against solid Northern States, we
shall have solid New York against a
solid Pennsylvania, and a solid
Ohio against solid Kentucky.
1t is twcnty-sevcn years since the war
cloud, and yet at every Presidential
election the old antagonism is aroused.
When Garfield died, and all the States
gathered around his casket in sym
pathy and intcars, and as hearty telc'
grams of coincidence came from New
Orleans and from Charleston as from
Boston and Chicago, | said to myself;
Il think sectionalism is dead" But
alas. no. The difficulty will never be
ended until each State of the nation is
split up into two or three great polit
zeal parties. This country cannot
exist unless it exists as one