Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-07

world that Was worth owning -kotaan
empire, answer. Gibbon, Ia hrs Rise
aad Fail u the Roman Empire
seats OF tho ruined Coliseum, and
the skeleton of the sqged1cts, and
the HsisssnA OF the Campaigns. and the
fragments Of the marble baths. and the
lsslsss piers Of the Bridge Triumpnalis.
and the Malnsrtlns prison, holding no
more apostolic prisoners. aud the silent
Forum and Baslliea u Constantine, and
the arch OF Titus, and the Pantheon
come Ia with great chorus. crying,
Dead; deads' After Horace. after Virgil,
after Tacitns. after Cicero. dead. After
HOratius GA the bridge. and Cineinnatus.
The farmer olizarch. after Pompey. after
5eipio. after Cassius. after Constantine.
after CAESAR. dead. The war eagle of
Rome flew SO high il was blinded by the
sun and came whiriing down through
the heavens, and the owl Of desolation
and darkness built its nest in the for
saken eyrie. Mexican empire, dead.
French empire. dead.
WHY NATIONS DIE.
Yoa see, my friends. 10 Is no unusual
thing for government TO perish, and in
the same neurology of dead nations and
IN the same graveyard Of expired gov
eEnments viii go the United States of
America unless there be some potent
voice 10 call halt, and unless God in
his mercy interferes, and through puri-
fed ballot box and widespread public
Christian sentiment the catastrophe DO
ayerted. This nation Is about 10 go To
the ballot box TO exercise the right OF
suffrage, and propose TO set before you
the evils that threaten TO destroy the
American government, and TO annihilate
American institutions, and II God VIII
help me / will show you before / get
through the mode in which each and
every one may do something TO arrest
that appalling calamity. And l shall
plow up the whole field
The first evil that threatens the ami
hilation Of our American institutions 10
the fact that political bribery, which
once was considered crime, has by
many come 10 be considered a tolerable
virtue. There is legitimate use Of
money in elections, in the printing of po-
litical 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
have set before them so much money
for q Republican vote, and so much
money for Democratic vote, and the
superior financial inducement will de-
eide the action. You want to know
which party viii 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 head
quarters Of the doubtful states, dealing
out the infamous inducement.
There used to be bribery; but it held
its head in shame. It was under the
utmost secrecy that many years ago q
railroad company bought up the Wis
consin legislature and many other pub
lie officials in that state. LIS governor
OF that state at that time received $780,
600 for his signature. His private sec
rotary received =, 900. Thirteen men,
bers Of the senate received $4,000
among them in bonds. Sixty members
of the other house received from IS 900
to $40, 900 each. The lieutenant govern
or received $4,000. The clerks of the
house recei, ed from 5000 to 5000
each. The bank comptroller received
$4,000. Two hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars were divided among the
lobbyists. You see the railroad compa-
ny was very generous. But all that
was hidden, and only through the Sc
verest scrutiny on the part of legisla-
tive 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's
island, with uplifted torch to light other
nations into the harbor, had better be
changed and the torch dropped as q
symbol Of universal incendiarism.
Unless tais purchase and sale Of SUI
frage shall cease the American govern
ment viii expire, and you might as well
be getting ready the monument for an
other dead nation and let my text in
scribe upon 1t these words, Alas. alas,
for Babylon. that great city. that mighty
city. for in one hour is thy judgment
Gomez Ny friends, II you have not no
ticed that political bribery is one Of the
ghastly crimes of this day, you have not
kept your eyes open.
Another evil threatening the destruc-
ton Of American institutionsis the solid
flying Of the sections against each other.
A solid north. A solid south. If this
goes on we shall. after awhile, have a
solid east against a solid west; we shall
have solid middle states against solid
northern states; we shall have solid
New York against solid Pennsylvania.
and a solid Ohio against a solid Ken
lucky II Is twenty seven years since
tine warcloud. aud yet at every presi-
Dental election the old sntagoDism is
aroused. When Garfield died. and all
/ the states gathered around his casket in
sympathy and in tears, and as hearty