Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-08-20
BRYAN'S ADDRESS

Presidential Nomination.
The Full Text of His
New York Speech.
AIR. CHAIRMAN, GEsTLEMEx OF THE
COMMITTEE AND FELLOW CITIzExs-I
shall nc q fnture day and In . formal letter
esqsEf fl14 neR;Hzfzsa
shafl DC that tinne touch upon the Issues
presented by the platform It Is fitting,
however, that Mt this time, in the presence
OF those here assembled, speak at some
length In regard to the campaign upon
which we arc now entering. We do not
underestimate the forces arrayed against
US, nor are we unmindful Of the impor.
tance Of the struggle I'm which we are en- (,
gagged; but, relying for success upon the
righteousness of our cause, we shall defend
with all possible vigor the positions taken
by our party. We are not surprised that
some of our opponents, in the absence OF
| better argument resort TO abusive epithets,
but they may rest assured that no Ian
| guage, however violent no invectives,
however vehement, will lead us to depart
single hairbreadth from the course
marked out by the national convention
| Tho citizen, either public or private, who
assails the character and questions the pa
triotism OF the delegates assembled in the
| Chicago convention assails the character
and questions the patriotism of the mil
lions who nave arrayed themselves under
| the banner there raised.
1t has been charged by men standing
IN hVu nd rtv hot
our platform is n menace TO private secur-
ity and public safety, and it has been as
serted that those whom / have the honor
| for the time being to represent not only
| mediate an attack upon the rights of
| property, but arc the foes both of social
order and national honor
Those who stand upon the Chicago plat
| form arc prepared to make known and to
defend every motive which influences them,
| every purpose which animates them and
every hope which inspires them. They un-
derstand the genius of our institutions,
they are stanch supporters Of the form of
| government under which we live, and they
build their faith upon foundations laid by
the fathers. Andrew jackson has stated,
with admirable clearness and with an en-
| phaSis which cannot be surpassed, both
the duty and the sphere of government
ways exist under every Just government.
| Equality Of talents, of education or of
wealth cannot be produced by human in
| stitutions. In the full enjoyment of the
| gifts Of heaven and the fruits of superior
industry, economy and virtue every man
is equally entitled to protection by law. I"
| We yield to none I'm our devotion to the doc
| trinc just cnunciated. Our campaign has
not for its object the reconstruction of So
ciety. We cannot insure to the vicious the
fruits of virtuous life; we would not in
| wade the home Of the provident In order to
supply tho wants of the spendthrift; we do
not propose to transfer the rewards OF in.
dustry to the lap of Incidence. Property is
and will remain the stimulus to endcavor
and the compensation for toll We be-
lieve, rs asserted in the Declaration Of In.
dependence, that all men are created equal,
but that does not mean that all men are
or can be equal in possessions, in ability
or in merit. 1t simply means that all shall
stand equal before the law, and that gov
ernment officials shall not, in making, con
STRUNG or enforcing the law, discriminate
between citizens.
Quotes From P-esident Lincoln.
assert that property rights, as we'll as
the rights of persons, are safe in the hands
of the common people. Abraham Lincoln,
in his message sent to congress in Decem-
ber, 1851, said, "No men living are more
worthy to be trusted than those who toll
up from poverty, none less inclined 10
take or touch aught which they have not
honestly earned" repeat his language
with unqualified approval and join with
him in the warning which he added
namely, Let them beware of surrender
ing political power which they already
nV,I s,t,
will surely be used 20 close the doors of ad-
vancement against such as they and to fix
new disabilities and burdens upon them
till all of liberty shall be lost" Those who
daily follow the injunction I'm the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread. {" are now,
as they ever have been, the bulwark of
law and order, the source of orr nations
greatness in time of peace and its surest
defenders In time of war.
But have only read part of Jackson s
utterance Let me give you his conclusion,
"But when the laws undertake to add to
those natural and just advantages artificial
distinctions, TO grant titles, gratuities and
exclusive privileges, 20 make the rich rich
er and the potent more powerful, the hum
bio members Of society, the farmers, me
chanics and tho day laborers, who have
neither the time nor the means of securing
1
complain of the injustice of their govern
ment." Those who support the Chicago
platform indorse all of the quotation from
jackson, the latter part as we'll as the
former part.
We are not surprised to find arrayed
against us those who arc the beneficiaries
of government favoritism. They have read
our platform Nor are we surprised tC
learn that we must in this campaign face
the hostility of those who find pecuniary
advantage in advocating the doctrine OF
noninterference when great aggregations OF
wealth are trespassiEg upon the rights oi
individuals. We welcome such opposition.
1t is the highest Endorsement which
could be bestowed upon Us. Wcar content
to have the cooperation OF those who desire
TO have the government administered with
out fear or favor. 1t Is not the wish of the
general public that trusts should spring
into existence and override the weaker
members of society. 1t is not the wish oi
the general public that these trusts should
destroy competition and then collect such
tax as they will from those who are a
their mercy. Nor is it the fault OF the gen
eral public that the instrumentalities Oi
govCrnI...it have been so often prostitutoG
20 purposes of private gain Those whC
stand upon the Chicago platform believe
| that the government should not only avoid
Nsongdoing, but that il should also pre-
vent wrongdoing, and they believe thai
the law should be enforced alike againsi
all enemies of the public veal. They dC
not excuse petit larceny, but they declar'
| that grand larrcny iS eotlailv n crime The,