New-York tribune., 1896-10-19
ETHICS or THE CAMPAIGN.
DR. VAN DYKES STRONG APPEAL FOR
NATIONAL HONESTY.
SERMON AT THE BRICK CHURCH ON THE
SUBJECT. NOT POLITICS. BIT

A SERMON At THE BRICK CHURCH ON THE
SUBJECT NOT POLITICS. BIT
PoL;TETHICsy'
The Rev Dr. Henry Van Dyke delivered sermon
yesterday morning in the Brick Church' fhth-aNe
and Thirty -seventh-st the subject OF Not ron
tics hut Polite, hics" The church was filled with
congregation that gave the closest attention 10 the
pointed utterances Of DR. Van Dyke The preacher
prefaced his discourse by explaining that unoer oru
nary circumstances ii was not the ou'y vi I"
preacher to comment upon the merits or a Na"oha'
election but at the present moment crisis was
tmnendjng and the question was to be determined
whether the Republic rested upon foundation OF
righteousness and order in humanity. or upon 'he
crumbling sands OF mans ignorance passion ana
sefshness. In such crisis he said, IL WAS 'he
duty of minister of religion to speak out lor lhe
good Of the land and for the integrity OF the Ma
ton DR. Van Dyke then proceeded. In part, as foi-
lows:
Ii is proposed that the United States shall open
M It's minis MINIS 10 9 e - TO 5fe aEd cos MAKE his silver coinage
legal tender for all debts public and private Ihis
dations of righteousness and truth. 1t tests me
integrity of the National conscience TO the very
man who owes Il dollar shall be empowered TO pay
it with 3l2ia grains of coined silver which ne can can
shall have the right TO do the same thing; and
that every man who has dollar coming TO MN MN
iect him from the savings bank where he has de-
posted his earninss rG IN hT ne sr from hn Sm
ployer for whom he has labored; shall be forced 10
accept. 3i2ia grains of stamped silver as a ful
said ha this country ogsh 10 DO .so sO%eiS2s dWs
The jus, dues of erybody In order 10 do something
for this metal and Is owners? Ii is SAD nat ms
ard bring general prosperity Is II Likely? las !,
ever done 50? There Is one ,hins ha; has Is 9Ser %bdr
Is thing ma, comes before genera prosperity,
and Mqona Or honor when iS TAI 9sb g
write its own death warrant. II Is nne hing 10
erons with VIVA, does no; belong TO you ..,
do not charge The advocates Of ms policy WIN
OF hem among the most sincere and eirnes, and
welneaning Of men L smpiy shows cIear!y that
who are engaged in This movemen, want to do some
s sams @ hey are ey wrong " The The ne hng hing Which they
propose 10 do is bad thing. They are as honest a.
Therefore to commit the e'" coriuct o. the Nation TO
their hands would be crime az well as a mis-
lake
The new programme is not honest because !; would
estabish d9ub,e weight and measure IN our coun,
thy bag divers weights, great and a small Thou
qe srea a1 and avs This ' aW rs' %as so or s
alone. II Is universal fundamen:aL TO haye one
turning i. to disregard the essential obligations Of
justice. To-day an American dollar means and
shings. and fve French francs and hve German
marks. and Ave Italian " -: II means one hundred
where bu, rex; year. II We do this thing. who can
-; what an American do,ar VIII be Sor'h2 Any
small: aad the law shall say mai the one ls equal
70 he other and a. he same tinc rcfuse 20 redeem
~" one win the o.her or make good any difference
between them. ! call that financial faisehooi. 4
is cover for chicinery ard an invitation 20 fraud
This programme is not honest. bccause IT win en-
rich one se' Of neople by mpovershing another set
of people 1t VIII rob Peter TO pay Paul. There are
only TWO ways in which the Government can make IT
them for me in whole or IN part: 'he other hv
asGarpf oH THAT . ned M not Eay them In Who'll or in
the savings bank ana insurance companies and
excep, by declaring that they may do it in cheaper
money If hay. promised TO deliver you q ton Of
a right TO ask ne Government to d~claro that
henc eforth half-on Of coal and halfion OF slate
This proposal Is immoral because II forces every
body to take an immense and uniustihaile risk j.
amounts 10 compulsory gambling for the entire
Nation The advocates Of the free coinage OF silver
sometime say that it would double the market
tons which we have just been urging against It,
to reputation but when it is pointed out that this
answer destroys all the arguments for silver az
that the market ratio OF gold and silver is uncer.
tain and nobody can tell what will happen. When
they say that they tell the truth. The engineer OF
a great train has no right to run his living freight
over bridge which has never been tested To
cal and financial fabric Of the country into state
Of confusion and uncertainty would be crime OF
the first magnitude. For the whole Nation to go
into huge lottery. ! care not for whose benefit
would be 10 break with our traditions and with the
moral law.
Then there has been appeal to class envy and
Jealousy atemp; TO stir the passions OF men ana
set them In warning camps, distinct effort 10 ar
ray the poor against tho rich the debtor against the
creditor. the West and the South against the East
and the North. There has beer n manifest bid for
the support Of the disconnected disOrdcrly and
Anarchistic elements OF society by the promise that
the National power shall not be used to suppress
violence and enforce the law in the separate States
Now IL Christianity be true. this is wrong In this
age the man who pareys with Anarchy invites the
day of bloodshed and he who inhames class against
ola lDh hfen into ruyl..,
Our former President and present President
have recognized the moral issue In this question
the first and greatest and the man who II God wills
It, should be future President. has spoken clearly
on the question OF ethics. he has put himself
ord az holding that the Government having issued
and circulated the silver dollar In honor protect
the holders from loss. This obligation II has so far
sacredly kept. Not only is there a moral Obligation
but there is legal obligation. expressed In public
statute TO maintain the parity" That strikes the
true That goes the root OF the matter
That echoes the divine law OF Righteousness.