The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-25
A SUNDAY TOPIC.

n SCNDA1 1OfEC.
To-day affords suitable season to con-
slider dispassionately the import of several
| occurrences of the past week One of
these has already been alluded to--the at
| tempt of an organized body Of 1awless men
to insult and inflict personal injury upon
the Secretary of the Treasury. Mr.. Car
Isle. Another was the attempt of roughs
in Evansville to break up the meeting of
Bourke Cochran, and, falling IN that, to
assault him as he came from the hall in
which he spoke. In both these cases, but
for the presence of the police and friends,
two illustrious citizens would have received
personal injury. The assault upon MIR. Car
Isle was planned. since, months ago, local
leaders of the Bryan Democracy predicted
that he would be mobbed If he attempted
to speak in the city which has been his
home for many years. At Evansville it was
evident that the body of men who under
took to break up Mr.. Cockran's meeting
and afterward to assault him were acting
under understanding which amounted to
plan, because two or three hundred men
not the same spot to do the same
thing by an individual intuition. The out
rage was the result Of a plan which had
leaders. 1t was probably known to local
leaders in the Bryan party who could have
prevented the attempt to strange freedom
of speech in Indiana and the subsequent
attempt to do Mr. Cochran bodily injury,
if they had wished. 1t will be said that
none but those who constituted these mobs
are responsible. To this it can be replied
that the rank and file of party is ami
mated by the spirit of it's leaders. In Ken
tucy prominent supporters of Bryan threat
ened to break up the meetings of Mr.. Car
Isle in that State if he would not divide
time with his opponents. There has been
no protest against that threat by the Bryan
national committee. 1t is not too much to
say that the general drift of Mr.. Bryan's
addresses has been to inf1ame the passions
of element naturally lawless. From his
speeches scores of sentences could be culled
to sustain this charge. One will suffice.
In his speech at Knowlesville, n. Y, in
August, he said:
The PRONUNCIATION Of the gold standard is
attack upon your homes and your fire
sides and you have as much right to resist
it as to resist an army marching to take
your children captive and burn the roof
over your head
If an. army were marching through In
diana burning houses and capturing chill
dren, the people would have the right to
oppose the destruction of personal prop
erty and the capture of children with dead
ly weapons Mr.. Bryan declares that Gen.
eral Harrison, Secretary Carlisle and
Bourke Cochran are to be treated as such
invaders because they have taken part
The ruffians in Covington, KY, and Evans
vile, Ind, have gone as far in resisting as
it was safe, and as far they could.
Senator Jones, chairman of the Bryan
national committee, has issued a circular
to employees, stating that wages would be
reduced if Mckinley should be elected, and,
to provide against it, he urges them to go
to their employers before the election and
insist upon a contract for the payment of
the present scale of wages. If Mr.. Jones
had any influence with wage-earners, and
they were not vastly more intelligent than
he assumes, there would, on the of
exciting election, be strife and possibly
bloody contentious all over the land, due
to attempts to force such wage contracts
as have never before been thought Of This
is undoubtedly the scheme of such reckless
men Altgeld Tillman and Sovereign.
Simply t6 carry an election these reckless
men would array the wage-earners of the
country against the wage-payers foes.
On Sunday, in the quiet homes, away
from the excitements of the canvass, the
matters here alluded to should be the SUBJ
iects of careful consideration. Leaving out
of the issue every economic question: do
the intelligent voters of this country, who
have homes because law and order pre-
vail think it wise to turn over the govern
ment of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln
to the organs, the Altgelds and the Till
mans?