The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-10-05
Daily eagle
NJ. NJ MURDOCK. Editor.
RRyaN,s FEE FOR a SPEECH.

ITnon his arrival in Kansas City a1ter
his lucrative visit to Wichita William
Jennings Bryan begged a reporter ~
excuse him from stating the amount ne
received for his Wichita efforts he
ndded. INV profits have not been so
great this year as people imagine
BEFORE leaving Wichita Bryan re-
ouested the banker who wrote the oral'
not to say anything about it, as ne want
ed TO keep the amount out OF the ne"s-
papers.
Rut the amount he received is kno"h'
o,d what figure it is, What a Tor
time for a two-hours' talk! W nat rIc'ieS
for davis excursioni Bryan can nave
il He got his share of the proceeds
according to his contract, unreasonaple
as that contract may have Deeh. ii0
drew a portion of the crowds TO the lair
that day. and according TO me dfSu-
,nants of q few of the Populists, should
have had all the money.
But the thorn in that TRANSACTION Tue
thorn which bids the shame-faceu by
70 aSL q Banker to conceal the
amount the thorf which leads him TO
conceal it to a reporter and to Try 10
cover it Up completely by saying ND
he isn't making Iwuch money Is 'he idI az,
that he became common mounteOanA
when he took it from the people vi 'iii9'
the newest section Of Kansas, ana from
the people of Oklahoma, the youngest
territory in the Union. His speeches. a'
other Kansas towns cost IN the heiSh-
borhood Of $500 each; but ne comes 10
Wichita and walks out again win tle
startling sum of s2,400.
And who paid this? The poor down
-rodden cIfppled victims Of u monetary
system which has snatched every indi
yjdual. as some ferOcious giant Wouio
grab him, about the middle and grlpeo
the breath and life out of him. Who
naid this? The men who, by the grel'
generations. by the vampires OF biood-
sucking Wall street, by the red mana OF
yoracious loan agents, have gone down
20 bitter and ,empty-handed misery
whose farms lraye been taken AVA!
from them.
Who Daid this tremendous stipend fol
two-hours' CAB: The men Of this part Of
Kansas who have given Populist pa
rades. who have come into this fowl
and other towns, savage, unreasonable
and malicious in their threats, who have
gIared ar every successful business maj
and convicted him not by look or by
thought. but by their speech and by th'
establishment of Alliance exchanges, o.
dishonesty and dishonor. In the past
these parades have marched. Many
poor. country editor, honest in his con
victions. struggling for bread and but
Ter. striving TO upbuild little establish
ment. trying to lead a decent, godly lie
has had these angry, malicious parader
shout their lnsOlence at his little shoI
ready TO mob him al word from an au
thorized leader.
And vet here is their god, their grea
champion and leader, the mighty frien'
of the poor man, taking as his profits
q single day more than many bushes
man can count as his profits for dec
ade. Here is the great heart that palpi
tales in sympathy for poverty tlklni
more for a single effort that Cicero. De
mosrhenes. Burke. Mirabeau, Webste
or CLAW ever received or would have AZ
cepted.
Then if this land is distressed, as h
saws il is, if the people of this cOunir
are tyrannized by the money power,
he declares if the circulating medium
restricted as he asserts, what right Ia
he or any man 10 eXtorI from the peopl
So eXorbitant "A sum for few hours
idle talk? And what right has Bryan
Who pleads for fairness. who is the e
pecial champion of equality betwee
man and man, to take from people :
unreasonable i SUN?
He has none whatever. 1t was N
his right II was his special privilig
and he took IT, No aspiranr for the p
sition of president in this country ha
ever before charged anything for Il p
lt;cal speech. And if any candidate e,
rept Bryan has charged. there is not or
in all the long list of presidential cal
lidates who, upon having been tendere
30 large a sum. would not have immed
ately refused ana returned it.