The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-20
Mr.. Bryan Sentenced for Hypocrisy.

rality has just been apprehended and turned
over to justice through the unaided efforts
Of the Hon. JOIN NJ. THAYER Of Lincoln.
Neb., formerly a United States Senate from
that State. The pursuit Of the culprlt has
been 80 unwearyingly patient and irresist-
IDLY p~ertinacious that the incident deserves
attention even apart from the additional
light 1t throws upon the character Of a man
who recently received 6,5OO,O 900 votes for
President. We hear now and then Of a de-
tective who follows a criminal around the
globe before he catches him. Gen. THAYER
of Lincoln has done more than that. He
has chased the evasive BRYAN around q
whole calendar year and has finally got
him by the collar.
1t may be remembered that during the
campaign of 1896 Mr.. BRYAN was reported
on more than one occasion as advising
voters to pretend up to election day to be
for MCKINLEY and Honest Money and then
tog go to the polls and deposit a ballot for him,
BRYAN. Probably many others besides
Gen. THAYER have called upon the Free
Silver Candidate for an explanation Of this
advice to his fellow citizens to become
hypocrites and liars in his political inter-
ests. Ex-President HARRISON was one who
spoke during the campaign with sever
ity concerning the matter. President
INGALLS, of the Cleveland, Cincinnati.
Chicago, and St. Louis Railway Com
pany was another. In q speech at La
Sale, ILL.,, Mr.. BRYAN once attempted to
Justify himself, but his remarks on the SUBJ
ject failed to make a very distinct impress
sion. 1t was reserved for Gen. THAYER to
haul BRYAN before the court of public
opinion, and to exhibit him and his moral
standards in their true light.
Soon after the campaign ended, Gen.
THAYER wrote to his fellow townsman tho
letter here printed:
.Hor. ". }. Bryan. Lincoln. Neb.
"SR: In the late Presidential campaign you wero
reported to have said in one or more OF your speeches:
Il advise you to wear the Mckinley badge. but work
and vote for me- Permit me respectfully to in.
quire II you were correctly reported in this matter.
Very truly ours. JOHN II THAYER.
LINCOLN. Neb.. Nov. FL. 1906"
Nearly forty days later Gen. THAyER re-
ceived a postal card from Mr.. BRYAN's
private secretary, Mr.. SoHwIND, explaining
that as BRYAN was then getting about
three thousand letters a day it was impos.
sible for him to answer promptly; but
promising a reply I" as soon as he can find
time to do So" Month succeeded month,
and apparently Mr.. BRYAN had not yet
found time 30 Gen. THAYER wrote again
in May, referring to Mr.. SCHwIND's promise
in Mr.. BRYAN's behalf, and asking If it was
yet convenient for Mr.. BRYAN to answer
the question of Nov. 81. This brought on
May % a letter from BRYAN consisting
partly of an extract from the La Sale
speech, and partly of new matter. The
essence of Mr.. BRYAN's defence Of himself
is in these paragraphs:
81 would say that having had reason to believe
that various corporations were compelling their EN-,
ployees to war Republican bad yes and march In Re
publican parades. I called their attention to the fact
that the Australian balioi $ as q secret ballot. and
that they had q right to vote for whom they pleased
regardless OF the coercion attempted upon them.
II said that In these hard times. when employment
is so difficult to ind. l did not want to advise labor
ing men to do anything which would lose them thei,
employment, and added that they should wear Re
publican badges II necessary. march In Republican
parades II commanded to do so. and even contribute
to the Republican campaign fund. II that was re
quired by their employers. but that they snould vot'
according to their convictions on election day.
NOW, l desire to Justify my position. The right Il
Notr CoIhl " 'lc Z ID u law
right. Coercion is a violation of the law. and when
advise employees to vote as they please. even thougl
they must wear Republican had res and march In Re
publican psrads9. l am taking higher moral groun'
and giving more patrioti" advice than those VIII
countenance coercion and appeal to employees T.
vote the Republican ticket on election day marel.
because they have been compelled TO wear Republics
badges during the campaign"
In every one of the three paragraphs
above there is a direct confession by MI
BRYAN that he has, in fact, preached
hypocrisy and deceit. In the last para
graph. that Of attempted justification
there is a cheap sophistry and a perversiol
of the issue, which Gen. THAYER was no
slow to detect and expose. In a lette
which has just reached Mr.. BRYAN, ant
which Mr.. BRYAN probably does not treas
ure among the chief memorabilia Of hi
vanity, his persistent pursuer goes to tn
heart of the question with straightforward
English and sound moral doctrine:
"Permit me to say that in my Judgment your Al
sumption of the coercion OF voters by their emplo,
es wal wholly gratuitous and unwarranted. / d
not believe you can ind an instance In the Who'll
campaign in all the United States where the en-
ployees were commanded by their employers to wea
Republican badges, march in Republican paradel
and contribute to Republican campaign funds. Tn
busbeAr of coercion was set up by you. as a man @
straw. in order to give you q chance to knock
down and to enable you to pose as the especial chan
pion aud defender OF the labortpg classes. !
was bad enough for you to tell the me
to play the hypocrite by wearing Republ
can badges. marching in Republican paradei
and then advising them TO vote for the candidate @
some other party. but for you to advise them to tax
money they had earned by the sweat OF their brow
and put It into what you and your associates so ofte
denounced as the Republican corruption fund In you
speeches, and thus aid In promoting and strengthen
Ing the Republican policy which you and they hay
repeatedly. from your standpoint. condemned as Do
nicious and disastrous to the public welfare, lead
me to query whether you may not reach that lowe
deep profound of political deprAvity which cannc
well DO described"
Then, passing from the tone of the prose
cutor to that of the Judge:
"You admit that you advised those employees
engage in shamming, TO play a dishonest part; that 1
II they were opposed to the election OF Mckinney, 20
advised them to do that against which their Co
Y sciences, n honorable men, must have rebelled; Il
: did you not propose to them to be. according to WE