Natchitoches populist. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1898-1899, 1898-10-21
NATCHITOCKES, La. OCTOBER q. 1898.

ton, and making it so popular as
result of the war that the Silver
crank" would never be heard of again.
At this point of the proceedings !
William ]. Bryan enlisted.
His secret opponents, who sat in
luxuriously appointed offices and club
parlors, conspiring to fatten them
selves on the pickings of practical poll
tics, have thousand tricks, but this
one act Of his will be enough against
them.
Men who were to be put forward as
Democratic candidates against him in
the West or South remained at home
after plotting the war. And, after
speeches urging our gallant and sus-
ceptible youths to 80 and die where
glory waits them, they went them
selves back to their offices to pick up
whatever dollars there are loose as the
rewards of politics. But William ],
Bryan, taking his gun and offering his
bpNy uS q TAI SCI lOl mduoCl
said this to his countrymen:
AS long as the oppressor is deaf to
the voice of reason, SO long must the
citizen accustom his shoulder to the
musket and his hand to the sabre"
With that addition to the declaration
OF the Chicago platform he asked to be
sent to the front, and though Presi-
7 dent Mckinley will Of course never
allow him to do anything but garrison
duty, yet in the trenches where "They
also serve who only stand and wait"
he will not appear in the eyes of
honest and sane men to deserve less
glory than attaches to Mr.. Hanna and
to Mr.. Mckinley in Washington, as
commanders in chief of the army and
navy Of the United States.
OF course, when he enlisted, Mr.. Bry-
an knew that he would be kept in
the background as much as possible.
But he was not after military glory.
He was merely accustoming his Shout
der to the musket and his hands to the
sabre. He has nothing of the lingo
| and still less Of the imperialist about
him. While bank attorneys, secure in
their back offices, were effervescing for
gore and glory, Mr. Bryan, in his
Omaha speech against imperialism,
spoke of war with something of the
sadness of Milton and the sternness
Of Cromwell.
War is harsh; it is attended by
hardship and suffering; it means vast
expenditure Of men and money. We
may pray for the coming of the time,
promised in holy writ, when the spears
shall be beaten into pruning hooks and
the swords into plowshares; but uni
versal peace cannot come until justice
is enthroned throughout the world.
Jehovah deals with nations as He deals
with men, and for both DEGREES that
the wages of sin Is DEATH Until the
right has triumphed in every land and
love reigns In every heart, government
must, as last resort, appeal to force.
AS long as the oppressor is deaf to the
voice of reason; SO long must the citi-
zen ac-lstom his shoulder to the
musket and his hand to the saber
When the combination against Bry-
an begins operating in the southwest
it finds the Democratic sentiment in
his favor so strong that nothing can
be done against him at all except by
beginning with all ostentatious en-
dorsement of him and the principles he
stands for.
This is very great gain. Siz
months ago these conspirators believed
the Chicago platform effete, and bi.
metaliism dead ISSUE They were
ready to set Bryan aside as bach
number. They did not do 1t then. yhey
| have not done it yet. And to do 1t a
| all, they will have to demonstrate tina
| plutocracy is able to afford a betteI
quality Of political brains than those
of the peanut" statesmen It can Blu,
here and there as coadjutors OF CrokeI
and the professional corruptionist
who live as bloodsucking parasites
| William J. Bryan is not beaten yet
and he will not be- In Missouri, il
| Illinois and throughout the countr,
generally, the banks and their attor
neys, the railroads and their "coy
coroners' are using every imaginabl
trick and device to get rid of him an,
what he stands for; but if they wer
to give Hanna the war power a hun
dred times over, and TO endorse his us
of 1t In every convention they cal
pack from New York to San Francisco
they would still have to face every is
sue Bryan represents when, in protes
against oppression, he begins accus
toming his hand to the saber and hi
J shoulder to the musket.
Therefore the Democrats of Missouri
are to be most earnestly congratulate
that the state platform adopted a
Springfield opens with the unqualifie
endorsement of him, which even tn
; boldest of his secret enemies dared nc
oppose. Whatever else happens as
result OF the Spanish war. the short
card players of machine politics, VIII
thought to use it to force free coinag
! to one side and William ]. Bryan t
the rear. will fail Of their object H