The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-23
BEFORE THE TEMPTER
COL. WILLIAM j. BRYAN ATTACKS
THE POLICY OF EXPANSION
AND IMPERIALISM
HAS NO FEAR FOR FUTURE
Asserts His Belief That the Amer
lean People Will Successfully Re-
sist the Temptation Set Before
Them-Compares Fflipinos With
the Patriots of Bunker Hill and
Pleads for Their Liberty.

WASHINGTON, Feb 22.-The Vir-
| ginia Democratic Association of the
District of Columbia celebrated Wash
ington's birthday by largely attended
banquet at the National Rifles ar
mcry. Hon. William J. Bryan was the
! guest of honor, and among those pres
ent were Senators Daniel and Martin,
| of Virginia; Stewart, of Nevada Rep
resentatfves Bailey, De Almond,
| Cooper, of Texas; Lentz, Greene, Of
| Wisconsin,; Bartlett, of Georgia; Sui
| Ter and Swanson. In the center of
| the stage TO the rear of the hall was
an immense floral decoration presented
to Mr.. Bryan by his admirers. Mr..
Bryan was given an enthusiastic re-
ception, and every reference to him by
! the speakers was received with tre-
mendOus applause.
| 'Democracy's Mission was respond
| ed to by Representative Bailey, of
| Texas. In the course of hts speech Mr..
! Bailey referred to the organization Of
the Democratic party and also to
the faithful manner in which it had
performed it's mission. The men whose
virtues we celebrate tonight did not
| teach their children to exchange prin-
ciples for success, he said. They taught
US that in this world a principle is
| worth Infinitely more than a triumph.
| If the principles are followed out, our
| triUmphs will follow fidelity to them
'I crave success" said Mr. Bailey.
as sincerely as any man, but 1 know
| there are things worse than defeat.
| We have survived that before and we
can survive that again, but we could
not outlive a cowardly surrender Of
principles. As certain as the years go
| by and the great national convention
assemblies, we will rig up the platform
made in 1896 and in his (pointing to
Mr.. Bryan) unsullied name will give
! the banner as stainless as his life
| (great applause), and the great COM
| manders will give the orders for for
ward march, and it will be a march to
victory. Let US here and now renew
our pledge and keep our faith, and
when we have fought the battle in it's
behalf and won the victory we shall
receive as our reward the condolences
of grateful people; and We will reward
that confidence by revitalizfng these
great and ancient principles of human
freedom, which it is the mission of our
party to perpetuate and defend"
Hon. Elliott Danforth, of New York,
responded to the toast 'The State of
New York" He declared that the
Democrats of the entire state are anx-
ious to give their votes to the next
Democratic nominee for president and
in that contest the standard bearer of
the party was with US tonight"
COL. BRYAN INTRODUCED
Hon. D. A De Almond responded to
the toast The Democratic Party: It
Cannot Die While the Republic Lives
The speaker made one of his charac-
| teristic speeches. which was heartily
received, and when he had concluded
the president introduced Hon. William
j. Bryan, who responded to the toast
Americas Mission"
WHEN the advocates of Imperialism find it
impossible to reconcile a colonial policy with
the principles of our government or with
the canons of morality when they are un-
able to defend it upon the ground of religious
duty or Decuniary profit, they fall back in
helpless despair upon the assertion that it is
destiny. suppose it does violate the con-
sututton, they say; suppose it does break all
| the commandments; suppose it does entail
upon the nation incalculabIe expenditure
OF blood and money-it is destiny and we
must submit.
The people have not voted for imperialism;
| no national convention has declared for it:
no congress has passed upon it. To whom
th5n, has the future been revealed? Whence
this voice Of authority? We can all prophecy,
! but our prophecies are merely guesses col
ored by our hopes and our SURROUNDINGS
Mans opinion of what is to els half wish
and half environment. Avarice paints DESTINY
with a dollar-mark before it; mllitarism
equips it with sword. He Is the hest
prophet who, recognizing the omnipotence of
| truth, comprehends NOSE clearly the great
| forces which are working out the progress.
| not OF one party, not of one nation but OF
| the human race
| History is replete with the predictions
| which once wore the hue of destiny, but
| which failed of fuldllment because those who
uttered them saw too small an arc of the
| circle of events. When >Pharoah pursued the
! fighting Israelitss TO the edge of the Red sea
| he was confident that their bondage would
be renewed and that they would again make
| bricks without straw, but destiny was not re-
/ VSaled until Moses and his followers reached
| the further shore dry shod and the waves
! rolled over the horses and chariots of the
Egyptians. When Belshazzar on the last
! night of his reign, lead his thousand lords
| lnto the baoylonlan banquet hall and sat
down to a table glittsring with vessels of
! silver and gold he felt sure Of his kingdom
! for many years to come but DESTINY was
! not revealed until the hand wrote upon the
wall those awe-inspiring words, Meme. Meme.
! Tekel Upharsin. When Abderrahman swept
| northWard with his conqueriRg hosts his i'm
/ aglnatlon saw the crescent triumphant
! throughout the world, but destiny was not re-
| vealed until Charles Martel raised the cross
! above the battlefield OF Tours and saved Eu
rope from the sword Of Mohanmedanism
| When Napoleon emerged victorious from Ma
! rengo, from Ulm and from Austerlitz he
| thought himself the child of destiny. but des
| tiny was not revealed until BIucher's forces
| joined the army of Wellington and the van
! 4ulshed Corsican began his melancholy march
| to st. Helena When the red-coats of Gsorxa
! Ill routed the New Englanders at Lex
ington and Bunker Hill there rose before
the British sovereign visions of colonies
taxed without representations and drained of
| their wealth by foreign-made laws, but des-
! tiny was not revealed until the surrender of
Cornwallis completed the work begun at In
dependence hall, and ushered into existence
government deriving its Just powers from
the consent of the governed
| I'VE have reached another crisis The an
| cient doctrine Of Imperialism banished from
our land more than a century ago has re-
| crossed the Atlantic and challenged demoe
| racy to mortal combat upon American soil.
| Whether the Spanish war shall be known in
history war for liberty or as war of
| conquest; whether the principles of self
| government shall be strength ned or aban-
! Continued ON Second Page.