The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1899-10-24
Extract from W. ]. Bryan's
Speech in Kentucky.
Christ Before plate.


Brown of Rochester, N. Y, took this
text, or passage, which describes the
scene where Christ was before PLATE.
PLATE said to Christ: "Knowest thou
not that have power to release thee
or to put thee to DEATH and taking
that text the minister contrasted force
and love. PLATE represented force.
Behind him was the Roman govern
ment, the Roman legions and Caesar
himself. Before him, helpless and
alone, stood Christ preaching the Cos
pei of love, and force triumphed.
They nailed Him to tree, and those
who believed in brute force stood
around, Knocked and jeered, and said:
HE is dead and then the minister
pointed out howfrom that day the pow
er of Caesar waned and the power of
Christ increased, and in a few centuries
the Roman government was gone and
Its legions forgotten, whilethe followers
OF Christ increased with each passing
year, until millions now take His name
with reverence upon their lips, and
then the minister said that in this ma
ton force and love meet face to face,
and that we are to decide whether this
nation would stand before the world
as PLATE, representing brute force,
or as Christ, representing the uplift-
ing power of love.
l believe he spoke the truth. I be-
lieve that this nation today must de-
eide whether 1t is going to be a great
moral force, rising and drawing all
men unto it, or whether 1t Is going
to sink to the low level of the empires
Of the Old World
Let me give you an illustration of 1t.
While the nation held aloft this doc
trine Of government and the prin-
ciples of republic, it dared to express
its sympathy with struggling mankind
everywhere. When Greece was strug-
Cling for her liberty, Daniel Webster
Numbered out the sympathy Of the
American people; and when the Gu
bans were fighting to be free, congress
heard their cries and promised succor
and relief; but today, in far-away
Africa, in the Dutch republic, the
Beers are Offering up their life's blood
in defense of their right to govern
themselves, and this great nation
stands with it's hands tied and its
mouth gagged, and dare not offer one
word of sympathy. (Applause.)
Dare Not Sympathize With Beers.
What spectacle, the greatest repub-
lie in all times afraid to say a word,
and why? Because, If we expressed
our sympathy with the Beers, England
would cable back, What is the matter
with the Filipinos?" daughter and
applause.) ~
] believe in Jefferson's doctrine of
friendly relations with all nations and
entangling alliances with none. am
as much an Anglo-Saxon as the aver
age man. l am part irish, part Eng
glish and part Scotch but l am all
American. l appreciate the friendship
of Great Britain. l want this nation
to have the friendship of every nation.
But l am not'willing that this nation
shall purchase the friendship of any
nation by being silent when people
are struggling for the right to govern
themselves. (Applause.) I would
rather have the love of those few Beers
fighting for the right to govern them
selves than to have the smiles of
an English aristocracy trying to crush
out liberty. loud applause.)
IIara ay.a he OF Qua v1rnl,r
ing upon the American people. Here
are the issues upon whose settlement
depends this nations position through
out the world. We have been a repub-
lie. Our light has been shed abroad,
and it has reached into the dark cor
ners of the earth. Shall this light go
out? Shall we abandon the founda-
ton of the republic and build upon the
shifting sands upon which monarchy
and empire rest? And now when the
Democratic party is engaged in death
grapple with the powers of darkness,
we are asked to stop in the midst of
the fight to settle the details of state
convention. cloud applause.) / be-
lieve in the principles for which Dem
ocracy stands. believe they are the
hope not only of the American people,
but Of the world. You tell me you
want the American flag to be feared.
Oh, friends, | want that flag to be
loved by every human being. (Cheers.)
You want men to bow their heads in
fear of 1t.
1 want them to lift their faces to-
ward it, and see in the stars and
stripes the inspiration and the hope
that will lead them to battle on, and
give life itself, rather than sacrifice
that which makes life valuable-lib-
erty and the right to pursue. their hap
piness unmolested. (Applause.)
come to Kentucky to tell the DEM
ocrats Of Kentucky that the nation is
looking on. 1t is watching to see
whether Kentucky is to be with us or
against us in the next great fight In
IA x>x.l