Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-01-12


we must expect to hear the command
''Silence!' issuing with increasing en-
phasis from the imperialists. When
the discussion of fundamental princi-
Piles is attemptedin the United States,
if member of Congress attempts to
criticise any injustice perpetrated by
a government official against help
less people, he will be warned to keep
silent, less his criticism encourages re-
sistance to American authority in the
Orient. If an orator On the Fourth of
July dares to speak of aiienable rights,
or refers with commentator to the
manner in which our forefathers re-
sisted taxation without representation
he will be warned to keep silent, lest
his utterances excite rebellion among
distant subjects. If We adopt colo
NAL policy and pursue the course
which excited the revolution of 1776,
we must muffle the tones of the old
Liberty Bell and commune in whispers
wheE we praise the patriotism of our
forefathers.
We cannot afford to destroy the
Declaration of Independence; we can
not afford to erase from our cohstitu-
lions, State and National, the bill OF
rights; we have not time to examine
the libraries of the nation and purge
them of the essays, the speeches, and
the books that defend the doctrine
that law is the capitalization OF pub
lie opinion, rather than an emanatiOn
from physical power.
"But even if we could destroy every
vestige of the laws which are the out
!, growth of the immortal law penned By
: Jefferson; if we could obliterate every
written word that has been inspired by
the idea that this is a government O
the people, by the people, and for tn
people, we could not tear from tn,
heart of the human race the hope which
! the American republic has planted
: there. The impassioned appeal, "giv'
me liberty or give me death, sill
! echoes around the world.
In the future. as in the past, the de
sire to be free will be stronger thai
: the desire to enjoy a mere physical ex
= istence, The conflict between RICH
. and might will continue here and eV
= erywhere until day is reached whel
= the love of money will no longer sea
= the national conscious and hypOcris
:, no longer hide the hideOuS features o
a avarice behind the mask of philan
y thropy.'
l. RECEPTION AT CHAMBER OF
s COMMERCE.
e Col. w. J. Bryan found the floor {
t the chamber of commerce filled wit
members and the general public whe
y he entered under the escort of Pres
T. dent Robert H. West. He was intro
It duced as Col. W. j. Bryan, Of Nebra
A ka, and as he rose was greeted with
n big round Of applause. He began b
: speech by speaking Of the very few il
il vitations he had had to address sue
fl bodies.
! He deprecated the idea that ma
l. must be denied hearing beca use /
1t differed in opinion from others. E
l. ror, he said, was harmless when reaso
a and argument were free. He did NJ
venture on partisan topics, but spok
is of equality of men, and combatted tt
D. idea that the seller of products ws
II better than the producer. All trat
a. rested on the producer, he said. III
~ trader, who is supported by the farm
IN er, could be rather done away wit
ne without fatal effect, but the tarm'
is cannot be disturbed without ruin
tn the trader.
~ He referred to his vote in Congre
~ on the anti option bill as one in fav'
at of the enforcement of equal right
1T He could not see why it was not cle'
ne that betting Oh the price of grain al
~ SO raising or lowering its value was
al robbery of the farmers. The lesson
his speech was that no set of men ha'
ne the right to use the government to o
tain special privileges for athemselv
so to the iDiurV of others.