The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-31
sUGAR-COATED ANARCHY.

In his recent speech at Greenfield Mr.. Bry-
an said ''The producers make the wealth and
the nonprodrcers make the laws" This is
a sample of other statements in the same
spirit. Those who have read Mr.. Bryan's
speeches carefully. either from curiosity or
from a desire to gauge the character of the
man, must have been struck by his adroit-
ness in promulgating vicious doctrines and
his skill in sandwiching chunks of falsehood
between layers Of truth This was charac-
teristic feature of all the speeches delivered
by him in 1896, and 1t is equally noticeable
in those he is making now. Few men have
doctrines in seemingly innocent garb and Of
suggesting conclusions by innuendo which he
would scarcely dare to advocate openly. He
is an adept in the dissemination Of sugar.
coated anarchism.
Let US examine little the statement that
1.-The producers make the wealth and the
Ionproducers make the laws" and ascer-
tain. If possible. what Mr.. Bryan meant by
it, or what impression he was trying to
make on the minds of those he addressed,
He was assuming to describe existing polit-
icaI and economic conditions in the United
States brought about. as he claimed. by the
Republican party and the establishment of
tons are they represent the will Of a ma jor-
ity Of the people. We have popular gov
eminent and universal suffrage, and the Re-
publican party is in power because the peo-
pie placed it there. The present tariff law
and the financial policy of the country have
not been forced on the majority of the
people by minority. The government is not
run by dictator or a junta. Whatever
It's policy may be the question has been SUBJ
mitted to the people and determined by them
1t is their policy. Therefore, when Mr..
Bryan tells his audiences, as he does con-
tinually. that they are being robbed and
impoverished by the present tariff law and
"crucifed on a cross of gold" because of the
maintenance of the gold standard, he vir-
tually tells them that popular government
is a failure and that the decision of public
questions should be taken out of the hands
of the majority.
But there is worse phase than this 20 the
wealth and the nonproducers make the
laws" 1t is an attempt to array class against
class and to excite antagonisms the log
ical fruit of which is revolution or anarchy
In reality we have do distinct classes in this
country, though Mr.. Bryan constantly pro-
mulgates the theory that We have and APP
peals to prejudice to array one against the
Ut In, h.
workingmen and manual laborers as pro-
ducers of wealth and all others as nonpro-
ducers. Yet everybody knows that the
workingman of to-day is the capitalist of to-
morrow. and that millions of brainworkers
whom Mr.. Bryan designates as nonpro-
ducers. contribute as much to developing
the resources and adding to the wealth OF
the country as do the handworkers. The
lire of class demarkation which he, by i'm
plication. says exists cannot be drawn.
But the worst phase of the assertion that
'the producers make the wealth and the
nonproducers make the laws is that it is
untrue. 1t is a deliberate and malicious
falsehood. uttered for the purpose of Great.
ing the impression among ill-informed and
unthinking people that they are deprived OF
their share of the wealth which they pro-
duce and that this is done through the
agency of laws enacted by nonproducers fol
that purpose. No such condition exists
Suppose Mr.. Bryan should go to Cleveland
and address a crowd of the strikers there
who are terrorizing the city and paralyzins
its business Suppose he should say to them
My friends, do not advise you TO violate
the laws. but am bound to say that all tn,
laws. including those for the protection Of
property and the preservation of order, ar,
made by nonproducers, whose interest lie:
in depressing workngmen and producers o.
wealth. 1 do not advise you to violate thes,
laws. but 1 regret to have TO say that they
deprive you of your rights" Such talk a.
that. addressed to strikers with dynamite o.
| brickbats in their hands. would be con
strued as advice to violate the law, and 1
| is none the less so when addressed to mer
who are not on strike. 1t is sugar-coateC
anarchy.