The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-01
BRYAN'S ARMY TALK.
The Colonel" Keeps Up His Racket
Any Old Topic Is Good
Enough.


William j. Bryan has delivered sew
eral addresses during the last ten days
and he is billed to deliver several more
during the next fortnight. He cannot
keep quiet. He feels that he must adj
vertise himself daily or the public will
forget him and next years democratic
convention will ignore him. Hence this
unwearied activity of his tongue. No
body else is blowing Bryan's horn lust
lily just now, so he is blowing it himself
with great vigor.
A year ago this time all his speeches
were about free silver. This year he is
working up a fresh issue which may APP
peal forcibly to persons for whom six
teen to one" has no special attractions.
The theme on which Bryan is charging
now is the danger of increasing the reg
ular army. BY harping on that theme
he believes he will retain the support
of anarchists, foreign socialists and
Debsites. All these individuals are OPP
posed to the maintenance of a regular
army by the general government or Of
militia organizations by the states.
They prefer to have to deal with weak,
defenseless governments. 1t is so much
easier to terrorize such governments
and trample on their laws.
No law-abiding citizen has any more
occasion to fear the regular army than
he has the local police force. II is not
made up of mercenaries, subject to the
exclusive control of military chiefs.
1t is composed of American citizens
who are better acquainted with and
have more respect for the laws and in
stitutions of their country than the
brawling alien socialists who affect to
see in a regular army menace to their
liberties. The regular army Is under
the control of the president. 1t is de-
pendent for it's support on biennial con-
gressional appropriations. Thus that
army is not menace to liberty or TO
law-abiding citizens. Those who have
cause to fear itare theviolent opposers
of the enforcement of national laws.
"Organized labor" has nothing to
fear from the proposed increase of the
regular army, though Bryan is endeav-
oring to make it believe so. More sol
diers are needed in order that peace
may be established, notin this country,
but in the. new acquisitions of the
United States, especially in the Philip
| pine islands. 1t has been decided that
| the United States shall take those is
lands and establish stable govern
ment there. Bryan deplores that de-
termination, but it is the settled, ire
versible policy of the people. There
fore a sufficient number of soldiers
must be sent to the Philippines to put
| down the military chieftains who are
disturbing the peace there. When that
has been done, and it will not take long,
| only a few soldiers will be needed to
keep the peace.
| So when Mr.. Bryan asks "my friends"
whether at ought to take twice as
many soldiers to bring the blessings Of
benefcent assimilation to the 10,000,OO0
aliens in the Philippines as is required
10 do the work among 70,0O0,000 peo-
| pie" he misstates the question with the
ease of veteran demagogue. The reg
ulars who are to be sent to the Philip
pines are to do what the Nebraska vol
| unteers now there have been doing.
They are to put down armed disturb
ers of the peace, the men who are
| expressing the quiet, peaceable Fill
pinos. No "benefcent assimilation" of
the Filipinos into American citizens is
| proposed. The American people have
| willed that they be given just good
| government, and it is to be given them.
The anarchist rabble will applaud
| Bryan's opposition to the increase of
the regular army, They would applaud
him more loudly if he urged the entire
disbandment of the army. The senti-
mental simpletons who think the
United States should abandon the Phil
| ippines at once and forever will APP
| plaud Bryan's opposition to an increase
of the regular army so the Philippines
may be pacified The bulk of the voters
will see through Bryan's shrieks and
sneers, and will give the baffled dema-
gogue to understand that this his latest
bid for popularity will not be a success.
Chicago Tribune.