The record-union., 1899-10-03

Arkansas and Ex-Governor Adams OF
Colorado were the speakers.
Tonight there was a large process
sion composed of the labor organiza-
tions of Dallas. After the procession
had passed the night meeting was
called to order, and Congressman Will
lam Sulzer of New York addressed the
assemblage.
Hon. William ]. Bryan was next ln-
troduced, and he was received with
great enthusiasm. He said in part:
Lincoln in a message to Congress
in the early COS said that no man
was to be more trusted in our Gov
ernment than the man who tolls in
poverty l am not f1attering you when
I tell you that the supporters of
democracy by a government when the
people rule a. government of the peo-
pie, by the people and for the people,
must find its support among the peo-
pie who work, among the common peo-
pie, if you please, and there is no bet
ter indication of the departure OF the
Republican party from the people than
is to be found in the fact that Wnen-
ever a man now speaks of the plain
people, as Lincoln described them, or
of the common people, as the Bible
calls them, he is denounced as a dem
agogue, something like this-that a
man is a statesman whose ear is
trained to catch the slightest pulsations
of a pen, book, while he is a dema'
gogue who tries to listen to the heart
beat of humanity"
Mr.. Bryan spoke at great length on
this line, saying that whenever the
Government touches the American cit
izen, all must stand equal before the
law-that the Government in its eX-
ecutive, legislative and judicial de-
partments must know no difference,
high, low, rich and poor, great ana
small.
The income tax received fifteen MIN
utes' handling. The Chicago platform,
free silver and the trust question were
discussed volubly by the speaker.
Continuing, he said: But pardon me
for dealing SO long with what you may
call old issues l want to speak of new
issues. If we could go to the country
to-day on the very same platform that
we had in 1896, and have no other is
sues presented than the issues then
presented, I believe that we could WIN
our fight, but Providence has been good
to US, and in the last two years Is
sues have been presented 10 US IN
addition to those which we had in 1896.
We have not only grown ON the old
issues, but we have grown on the new
ones. The Republican party to-day
stands out for large army. In 1870
we had 25,000 soldiers in the regular
army, and in December, 1855, Re~
| publican President asked for 1OO,OUo
soldiers in the standing army, making
an army four times as great as that
of 1896, and if any Republican tells
you that the President wanted these
soldiers to beat down an uprising in
! the Philippines, you tell him that
Republican President asked for 1O0,-
/ eco soldiers two months before there
was any uprising in the Philippine ISL
ands At the time the President sent
his message to Congress in the early
part of December there was no up
rising anywhere. The treaty with
! Spain was practically agreed upon, and
! there was no evidence Of any necessity
! for a large army except as a permanent
/ policy of the United. States. In other
! words we are to choose between an
army Of $4,000 and an army Of 1OO,-
/ 600. When you start on the road from
! dependence upon the people TO depend
ence upon professional soldiers, there
/ is no place to stop until you reach the
| tyranny of the people.
| When we have a horde of soldiers
/ we will not only have the burden that
/ is borne in other nations, but a grave
] menace of the very principles of the
1 life of our Government itself, but also,
my friends, if We have an imperial
policy, we will have a large standing
army You can never reduce the army
/ below 100000 1t will be constantly
/ augmented if this nation enters upon
/ an imperial policy, and let me say "a
word here about that word Imperial
I ism Our opponents do not like to be
/ called imperialists. I'm not surprised.
/ I remember that in 1896 they did not
want to be called gold bugs. 1t was
not until after the election that they
+ blossomed out as gold bugs, and point
/ ed to victory for the gold standard.