The age-herald., 1899-01-18
WILLIAM J. BRYAN SPEAKS ATDENYER Tremendous Audiences Greet the Dsm-
 OCratiC Leader.
ENTHUSIASTS SlAS INTENSE
He Handled $ s.OnS of the Day in
 Srly Manner.
NATION 7 $ NOT GO BACKWARD
Will Not Turn to the Old World Again With the Penitent Prodigals Cry Our Course is Upward
 and Onward.

|
 and Onward.
 l Denver, Col, January 17.-Coonel William l J. Bryan made two public speeches in Den 1 Yer today, both of which were listened to { by audiences only limited by the capacity | of the auditorium. The first was at l o'clock in the hall of the house of represen- l tatives to which only the fortunate ones l who held tickets were admitted The other | was at o'clock at Coliseum hall, the lars- 1 est hall in the city, in which thousands | struggled for standing room, while other
 thousands were turned away disappointed l in not even getting a glimpse of the great l silver champion. In his address before the
 legislature Mr Bryan devoted most of his | time to discussion of the duties of legisla- l tors and other public officers, whom he 1 designated as servants, not masters of the 1 people. After this address MT and Mrs
 Bryan repaired to the residence of Governor
 Thomas, where they were entertained at | dinner, to which half a dozen of the lead | Ing democrats of the state, including ex- l GoVernors Grant and Adams, and a num-
 Der Of ladies were guests The crowd which
 greeted MT. Bryan at the Coliseum hall to-
 hight began gathering at o'clock, four 1 hours before the time set for the meeting Col. Bryan Introduced l At o'clock, when Hon. Milton Smith. 1 chairman of the state central committee l called for order, there were 1000 people in 1 the hall, and as many more on the outside 1 pressing for admission. Governor Thomas l was presented as chairman of the meeting l ana Tn an eulogistic speech he introduced 1 colonel Bryan, who was received with pro- 1 longed applause. MT. Bryan spoke in part l follows
 "The Bible tells us that Ahab, the king l wanted the vineyard of Naboth, and was | sorely grieved because the owner thereof l refused to part with the inheritance of his l iathers. Then followed a plot and false l charges were preferred against Naboth to
 furnish , an excuse for getting rid of him. l Thou shalt not covet' thou shalt not l bear false witness thou sha,s not kill,- l three commandments broken, and still a l fourth, thou shalt not steal to be broken l In order to get a little piece of ground
 And what was the result? When the king 1 went forth to take possession. Elijah that
 bi bIaVs na old prophet of the saarY n fqK the se. @ ..'feS oI the Almighty: Tn the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine Neither ms own exalted position nor the lowly sta tioh or his victim could save him from e eNehshis mana or outraged justice His case was tried in a court where neitber wealth nor rank nor power can shield ,ha transgressor. 9-iie'u 'iie Origin in Covetousness ''Wars of conquest have their origin in covetousness and the history of the human l race has been written In characters of | blood because rulers have looked with long l ing eyes upon the lands of others. | "Covetousness is prone to seek the aid l DrctpnSp bI.f l what it cannot secure by persuasion it | takes by the sword.
 Senator Teller's amendment to the in l terventon resolutions saved the Cubans l from the covetousness of those who are so l anxious to secure possession of the island l that they are wiling to deny the truth of 1 the declaration of our congres and l the people of Cuba are and of right ought l to be free.' "
 | MT. Bryan then proceeded to apply the l s,ory of Naboth to the Philippine question and argued that a war of conquest would l be wrong in principle as well expensive
 and harmful to the people of the United States as to the Filipinos. He spoke at
 considerable length and concluded as fol- l lows:
 Imperialism might expand the nations | territory, but it would contract the na- 1 tions purpose. It Is not a step forward I to a broader destiny; it is a step backward | toward the narrow views of kings and en- l perors.
 l Dr. Taylor has aptly expressed it in his 1 Greed of the Flag when he asks:
 "'Shall we turn to the old world again
 "'With the penitent prodigals cry?' | q answer, Never This republic Is not
 a wayward son; it has not spent its sub 1 stance in rlotous living.
 Win Not Go Backward "It is not ready to retrace it's steps and with shamed face and trembling voice so- l licit an humble place among the servants l of royalty. It has not sinned against l heaven, and God grant that the crowned l heads of Europe may never have occasion l to Jill the sfatted calf to commemorate it's return from reliance upon the will of the people to dependence upon the authority
 which flows from regal birth or superior 1 force.
 we cannot afford to enter upon col 1 onial policy. The theory upon which gov- | ernment is built is matter of vital im- | portance. The national- idea has a con- l trolling influence upon the thouslrt am. the character of the people, Our national idea l is self-governmcnt, and until we are ready l to abandon that idea forever we cannot ig-
 nore it in dealing with the Filipnos.
 'That idea is entwined with our tradi-
 tions 1t permeates our history; it is 1 part of our literature.
 That idea has given eloquence to the I orator and inspiration to the poet. Take 1 from our national hymns the three words, l free freedom and liberty, and they would i be as meaningless as would our flag if rob- 1 bed of its red, white and blue. "Other nations may dream of wars and 1 conquest, and of distant dependencies gov- 1 erned by exterior force, not so with the 1 United States.
 ''The fruits of imperialism, be they bitter | or sweet, must be left to the subjects of monarchy. This is the one tree on which ! the citizens of republic may not partake. It is the voice of the serpent, not the voice | of God that bids us eat"