The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-15

familiar between Tammany Hall and the
Republican machine. In order that Nc
kinney could be continued in power it was
necessary that Bryan be nominated on a
silver platform. We know the means by
Whlch II was arranged-the fight between
I'M and Croker, the retention Of silver in
The Kansas City platform. and the nomi-
nation OF Bryan by that outfit. That leaves
US unable TO win this time, no matter how
we vote. Mckinley is going TO be elected
TO things which the conscience of the coun-
try cannot support.
A THRILL OF ANGER.
the present moment we have seen a
thrill of admiration run across the country
in respons to Bryan's eloquent speech on
Antf-imperialism. When / read it myself
felt a thrill of anger at the course that
Mckinley had taken; / felt so much moved
by the speech that 1 was almost ready to
say. This thing must be stopped; Bryan is
sincere about Anti-imperialism.' 1 almost
drought Bryan sincere. Since then il has
become perfectly evident that 1 knew no
more than i had known before. / always
knew that Mr.. Bryan could make a good
speech, an Anti-imperialist speech for
mat kim of an audience, and a pa
triotic. constitutional speech for an
other kind; and 1 was thrown back
into remembering that Bryan was,
by the forces and powers of nature,
and the recent history Of the country, so
tled up to w~ell-known. specific wick
impossible for me to vote for him.
might wish that the good part
OF his personality-though there isn't
much good In him-but that part of his per-
sonailty which distinguishes him from the
machine in New York. for instance-I
might wish that that thing was so politi-
caliy arranged that l could express my adj
miration for that part of him without put
ting power into the hands of that wicked
combination. But as life is arranged, /
cannot do so. In order to vote for Mr..
Bryan have got TO vote for New York
city. electors that are nominated by Mr..
Croker. To do that / have to help Croker
10 increase his power, and If L cannot vote
Tor Mr.. Bryan without doing that, l won't
That is only one matter. If live in the
south, while my emotions are at the high
est pitch in regard to the freedom of the
f1lfpfnos, while L read of the inhumani-
ties OF our soldiers there, when | read of
their payoneting and driving parties of the
natives into the sea, L think, This thing
must stop But by the very voice by which
1 vote to stop it, / put into power Mr.. Ma
rion Butler, of North Carolina, and the peo-
pie who are DISTINGUISHING the negroes.
THE SILVER QUESTION.
so, In regard to the silver question in
the West, l believe that from the start
this silver question has been a manipu-
lated, worked-up craze, run for somebody's
commercial interests, and worked for all it
Is worth. l cannot vote for Mr.. Bryan
without helping hat part of the
~ that wants TO make money out of our
finances. In other words, / am powerless
to feel or to express any moral feelings
l have towards politics through the
mechanism of voting for Mr.. Bryan.
There is no astuter combination of peo-
pie in the country than the Hanna
OUTFIT They understood what would
keep them in power. 1t is to their inter-
est TO continue the degradation and ex-
t~ravagance of the Democratic party. That
is obvious, is it not? You may take it for
granted that that clique of the Democratic
party. which a great many excellent men
in the country vainly nope is to be rehabil-
itated and saved for future use, is to be
used for this purpose. In other words.
over our national administration is creep
ing precisely the same conjunctioi OF cir
cumstances that we have now in our little
local towns. The Republican machine in
New York can never be captured for the
better forces of New York, ii can never
be honest or decent, because it is the in
terest of Tamamny Hall to keep il dis
honest. and therefore make the way of
the righteous difficult. That same thing
has happened in the national Democratic
party, and you may look in the future for
a precisely analogous development of that
national Democratic party.
This means that we must make a De-
ginning, and the sooner we make IL the
better. AS for this Imperialism that is
talked so much of, it conveys q false
impression 10 call ii Imperialism: it con-
veys an impression that you mean con-
quest. an idea that you mean expansion of
the United States like the expansion of
Rome or England.
THE REAL MEANING.
"It is really the result of the conduct of
people who care for money. Mr.. Hanna
and the people with him, who are behind
Mckinley. have got a notion that by en-
couraging armies and taking the Philip
pines they will get a slice of the East.
They don't want the East out of vanity;
they want to run their railroads there. to
send their ships there. to organize iron
mines and silver mines and trolley COM
panies, and such things there. Imperialism
is nothing except a form of commercial
selishness. If the Democratic gang which
now runs New York city could control
the federal government, the would run
IL in the same way in which they run New
York city. You would call 1t Imperialism,
whereas it is nothing but selfshness. That
is the evil that we are fighting, when We
are talking about a wal against imperial
ism. 1t is nothing except a habit of cold
hearted, business calculation. i don't know
how much palmer to bring up the eternal
fight that goes on in the heart of man,
the eternal principle OF the connection be-
tween all the good in the world and all the
evil IN the WOrlO, imam Dy asking an aver
age New York merchant to-day who he is
going TO vote for. He will say: We'll, l
don't like this going-on in the Philippines.
1 don't like it-but business is good That
is the whole imperialistic idea, that is the
whole drama of Imperialism. That man
is in pursuit of his private interests, and he
is shutting his eyes to the practical effect
of his vote on the lives and the fortunes
of other people. Our talk about the DEG
laration of Independence itself, and every
thing we value our civilization for, is be-
cause they recognize the feeling of mercy
towards other people than ourselves as be-
to behave. In other words, your talk of
imperialism to-day in this country is moth
ing but an attack upon private selfishness,
and If you are going to conduct that with
effect you must conduct il from the time
you start until the time you finish without
making any concession TO private selfish
ness
a LARGE JOB.
'They say it is too large a job to begin
a movement that shall result in bringing
purity into American politics. Here we
have this meeting of Anti-imperialists, who
come together out of an impulse of hui
mainly. against the practices of cruelty
which they see going on before tAeir eyes.
Now, the very men who are here don't
| themselves know how worldwide is the
spirit which they have thus impulsively
come together to resist. America is not
the only country which has become won
derfully cruel. Here we have Germany GO