News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-10-17

United States Has Expanded In the
Governed"
Especial Washington Letter.l
Mr.. Bryan's speech of acceptance
was carefully prepared and was in
tended to be keynote for the present
campaign. 1t is worthy of study, as it
is one of the most painstaking efforts
ever issued by this new school of poll
tics. Yet, like all political utterances,
it is an eX parte statement composed OF
about equal parts Of charges against
the Republicans and promises of what
the Democrats will do in the event Of
Bryan's election.
The Democratic candidate is an eX-
perienced promiser and political proph-
ct, and both promises and prophecies
are matters of record He speaks also
not only for himself alone but for his
party, and his statements must be
weighed by the actions of his party in
the past.
-Four years ago this young prophet
of the west declared that the gold
standard would make it necessary to
advocate the closing of the public
schools. (MonmOuth, Ills, speech.) To
day under the gold standard there are
more schools and better ones than ever
before. The prophecy was false.
In his speech of acceptance he said:
no rt1Ia n
the Philippine Islands will result in
the better education of the Filipinos.
Be not deceived. If we expect to main
tain a colonial policy, we shall not find
it to our advantage to educate the peo-
pie"
This assertion must have been whis-
pered into the speech by the southern
wing of the party, who openly declare
that they are tired of paying taxes to
educate the negro, who by education
simply becomes a greater rogue. Bryan
atfirms that the Republicans would
do with the brown man what the Dem
ocrats are now doing with the black
man. Then by peculiar menal proc
ess, which it is impossible to follow, he
pillories the Republicans for what he
affirms they will do and indorses the
Democrats because they have done the
same thing. One course of conduct is
a fact, the other is simply assumed.
-Four years ago Bryan said "the gold
standard would destroy the hope of the
toiler, it would destroy the opportunity
\ i,o ho INpr
of idle men, it would discourage enter
prise, it would paralyze industry"
Economic conditions today prove the
falsity of every one of these prophecies.
The toilers have hope, there is oppor-
tunity to work, there are fewer idle
men, enterprise has not been discour-
aged and industry has not been para
lyzed.
Mr.. Bryan, however, has fallen into
the habit Of issuing lamentations, and,
while not making so many financial
predictions, fearful and dark, trimmed
with ruined homes and starving free
men, he scars to higher plane-money
in 1900 is filthy lucre-and assures us,
after his political halo had been re-
FURNISHED by the Kansas City conven-
ton, that If he Is not elected "celebra-
tons of the Fourth Of July will pass
away"
Is it surprising that the people refuse
to scare? Indeed, past experience has
led them to believe that the reverse
of the predictions of the prophet is
that which will surely come to pass.
In his Indianapolis speech of accept
ance he arraigns the Republican party
in the following manner:
'1n attempting to press economic
questions upon the country to the ex-
clusion OF those which involve the very
publican leaders give new evidence Of
their abandonment of the earlier ideals
of the party and of their complete SUBJ
serviency to pecuniary considerations"
That expression from the apostle and
high priest of an economic question,
who forced 1t down the threats of the
delegates who nominated him, who
stands for silver, free silver, unlimited
silver and nothing but silver, is a deli
cious bit Of sarcasm which must have
made the knowing ones smile when
they heard it. 1t is simply plea to
talk about something else than silver
this year because there are no votes to
be made by advocating a disproved
theory, and then because the Republic
an leaders refuse to allow him to let
silver alone he charges them with hav-
ing abandoned the earlier ideals Of
their party.
He also asks in rounded periods:
"Who will draw line between the nat
ural rights of the Cubans and the Fill
pinos? Who will say that the former
have a right to liberty and the latter
have no rights we are bound to re-
spect"
Now, had he asked those questions
with reference to the negroes of Mis-
sissippi and North Carolina the answer
would have been easy for the white
Democrats of those states. who shoot,
terrify and disfranchise the negro in
open violation of the spirit and express
words of the constitution of the United
| States. They can answer, as they are
specialists In defining rights which
they refuse to respect, and Mr.. Bryan
is the man who hopes to profit by their
methods that disgrace the states which
will send solid delegations to congress
by the suppression of the Republican
vote.