The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-23

a Gu NnlCH - 1dlullldI " CNClN Slttt
of Marion county. should OF itself condemn
the present platform. The Republican par
ty opposes the introduction OF meters now,
as IL has always done. and We denounce
as false any proposition to the contrary,
advanced in the past or the future by I'M
scrupulous opponents.
This is a national campaign; local is
sues alone will not be discussed; local
issues alone will not govern the voter when
he registers his verdict in November. The
Kansas City convention has declared that
anti-imperialism and free silver shall be
the Democratic watchwords, but before the
first month of the campaign has passed
they are desperately striving TO escape
from the latter issue, which was injected
into their platform upon the personal ue-
mand OF their presidential candidate, with
the aid OF the votes of Hawaii, Inoian Ter
ritory and Alaska, over the protest OF the
conservative elements of the party. My
friends, / know not the meaning OF. the
word Imperialism, as used by the Demo-
cratic party. / have not as yet found any
Democrat, or Populist, for that matter
and the present campaign, ii seems, is more
Populistic than DemocTatic-who has Deen
able to give a satisfactory explanation OF
the term. If Imperialism means the acqul-
sition of territory. then Jefferson was an
imperialist; Jackson was an imperial
ist; Polk was an imperialist; Lincoln
was an imperialist; Grant was an
was an imperialist; while. in years gone
by. even the Democratic party was an I'M
rerialistic party, as it declared In auoh
convention in favor of the acquisition OF
Cuba by purchase or conquest. III lmper-
ialism means government without the con-
sent of the governed. then indeed we nave
here at home a practical application or the
term in the disfranchisement OF thousands
cratic States of the South, and not one
word of objection do we hear from the
Democracy and Populists of the North
In Georgia in Mississippi, in Louisiana, IN
AI--l .tI1s- na rfn -hQrn
citizens. whose ancestors even were born
under the folds of the flag, have, soleiy
on account of their color, been deprived Oh
their rights as citizens. are being governed
to-day without their consent, are without
a voice in the affairs of the common
wealths wherein they live. and yet not one
word of protest from Mr.. Bryan and MS
anti-imperialist friends. The consent OF
the governed, indeed!
WHY THE CRY is RAISED.
1.-The cry of imperialism is not made
through any honest fear on the part of the
Democratic party that the institutions or
our country are in jeopardy, but is made
for the purpose of escaping from their own
record on other issues of more Importance
to the p~eople-issues which have already
been settled adversely TO them. l have
too much confidence In the intelligence
of the American people to believe for
one moment that they will be thus
stampeded by these attempts OF des-
perate men to escape from their own
records, to escape from the issue OF free
coinage, the one issue which is paramount
to every American citizen, be ne farmer,
banker, merchant, manufacturer. mechanic
or laborer; the issue OF honest money, or
stable currency, of the maintenance or the
gold standard. My fellow-citizens, this cry
of Imperialism is no new one. 1t must even
be denied the credit of originality. 1t comes
to us as but an echo. 1t is no new sound.
In the dark and gloomy days of the Re-
public. when on Southern battlefelds a mil
lion loyal sons of Columbia, under the lead
ership of Grant, and Sherman, and Sheri-
dan, and Thomas. and Hooker. and Meade.
and all those immortal heroes who an
swered their command; while the sad-faced
Lincoln, with his heart filled to overlooking
with the woes of his beloved country;
while those boys from the homes. Of the
North were tightening the coils around the
armies of rebellion-in those dark days,
when every man with q spark Of patriotism
In his heart was praying that the end
might come In glory and triumph to the
flag. that the Union Of the States might be
maintained either with or without the con-
sent OF the governed, then came from the
Democratic party the same cry Of imperial
ism which Is heard to-day. Lincoln, the
martyr to the cause Of liberty, the great
defender of the rights Of the common peo-
pie, was denounced as a tyrant, as the
American baboon,' as the oppressor, as
the destroyer of the Constitution, and as a
man who sought to create an empire. with
himself as ruler. Let me read to you what
the Indianapolis Sentinel, then as now the
state organ of the Democratic party, said
as to the second election of Abraham Lin
coin. Under date Of July i. 1864. the Sem
tinel said:
There is an old saying that rats desert
a sinking ship" Mr.. Chase's sagacity. as
well as his pride, has induced him to cut
loose from an administration which Is
hA,tn - .s~1- T. &c.,
can be expected from the little men who
have been thrown to the surface and placed
In power by accident?'
That was the language of peace Demo-
Gratis in 1864. Mark the following from the
Sentinel Of later date. The only hope of
preserving constitutional liberty, the rights
OF the States and restoring peace to the
Union is in the restoration of the Demo-
cratic party TO power. Let Abraham Lin
coin be elected for another term, and what
Will be the consequence? Four years more
OF abolition war, national bankruptcy and
then European interference
AT another time the Sentinel said Shall
we profit by the teachings of history and
even by our own experience, or shall we
conune q policy that must in the end
overthrow one of the best governments that
the world ever saw! and all civil liberty?'
AT another time, in comparing Lincoln
10 Caesar, the Sentinel said: Have not the
people daily evidence that Abraham Lincoln
is assuming the power-the despotic poWer-
- ~ 20 AIS oCblS dlQ ItUltu-
ish his overdrawn Golfers. exhausted by ex-
travagance and ambitious strife for power -
I'm August, in discussing the use by Lin
coin of the powers of the government 10
stamp out rebellion, ii said: The spirit of
encroachment tends TO consolidate the pow-
ers of all the departments into one and thus
10 create, whatever the form of govern
n,ent, a real despotism. Gould a truer pic
ture OF government under Lincoln. who
absorbs in his person all the functions of
the executive, legislative and judicial
branches, be DRAWN
Again it said: More than eighteen hum
6red years ago Rome was governed by
three men at the end Of that republic One
was Caesar. They were all of noble blood.
And we, too. have our NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Stanton, Halleck; but. unfortunately,
neither of them can boast of high descent.
fiddle when Rome was burning. We have,
also, our emperor, Lincoln, who can tell
stale jokes whilst the land is running red
with the blood of brothers,
But a day or two prior to the election of
81 the Sentinel again sounded a warming:
Should Mr.. Lincoln be reelected the revo-
luton will be accomplished. This
will be no longer a Republic
OF the United States. but a cor
solidated empire. Every safeguard must
sooner or later give way. The limitations OF
the executive power will not be in the
Constitution. but in the pleasure of the
President. If the people will not save their
priceless Constitution and Union il is lost.
NO, my friends, this cry of anti-imper-
ialism is no new sound. The denunciation
of William Mckinley. the patriot, for his
efforts to uphold the flag of the Nation:
for his efforts to bring to ar honorable con.
clusfon a war for which the Democratic
rarity clamored most loudly; for his eff.
forts to settle the question of the gov.
eminent of the Philippine islands in &C.