The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-09-10
MR.. ssyASs QUOTATIONS OF LINCOLN

MR.. BRYANs QUOTATIONS OF LIrcoLr
The mountain has labored and. brought
forth a mouse, and now Mr.. Bryan's
chances for the presidency have gone a
glimmering. The Oregonian of Thurs
day has a double-column article Is
inches long from the pen Of one Robert
+. Bell, protesting TO show how Mr..
Bryan, IN his Labor Day speech at Chi
cago, "garbled" quotation from Abra-
ham Iincoln's first annual message to
congress, and "misrepresented' Mr..
Lincoln's utturanceP. Then il has
a doubleleaded editorial full Of hysler.
ical abuse Of Mr.. Bryan, besides another
paragraph still more lurid, IL possible,
ending thus:
This should and will nallify the last
claim Of his partisans 10 respect aud
courtesy Tor him. II should aud will
break him down utterly before the peo.
pie OF the United States. "
II Mr. Bryan has ever had any claim
to respect aud courtesy from such pa.
pers as the oregonian, the claim has
not been honored.
And what is the great discovery which
will cause the names OF the Oregonian
and its Robert +. Bell to 20 echoing
down the corridors of time as the sayiors
OF their country?
Simply this; Mr.. Bryan took occa.
sion 10 quote from President Lincoln's q
annual message Of 1891, his first; and
Mr.. Bryan did not quote the whole mes.
sage. II seems, also, that he did not
even explain To his hearers that Mr.. !
Lincoln did not have the conditions OF
1900 Immediately in mind when ho
wrote, but was referring to conditions as
they existed in 1861.
The quotation, as Mr.. Bryan gave it
as follows;
Monarchy itself II sometimes hinted
at as possible refuge from the power of
the people. In my present position |
could scarcely be justified were To omit
a warning against the approach of
dcpotism. II ia not needed nor fitting
hers that an argument should be made
Ia favor of popular institutions; but
there is one point with its connections
not 80 hackneyed as most others. 10
which l ask hrief attention. IL is effort
10 place capital ON an equal footing with,
II not above. labor in the structure OF
the government. No men living are
more worthy 20 Do trusted than those
who toll up from poverty; none less
Inclined 10 take or touch aught which
they have not honestly earned. Let
them beware OF surrendcring u political
power which they already possess, aud
which, surrendered will surely be used
10 close the door OF advancement against
such as they, and to fix new disabilities
and burdens upon them till all OF liberty
be lost.
That portion Of Lincoln's message
rom which Mr.. Bryan derived his
quotation is just five times as long and
much matter having no direct I
bearing ON the point Mr., Bryan was
making Itdld however contain this:
Labor Is prior to and independent OF
'apital. Capital is only the fruit OF la.
'Or and could never have existed II labor
lad not first existed. Labor is the su. ,
'erior of capital, aud deserves much the
higher consideration,
Aud the excruciating strain under
which theore. oman aud its MIR Bell lab.
II is clearly shown by the fact that they ;
'nt in blaekfaoed type the additional sen. /
enoe' Capital has its rights. which are
. worthy OF protection as any other !,
ights, "a proposition which no one q
enies.
but Mr.. LincoIn's language is self 4
explanatory. No, one word was altered {
y Mr. Bryan, aud the spirit OF the ut
aranoes WAS not mlsconstrued. IL is true
hat monarchy itself is sometimes hint 1
at asa possible refuge from the power =
the people, by a different generation I,
men than those who 'hinted" 40 years a
60 Then it was, perhaps, the slave. a
oldersi now Marx Hanna is not the on o
oae Of his ilk who comes back from g