The Topeka state journal., 1900-08-24
TALK TO REPUBLICANS.
Col. Bryan Addresses Large
Audience at Manhattan.

Manhattan, Kan, Aug. 24.-Mr. Bryan
began the day with a speech here at
10:3O this morning before a large audi
ence. The speaker received careful at
tention and liberal applause. Mr.. Bryan
said he preferred speaking to Republic
cans on the principle that it was always
well to save brands from the burning.
He believed most Republicans would
leave their party when convinced that
they could serve the country better by
leaving it than they could by remaining
in 1T. In the first place he said, the Re-
publican party had been a silver party,
now it had become a gold standard par
ty. 1t had supported the greenbacks,
now it proposes to substitute bank
currency for the greenbackS;it had here
tOfore denounced trusts, now its leaders
were found generally defending the
trusts. Speaking of the trusts he asked
what the individual Republicans, espec-
tally the Republican farmers were get
ting out of the trusts
I'VE do not object to the honest ac-
emulation of wealth. he said. Il want
a government that gives every poor man
the hope of being rich some day. a gov
ernment that gives the rich man assur-,
ance that his children will be protected
if they were to become poor. What 1
object to is a government that protects
few men in their robbery of the mass
eS and then denounce everybody as an
anarchist that does not like to be rob-
bed. I want you Republicans to see the
publican party. I want you Republi-
cans to recognize that there has been a
transformation in your party s purposes
You Republicans have been looking at
the outside of the egg. Now you Re
publicans can not see the change that
has taken place in your party'S position
on the economic questions. 1 am going
to ask if you can see the change that
has taken place in your party's position
on these new questions that have come
up since the Spanish war" (Apjplausel.
Mr.. Bryan declared that a policy of
imperialism was impossible without a
large army. when the government
comes from the people, he Saids the
people will come from their homes to
support it, but when you build on brute
force you have got to have an army
to prevent the people making faces at
you. If we are to resort to Imperialism
in the Philippines in order to get the
trade of those islands is it not reason
able to suppose that the same policy
should be brought into requisition to get
the trade of other countries?" Mr.. Bryan
did not believe that American mothers
wanted to raise boys to be exchanged as
soldiers for trade at SO much per head
On this point he said:
when an American boy dies for lib
erty his mother thanks God that he gave
her the strength to bear and rear a son
for such noble sacrifice, but what Amer
lean mothers want to raise boys at so
much per head? That is what imperial
ism means. believe in the expansion OF
trade. want this country to extend her
trade but 1 would not put one American
citizen on the autcion block and sell
him for all the trade of the Orient, If I
had to buy it by his blood" (Great ap-
plause.)
Mr.. Bryan asserted that the Republic
cans were evading the question or ex-
panSion and said that after having as
serted over and over again that the sill
yer question was dead they had resur-
rected 1T far beyond the predictions OF
Democrats. Important as was that issue
it could not be used to prevent adequate
discussion of issues of more pressing
question. In closing Mr. Bryan said.
1.-The splendors of an empire have
lured governments on to destruction in
the past. We do not want the splendors