The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-08-17
BRYAN's GRAND STAND PLAY

| given the crushing defeat 1t deserves.
BRYAN'S GRAND STAND PLAY.
VIM. J. Bryan has been formally
| notified of his nomination and in his
speech at Indianapolis yesterday ac-
cepting it, and defining himself, he
made great play to the galleries in
his effort for votes, and made speech
which showed his utter insincerity,
his power of gross misrepresentation
and his total unftness for the great
Office to which he aspires. Mr. Bryan
has been credited heretofore, even by
his political enemies with honesty and
sincerity. But with the attitude taken
in his speech yesterday he forfeits
both, for he shows himself to be de-
void of both politically and stands forth
before the public blatant demagogue.
In an article in the North American
Review for June, Mr.. Bryan stated
that the issue before the American
people was money-the silver question.
Next he placed trusts and lastly imper-
ialism. But since then he has heard
something. The silver plank of the
Kansas City convention has caused
even a greater protest than it did in
1896. The trust has been practically
eliminated from the campaign by the
action of Mr.. Bryan's party in the
house voting almost solidly in favor
of the trusts on the proposed constitu
tional amendment, which shows that
the Republican party is the only one
that can be trusted to deal with the
evils arising from trusts in a practical
way. This left to Mr.. Bryan nothing
but the shadow of imperialism to deal
with, and to that he devoted his en-
tire speech. And what is this speech
but tissue of mis-statements and the
building up of situations that never
did, do not now and never will exist
In his opening he quotes Jefferson
statement of equal rights to all and
special privileges to none, and Lincoln
dOCUl lnC LAoU UllS NC a SONcIu-
ment of the people, by the people.
and for the people, and said they
were being disregarded. Mr.. Bryan's
disquisition along this line came in
very poor taste inasmuch as it follows
by only a few days the action of his
party in North Carolina, in denying
equal rights to rs, 600 voters of that
state, feature that has lase been fol-
lowed in other southern states and has
not as yet called forth protest from
him. His quotation from Lincoln was
in equally poor taste as regards the
Democratic steal of the state of Ken
lucky by clique, which carries forth
the idea that a government there is
''of clique, for clique and by a
clique, and it has met the warm APP
proval of Mr.. Bryan, who personally
congratulated Goebel on his steal af-
ter election last fall.
On the Philippine questionMr. Bryan
takes the position that this country
| SNAONANA oW bU OlCO 1IOlu Du0 Is
lands. If elected he declares that he
shall at once convene congress as soon
as he is inaugurated and recommend
the giving them their independence,
establishing stable form of govern
ment, protecting them from outside
interference, in short withdraw from
the islands which he induced seven
teen senators of his party to vote to
give $50, 600, 900 to hold. They should
be treated, he says, as President Nc
kinley promised to treat, and is
now treating Cuba.
Now Mr. Bryan we'll knows that Mr..
Mckinley made no promises to Cuba
at all. This was done in the resolu-
ton passed by congress at the com.
mencement of the war. Mr.. Bryan
further knows that all that has 90 far