Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-08-23
FALSE PROPHET.

TA60G w.
A false political prophet is entitled to no
more consideration and respect than a
false religion prophet. The human being
who undertakes to disclose to mankind
the future in spiritual or Divine things,
when the time comes for the test to be
made of the accuracy of bis prophecy and
it is found that he testified falsely is re-
parded with either contempt or commits
seration. If it is believed that a prophet
is an imposter, and wilfuly tried to de-
ceive, be is denounced as scoundrel. If
he has been misled by fanaticism or men,
tai hallucination, pity is extended to the
human weakling. In either event the
prophet loses the confidence of those who
have been acquainted with his false teach
ings.
Should the man who tries to become
the leader of the people, who poses as
statesman, and dares to made positive pre-
dictions as to what will be the result of
certain governmental policy or what will
be sure to follow the election of a particu-
lar man to Office, be tried at the bar of
public opinion by less rigid and just rule,
by the intelligent world, than the one,
which lie adopted toward those who pro-
claim themselves prophets of God?
Four years ago young and bold polit'
ical prophet thrust himself upon the
American political field, and startled the
wes}d by bis numerous predictions of ca
lsmity that would surely follow the cleo
ton of Mckinley and the adoption Of the
gold standard. That prophet was William
Jennings Bryan. Among bis numerous
prophecies of evil were the following
"If Mckinley and the Republican party
are successful and put in power for the
next four years, wages will be decreased.
Hard times will come upon us and over
the land. The price of wheat will go
down and the price of gold will go up.
Mortgages on our homes will be foreclosed
by the moneylenders. Shops and factories
will close. We will export no goods and
we will import from foreign lands all the
goods we use. Thus will ruin, want and
misery be with u.s.
This prophecy was made with such a
degree of earnestness that it alarmed
thousands of men, who, from alarm, cast
their votes against the party that had be-
fore done more for the political and bust
ness interests of the Union than any party
and all parties that had preceded it. There
was no qualification in Mr.. Bryan's pre-
dictions. He spoke as one who had made
a careful study of political economy and
the science of government. His declara-
tons were pronounced with an arbitrary
assertion that gave no right to doubt that
his judgment and knowledge were at fault
Could a candidate for the suffrages of
the people, in so few words, have painted
a more dlreful picture Of calamity than did
William Jennings Bryan in the above
quoted language?
What about the truth of bis prophecy ?
The most fanatical Adventist could not
have been more reckless or placed himself
before the world more absurdly, more sue
cessfully as false prophet than did Mr..
Bryan. The very reverse of everything he
undertook to say was coming has come. Ii
he would stand-np now before bis most
infatuated followers and earnestly repeat
these same words they would laugh at him,
and pronounce him either crazy, drunk or
prince of liars.
ANY other than very ambitious charla-
tan would be ashamed to parade before
the public as political seer after such re-
cent exposure of either his ignorance or
duplicity, as has William Jennings Bryan.
But he is irrepressible in his role of po-
litical quack. He remembers how success
fully be played upon the credulity of the
people in 1896. and is willing to undertake
the task of disproving the theory of Abra-
ham Lincoln, that you can't fool the same
people all the time. So William Jennings
Bryan, the wonderful political prestidigita-
tor, will put himself upon the stage again,