The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1900-08-11

l.
80 intallectual enjoyment which they
will not soon forget. For the
speech In its perusal has power
md . sincerity in its resonant
periods that 70 straight to the brain
and the heart of the reader; while
iss severe logic, it, wealth OF polisi-
cal illustration, it's intensely human
inssinct and lofty moral tone.
With its occaslonal flashes Of irony,
Wit and pashos, make il . positive
delight even in cold type. We can
conceive then what . superb adj
dress IL must have been to those
Who had the good fortune to hear
Il, fresh from the eloquent lips of
the author, inspired by the authors
genius and animated by his magnetic
personality.
The Republican leaders have
said that they would decline to be
made to place imperialism in the
forefront OF the campaign to obliae
Mr.. Bryan, and that they would
confront him mainly With the ques
ton of rs to I. That statement of
theirs was made before Mr.. Bryan's
notification speech was known to
them aud to the country. or it
would never have been made.
When they have read the speech
they will have NO choice; it will be
imperialism that will be the one
grand issue Of the campaign, as
much Of their motive as of the
Democrats', theirs to defend the
Democrats to assault. Yesterdays
magnificent speech raised i'm
perialism to a hight of importance.
ny, of essentially to the American
citizen, that will make other issues
appear as so much dross in the
comparison. The Republican viii
not be able to help themselves.
Mr.. Bryan will drag them after him
tied to the char1ot wheels OF his
finer and nobler Americanism; and
poorer and meaner issues will lie
neglected.
Such force Is there in Bryan's ar
guments against our conquering
and enslaving OF foreign races, aud
with such limpid clearness are they
set forth, that the best of the Re-
publican's ability will straightway
rush to challenge them. will count
itself lucky to be allowed to break
even an impotent lance against
them. 1t is a speech that will be
an inspiration in the campaien-of
comfort and assistance to the Dem
ocrats, of dread and discontinue to
the Republicans. 1t will be whole
armory in itself of the very finest
campaign material to the Demo
Gratis; the Republicans will spend
the next three months in ceaseless
but vain attempts to rebuff it's rea-
soning and to lessen its effect upon
the national mind.
American, who is proud of his re-
publicanism, of his Constitution, of
his traditions and of his Declare
ton of Independence, will read
and will treasure with pardonable
pride; for never did a statesman of
the United States deliver himself of
a speech placing Americanism on SO
pure and lofty plane and making
1t an oriAamme for the nations to
follow.
We have no room for much cita-
ton from the speech. Our readers
who love to cope high statesman
ship, able thinking, and transparent
earnestness of purpose, all couched
in beautiful because natural Ian
guage, will read and re read the
speech from beginning to end, and
will hold excerpts from it as so
many impertinences. For the bene-
fit of the unfortunate few who find
no pleasure as rule in reading the
addresses of able men on live issues,
we shall cite one paragraph taken
at random from the speech to Us
reads rather like \ passage from
one of the old Hebrew prophets:
s. Can we not govern coionies7'
we are asked. The question is noe