The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-10-30

= Writing OF the unmistakable para
mount issue now before the American
people, Judge Harmon. who opposed
Mr.. Bryan four years ago, shows ne
well understands the nature OF the de-
fence OF McKinley's wrong course, and
h plausible pleas put up to paIfiate
the offence and prevent the deep dam
nation OF his taking on" He says:
1.-THE attempt is made. as it always is,
to prevent condemnation for what the
administration has lone by f~oretel1ing
dreadful things that b opposition will
do. But IL there be such danger, wise
men always prefer a risk to a certain
ty, especially when. as now, the Ger
tainty involves so much more than the
risk"
Mr.. Bryan has studied the conduct
and pleas Of h administration with
great care, and he meets. as a result, h
defence made for bad actions in most
forceful, fncisive style. Take this and
you will see concentrated In a few
words, referring to the prosperity
plan, the pith Of the whole method. He
says: THE republican party spends
its time congratulating itself upon the
existence Of things which it did not
cause, and Sinking responsibility for
things which it has DONE"
Hanna says it will be awful to swap
horses in the middle of the stream
Others cry put that 1t would be ever so
unwise to change administrations in
h time of great prosperity. Another
song is that the republican admins
tration has caused 1t all and it would
be an act of base ingratitude to turn
u the prosperity creator (God is
left out entirely, and short crops in
Europe, and wars( and put in a man
so dangerous as Bryan, etc. This is the
stuff the demagogues feed the crowds
upon, and many a simpleton listens,
gulps 1t down and goes away saying
what a blessing Mckinley is. They
ven believe in the full dinner pail
humbuggery. Do not forget this: the
republican party today is a worse party
than it was from 1865 up to the COM
ing In of Mckinley. All the manifold
and horrid evils and Affections Of the
last thirty-five years are mainly to be
laid upon the corruptest party in
American history-the party of high
taxes, of grinding tariffs, of debauch-
ing of voters, of Doodle and infamy, of
force bills and other internal political
machinery, of waste, of populations, of
abuses, of u~surpations. Every city in
the north has a boss" The money
power has Its feet upon the necks Of
the masses. Corruption runs riot and
demagogues and scoundrels of the
Quay-Hanna type flourish in luxuri-
ance n infamy, n are potential in
the G. o. P.-greedy old plunderer.
Look at what the officials under Nc
Kinley are doing now. In order to
prevent Mr.. Bryan'c election a panic
cry has been started. They are calling
the best and noblest democrats anar-
chists, socialists, revolutionists, stirrers
up of class antagonists and so on.
While doing this they are using the
money power for all it is worth to pur-
chase voters in every doubtful state,
and to intimidate all men in office or
employment who dare to oppose their
measures and men. Chairman Jones,
of the democratic national committee,
and a southern man sees all this devil
try and meanness-this ~stigmatizing the
best men, and thereby disturbing the
country by revolutionary suggestions.
They may precipitate a panic IRE
enough, and then they will set up an
other howl and swear that Bryan
did it.
Chairman Jones issued a statement a
few days ago. We copy from it. He
says:
I'VE see a secretary of the treasury,
in an effort to disturb the business of
the country for political effect, sug-
costing that Mr.. Bryan, in case of his
election, would deliberately evade the
law, with a purpose as unstatesman-
like n unpatriotic as his own in max
ing this suggestion. Fortunately, Mr..
Bryan has been before the public
enough for every one to know that
tricks and false pretenses are not
among his weapons, and suggestions of
this kind excite contempt.
But worse than this Is the fact that
other men who should despise such
pretenses affect to believe that in case
Mr.. Bryan shah be elected he will pack
the supreme court for purposes of his
own. Can it be possible tina these
men themselves actually contemplate
such revolutionary methods in case
Mckinley should be elected? Certainly
no such revolutionary schemes have
been advocated or even suggested by
any democrat of whom 1 AVE eve
heard"
Then there are other cries and other
attempts upon the fears and credulity
Of men. One Of their means of cleo
pioneering is by gross intimidation
making large contracts conditioned
upon Bryan's defeat. The ingenuity of
the republicans is satanic in character
and fertility.
Gouornor Rn0SeHelf A not 6ndinn