The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-01
THE HICKORY ELM CLUB.
The Situation Explained-Conse-
auence of Dryanf Election.

Gentlemen" said the president, when
the club had come to order. sit Is my duty
as the presiding officer of this organization
to advise you of the probable consequences
of Bryan's election next Tuesday In order
that you may cast your votes for him with
your eyes both wide open, L have taken the
pains to gather UP a few of the more
weighy reasons that are being put forth
and urged by the enemy why William Jen-
nings Bryan should be beaten out of his
boots at the polls. so to speak. With an
exception or two, every member of this club
can read and write, and If those of you
who read had allowed yourselves to
examine some OF the documents that Mark
Hanna has been sending broadcast over the
country, instead of devoting your time to
explaining why Webster Davis, Carl Schurz
and a few other worthless Republicans
happened to get hitched on to Bryans cart
and why 1t became necessary for Mr.
Bryan TO turn over the entire Populistic
aggregation that furnishes his chief sup
port 10 Croker and Tammany Hail. the re-
marks that am about to make would have
been wholly unnecessary. 1t is claimed by
the Republicans that the Democratic party,
to which you are all proud to belong, is an
Indispensable necessity to the body polite
The reasoning upon which that conclusion
is reached proceeds upon the fundamental
idea that nothing has been created in vain
that everything has it's use, and that il is
often devilish difficult to ascertain what
some things are here for. They cite the
everlasting struggle of the agriculturist
with certain species OF vegetation which
perenially appears between his hills of
corn, potatoes, cabbage and cucumbers,
and which, If not voted down and turned
under will utterly choke out his crop, and
they say that God made the weeds for a
good and wise purpose. but they have never
discovered the purpose Along this line of
logic they assert and try to prove that IL is
necessary for this country TO have two po-
htical parties-one to govern and the other
to stand guard. They claim that the So
cialists, Populists, Anarchists and Bryan
from the beginning to watch the party of
progress to act as kind of governor, reg
ulator and rub-lock to prevent 1t from de-
veloping the latent resources of the Nation
too rapidly, and they call themselves the
party OF progress. That theory, my friends,
may be correct in the main 1t may ac-
count for the attitude of Carl Schurz and
William Lloyd Garrison, who have been
doing picket duty on the outposts of ma
tional expansion during this campaign,
where they have been firing at an imag-
mary despot on horseback with a smooth
bore musket loaded with wads torn from
the Constitution and the Declaration of In
dependence, but IL doesn't account for the
active interest of Dick Croker and Tom
Taggart. who are in the despot and dicta-
torial business themselves within their re-
spective jurisdictions Think of Croker.
Taggart, Tillman and Altgeld standing
upon the ramparts of liberty on a cold
night watching for the approach of i'm
perialistfc enemy Of free institutions, hon.
est government in New York, Indianapolis.
Chicago or South Carolina, Gentlemen. the
thing is preposterous- The Democratic
party as a whole was not created for guard
duty. We haven't man at the front In
the party to-day. / am sorry to say, who
would risk his life or his health on picket
duty fifteen minutes 10 save the country
from the disaster of a panic. mob rule. i'm
perialism or national disgrace if IL meant
the defeat of Organism as well. There is
no use TO mince words about this matter.
and we can't deceive each other IL we
would. Republicans may speculate upon
the nature of Democracy and offer fine
spun theories to make its existence excusa-
bic in the economy OF nature, but every
man In this club knows why he is here,
without the aid of Republican philosophy
or explanation.
but you started out TO advise us OF the
probable consequences of the success CT
Organism. Altgeldism. Goebelism, Tillman-
ism and Crokerism at the polls next Tues
day" said Colonel Snort. When are you
going TO get down to that part OF your
speech?
Keep your shirt on. Colonel Snort
will come TO the point I'm minute. IL is
necessary that should lay the foundation
for my opinions before firing them into this
club. In the first place. the moment IL IL
announced that Bryan IL elected financial