Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-09-08
ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND W. J
RRYAN.

erpmept stir the heart today as greatly
as when they were uttered. And Mr..
Bryan, accomplished public speaker
and Judge of rhetoric as he is, has
seen fit to begin the present campaign
by juggling with the magic OF Lincoin's
name and seeking to prove that black
Is white with carefully culled extracts
from Lincoln's congratulations.
And while he Is about II Mr.. Bryan
might also find time to compare the
language In his attacks on President
Mckinley with the declarations made
by men Of his owe political filth
against President Lincoln. In attempt
Ing to conJure with Lincoln's name Mr..
Bryan has hammered into a little mine
of campaign material that he might
better have left alone.
In 1854, a few weeks before the as
sembling Of the Democratic national
convention, the Democratic members
OF congress issued an address to the
public bringing the vilest charges Of
official corruption against the martyred
president for whose utterances Mr..
Bryan processes to have such Q high
regard. This statement announced
that there were only two classes Of
people supporting the government
those who were making money put Of
the war and the radical abolitionists-
n called on tka country to throw
out or office the administration under
favor OF which these two classes Of
men nestle In power and crafty their
unholy greed and detestable passions"
In connection with this charge Of
sanctioning the war for money-making
purposes made by Democrats against
Abraham Lincoln and his party in 1864
II Is interesting to turn to w. j. Bry-
ans speech delivered not two weeks
ago at Indianapolis. He said at that
time:
Imperialism would be profitable to
the army OF contractors; It would be
profitable to the ship owners who
would carry live soldiers to the Phi l.
lppines and bring dead solder back;
IT would be profitable to thoze who
would seize upon the franchises, and 1t
would be profitable to the officials
whose salaries would be fixed and pad
over there. But to the farmer, to the
lahoring man and to the vast major ty
OF those engaged in other occupations,
It would bring expenditures without re-
turn and risk without reward"
The Democratic national convention
OF 1854 was called to order by its chair
man, August Belmont, the American
representative Of q European banking
house-a fitting presiding officer for q
party so bitterly opposed to financial
greed" and "the dIctation of a foreign
money policy"
Here is what this noble patriot and
enemy of the gold bugs" told the dele
gates In his opening speech:
-Four years Of misrule by a section
al fanatical and corrupt party have
brought our country to the verge OF
ruin. The result of such a calamity
as the reelection of Mr.. Lincoln must
as the utter disintegration of our whole
political and social system am DIST
bloodshed and anarchy"
And, talking from his seat In the
house OF representatives on the 14th
Of January, 1863, Clement L. Vallan-
digham, whose name and record Mr..
Bryan may have dimly heard Of
through the silence OF the years, said;
History will record that, after near
ly six thousand years OF folly and
wickedness In every form and admin
i~stration Of government, t%heocratlc, de-
mocratic, monarchic, oligarchic, des-
potic and mixed, It was reserved to
American craftsmanship in the nine
teenth century OF the Christian era to
try the grand experiment, on a scale
the most costly and gigantic In It's pro
portions, Of creating love by force and
developing fraternal affection by war;
and history will record, too, on the
same page the utter disastrous and
most bloody failure OF the experiment"
He called the President King Lin
coin" and advised the people to come
up together at the ballot box and hurl
the tyrant from his throne.
1t was King Lincoln" then. 1t is
Gear Mckinley" now
Speaking at Lincoln, Neb., on
Thursday last, Mr.. Bryan said:
mot long ago a Republican was
Gliding one OF u people with the fact
that the Filipinos were looking to a
Democratic election for the securing OF
their rights and the Republican said:
Are you not ashamed that the Filipi-
nos are expecting aid from the Demo
crats?' And this man replied to the Re-
publican: DO you know any people In
all the world who are fighting for lib
erty who are looking to the Republi-
can party for help at this timer"
And here is Abraham Lincoln's opin-
ion of the men who stay at home and
give aid and comfort to armed forces
that shoot down American soldiers:
HE who dissuades one man from
volunteering or induces one soldier to
desert weakens the cause as much as
he who kills an American soldier in
battle. Must 1 shoot a supplemented
soldier boy who deserts while l must
not touch a hair of a willy agitator who
induces him to desert? This Is hone the
less injurious when effected by getting
a father, or mother, or friend into a
public meeting and there working upon
his feelings till he is persuaded to
write the soldier boy that he IS fighting
in a bad cause, for a wicked admins
tration OF a contemplate government.
| think that, in such q case, to silence
the agitator and rave the boy Is not
only constitutional, but withal a great
mercy"
And, to conclude with another apt
quotations from Abraham Lincoln,
There is no fear of the people losing
their liberties. We all know that to
be the cry Of demagogues and none but
the ignorant will listen to it.
j. r. r.
Let us repeat the question: Has no
Democratic organ the courage and