Gloucester County Democrat., 1900-02-15
William ]. Bryan.

The great orator and statesman from
Nebraska has made four speeches in New
Jersey during the past two weeks-at Jer-
sey City, Plalnfield, Burlington and Pater-
son-and in several of the New England
States. In each speech he discussed mere
or less fully the three topics of Finance,
Trusts and Imperialism, aud everywhere
he was greeted by great audiences and his
utterances listened TO with closest atten-
tion.
In future issues we shall publish extracts
of his speeches on these topics, in the idea
that the people who have not been able to
hear him are just as anxious to read what
be hes to say on these momentous ques
have listened to their forceful presentation
from his own lips. The speech from which
we quote was delivered in Baltimore on
Jan. 20, and revised by himself before be-
ing placed in type
want to distinguish between expansion
and imperialism. Republicans try to hide
behind the word expansion. They say, we
have expanded in the past. Yes.my friends,
this government has expanded. This
nation has secured contiguous territory,
territory suitable for settlement b. Ameri
can people, and that new territory has been
settled and built up into States; but when
we have expanded heretofore we have
extended the limits of republic. Now
we are asked, not TO expand the limits of
republic, but to aspire to an imperial
destiny and convert a republic into an
empire. [Applause]
Be not deceived. There is nothing in
the past like that which we now are asked
to embark upon. Heretofore we have had
no expansion that separated citiz rs into
two classes. Heretofore when people have
come in they have come in to share in the
destiny of this nation. This is the first
time that we have been told that we must
cross an ocean, conqueror a people, drag
them under our flag and tell them they are
never to be citizens, but are to be subjects
and to be treated with kindness by our
people. Applause 1t is the first time
1t has ever been proposed And what
defense do you hear made of it? Well,
have heard three defenses; first, there is
the financial argument, that there is money
in it; then there is the religious argument
that God is in it, and then there is the
political argument, that we are ia it and
can't get out. Laughter and applause !
have never heard any other argument, and
/ will venture the assertion that if you will
take the speech of an imperialist analyze il
you will find that all bis argument will
under one of those three heads, that there
is money in it, that God is in it, OF that we
are in it and can't get out.
ka he vnopav oruunaopt fbo4 tbaro ie
money in it. 1t is the lowest argument
ever made in defense of a public policy
The argument of dollars and cents the
argument that is blind to ethics and only
looks for money. Republicans, has your
party fallen to so low a state that it will
attempt to settle a question of so great
moment by the measure of dollars and
cents And yet the man Mho attempts to
settle this question ia that way, and who
says that it will pay, has upon him the
burden OF proof, to show first how much
we will spend, and secondly how much
we will get. He must show that we will
get more than we will spend or it won't
pay and then we must show that the men
who spend the money we spend will get
the money We make. He can't show either
He can't show we will get back more than
we spend and if he could show that, he
can't show that the men who spend the
money we spend viii get back the money
that comes from an imperial policy. The
expense will come from all the people-the
income will come to the syndicates that
are organized to develop the Philippine
islands. [Applausel.
But, my friends, how is be going to show
what it will cost us Who can tell the cost
of war of conquest? Who can tell how
much it will cost to conquer and hold 10
suhjection eight millions of Malays, seven
thousand miles away from our shore. scat
tered over twelve hundred islands. living
under a tropical sun and fighting FROM the
protection of the Jungle, and who can tell
how often we will have to repeat the
chastisement? Who can tell how long il
will be before they will fall in love with
our idea of a military government All
my friends the man who says it will par
must show first how much money we will
spend, and then be must show you how
many lives it will cost, and then he must
tell you how much life is worth. Whep
he tells you it will pay, he must put
money value upon each American life
Republicans, dare you to put a money
value upon an American life rumultous
app iause When boy dies for liberty,
his mother thanks God that she has born
a son for so noble a sacrifice, but where is a
mother who will rear sons to exchange for
oriental trade at so much a head TAR
plausel
l want trade. / want TO expand our
trade by peaceful means, but l would NOT
put one American boy on the auction block
and sell him for all the trade of the world
[Applausel. And yet the man who says
1t will pay must be prepared to figure with
pencil how much tie boy is worth
They say that these islands will furnish
HON es for our surplus population. Think
of it; sixty people to the square mile over
there now and twenty people to the square
mile here. Laughterl. Furnish homes
for our surplus population? Why. my
friends, when it is possible for people TO
pass freely from the Philippine Islands to
the United States, and from the United
States to the Philippine Islands, there will
be more Malays coming to this country to
bring their oriental habits and compete
with American labor than there will be
Americans going over there to live in the
tropics. Other nations have tried it. Eng
land has he island OF Jamaca southeast OF |
here. There are 900 900 black people alone
there and less than $4,000 whites. The
Netherlands have controlled Java for three
hundred years, and there are 25OOO 600 OF
brown people and less than 10000 of Euro
pean blood. Spain has controlled the
Philippines for three hundred years. and
yet there are less than 10000 Spanish
residents out Of 10000 900 of people. Eng.
land has domiGated India for century and
q half, and there are only 100000 people of
British birth out of 300 100000 there. and
it takes British army of 20 900 to take
care of that 100000, and it takes a native
army of 140,0 to help the British army
OF 10000 take care of 100 900 of European
birth, who ride the 300 OO0 600 people
there and if you think that the people of
India love the English government, Just
remember that when the war broke out in
South Africa England had to call for
volunteees at home, because she dared not
take the soldiers out Of India. Zap
plause
a man named Morrison has recently
written book in defense of the English
government OF India. He bad been over
there for nine years, and / was interested
in reading in the book that be was sur
prised that although England has given to
the people of India freedom of the press
there is not native journal of influence
that defends the English government and
that the ferocity of the people is especially
marked among the educated classes. Why.