Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-09-15

! t~A'AtAF@ts
Mr.. Bryan's speech Of acceptance
| was carefully prepared and was in
tended to be a keynote for the present
campaign. 1t is worthy Of study, as it
| is one OF the most painstaking efforts
ever issued by this new school Of poll
! tics. Yet, like all political utterances,
| II is an ex uarte statement composed OF
| about equal parts of charges against
| the Republicans and promises of what
| the Democrats will do in the event of
! Bryan's election.
| The Democratic candidate is an ex-
perienced promiser and political proph-
! Of. and both promises and prophecies
are matters of record. He speaks also
not only for himself alone, but for his
party and his statements must be
! weighed by the actions Of his party in
| the past.
-Four years ago this young prophet
! of the west declared that the gold
| standard would make it necessary to
| advocate the closing of the public
schools. (Monmouth, Ills, speech.) To-
/ day under the gold standard there are
more schools and better ones than ever
| before. The prophecy was false.
In his speech of acceptance he said:
"SOme argue that American rule in
| the Philippine Islands will result in
! the better education of the Filipinos.
| Be not deceived. If we expect to main
tain a colonial policy, we shall not find
it to our advantage to educate the peo-
pie"
This assertion must have been whis.
pered into the speech by the southern
wing Of the party, who openly declare
that they are tired of paying taxes to
educate the negro, who by education
| simply becomes a greater rogue. Bryan
affirms that the Republicans would
do with the brown man what the Dem
ocrats are now doing with the black
man. Then by peculiar mental proc
ess, which it is impossible to follow, he
pillories the Republicans for what he
affirms they viii do and indorses the
| Democrats because they have done the
same thing. One course of conduct is
fact. the other is simply assumed.
! Four years ago Bryan said "the gold
| standard would destroy the hope of the
toiler. it would destroy the opportunity
to work. it would increase the number
of idle men, it would discourage enter
prise it would paralyze industry
Economic conditions today prove the
falsity of every one of these prophecies.
The tolers have hope, there is Oppor
tunity to work. there are fewer idle
men, enterprise has not been discour-
aged and industry has not been para
lyzed.
Mr.. Bryan, however. has fallen into
the habit of issuing lamentations, and,
while not making so many financial
predictions, fearful and dark trimmed
with ruined homes and starving free
men, he scars to a higher plane-money
in 1900 is filthy lucre-and assures us,
after his political halo had been re-
FURNISHED by the Kansas City conven-
ton, that if he is not elected 'celebra-
tons of the Fourth of July will pass
away"
Is it surprising that the people refuse
to scare? Indeed, past experience has
led them to believe that the reverse
of the predictions of the prophet is
that which will surely come to pass.
In his Indianapolis speech of accept
ance he arraigns the Republican party
in the following manner:
"In attempting to press economic
questions upon the country to the eX-
clusion of those which involve the very
structure of our government the Re
publican leaders give new evidence of
their abandonment of the earlier ideals
of the party and of their complete sub
serviency to pecuniary considerations"
That expression from the apostle and
high priest of an economic question,
who forced it down the Threats of the
delegates who nominated him, who
stands for silver, free silver, unlimited
silver and nothing but silver, is deli
ciouS bit of sarcasm which must have
made the knowing ones smile when
they heard it. 1t Is simply plea to
talk about something else than silver
this year, because there are no votes to
be made by advocating a disproved
theory. and then because the Republic
an leaders refuse to allow him to let
silver alone he charges them with hav-
ing abandoned the earlier ideals of
their party.
He also asks in rounded periods;
"Who will draw a line between the nat
ural rights of the Cubans and the Fill
pinos? Who will say that the former
have a right to liberty and the latter
have no rights we are bound to re-
Spect?"
Now. had he asked those questions
with reference TO the negroes of Mis-
sissippi and North Carolina the answer
would have been easy for the white
Democrats of those states, who shoot
terrify and disfranchise the negro in
open violation of the spirit and express
words of the constitution of the United
States They can answer, as they are
specialists in defining rights which
| they refuse to respect, and Mr.. Bryan
| Sc tba man who homes To prOfit nv their