The Forrest City times., 1900-10-26
HILL PRAISES BRYAN
The Famous New York Democrat
 Speaks at Chicago.
Declares That Imperialism Is the Vital Question of the Campaign and Cannot Re Sup
 pressed.

Enthusiasm ran high at the Second
 Regiment armory in Chicago, Friday
 night, October 19, when David B. Hill,
 former governor of New York and
 democratic leader, was brought to the | front by Mayor Harrison and the
 Coc.' County Marching club. When
 he got hearing Mir. Hill said in part: ''If there existed no other reason, 1t Is | believed that a sense of common danger | to our free institutions, now being imper- | He'd by the attacks of our common adver- saries, has cemented the democracy of the east and west together in their patriotic efforts to effect a change in the admins | tration of our national affairs-a change | of measures and of men.
 l Tn the spirit of democratic unity, which l believe now largely everywhere prevails, I visit you an humble representative of | the eastern democracy in the interest of
 cause which is dear to every follower | of Thomas Jefferson, to counsel together | how best we may insure the success of these cherished principles of gov8rnment which were first enunciated by that great founder of our party organization. The thoughtful citizen, anxious to dis | charge his duty at the approaching cleo | tion, naturally inquiries what is the most l important issue involved to which he | should give his careful consideration. Without depreciating the importance of | the questions of trusts, finances, monetary reform, taxation, centralization, govern ment by injunction, home rule, economy | and other questions worthy of attention, it | was believed by the Kansas City conven- | tion that the vital question of this cam | paign would be whether our form of gov | ernment is to be preserved in all its sim | plicity and integrity. It is called, in brief, | the issue of imperialism In other words, | it Is the issue of a republic versus an em- | pire.
 Tt Is the one subject which has largely | engrossed popular interest since he day | the nominations of each party were made. The interest In it intensifies as the cam | paign progresses. Like Banquos ghost, 1t will not down.
 President Mckinley says there is no | such issue, and yet he devotes the greater | part of his extended letter of acceptance | in antagonizing it. Senator Depew scouts | the idea of any danger to this country | from what he calls American imperialism, | and occupies half of his time in his pub | lie speeches in endeavoring to persuade his hearers that they ought to tolerate 1t. | Gov. Roosevelt, recently promoted to the | vice presidential nomination through the | dislnterested (?) efforts of Senators Platt | and Quay, gives nearly all of his attention l in his public utterances to the discussion of this topic.
 Ut is an issue which cannot be ignored; | it cannot be ridiculeo; it cannot be SUD- | pressed it overshadows all other issues;
 it is here to stay. It involves the perpetu- l ity of our republic. the nature of which is | sought to be changed by men who call | themselves Americans, but who are Brit | ish in sentiment, British in sympathy and l British in financial interest.
 | Tt Is true there is no openly avowed
 proposition by republicans to change the | form of our government. and no one would | expect such d frank confession, but never | theless their attitude in regard to the | Philippine islands and Porto Rico shows | that the nature of our institutions Is being | sought to be changed-if not boldly, then | at least indirectly; insidiously, but surely | It is possible that the mere form of re- | public may survive with militarism ram | pant, with the civil law silent, with im- | mense standing armies eating out the sub | stance of the people. with a national debt | mountain high, with written constitution | disobeyed and trampled upon, with colonial | possessions, which are only held by | monarchical governments, with the rule | of might prevailing instead of right; but | such government, with all the character l istics of an empire, would be a travesty | upon "a genuine republic and all that it | implies.
 There Is TO place for a colonial system | under our constitution. This government | cannot remain part republic and part em- 1 pire. There will be an irrepressible con- l fiict between two inconsistent and irrecon- I cilable political systems. and boSh cannot | survive.
 .The attempt of the national admins | tration to hold the Philippine islands | .sainst the consent of their people has led | 10 the promulgation of a Lew doctrine in | American affairs which insists upon the
 establishment of a system of colonial gov | ernments over conquered or purchased | possessions, not to be formed into states | or territories, but to permanently remain | as colonies, and to be governed by congress | outside of the constitution. and according | to it's own discretion. This possession is | unprecedented, unwarranted and reyolu- l tionary. It presents a momentous issue 1 involving the preservation of our republic | un form of government and the mainte- | nance of the supremacy of our federal con- | stitution.
 | "Upon what a slender thread do the lib- | critics Of a people depend when the un- | restricted discretion Of congress is all | that stands between monarchy and a re- | public-between an arbitrary and a free | government. The safety of a state large | ly depends upon the limitations of lne | power Of it's rulers-upon the wisdom of | its written cons sutution
 | "I call the atte ention of workingmen to | the fact that for the first time in the his | tory of the country one of the great po- | litical parties, to wit, the democratic par
 
 | platform favoring the establishment of a | de epartment of labor in the cabinet of the | president If is proposition shall meet | the approval of ie American people by the l election of the oemocratic national candi- | dates, a department of labor will be es- | tablished which will aid materially in ad- | vancing the interests of workingmen and | adding to the importance and dignity of | labor.
 William J. Bryan does not need to be | introduced or described to an American | audience. The people know him-the farm | CTS, the mechanics, the laborers, the mer- | chants, the bankers, the editors, the law | yers-all classes of the community have | studied the history of his life and public
 services. He has stood the public scrutiny | as no other modern statesman has done, | and the people are satisfied with what they | have read and seen, and are ready to cast | their suffrages for him. If elected-and his | prospects are improving every day and | hour-he will discharge the high and ardu- 1FtttA abt tAf z tl.s a4.,