The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-15
PROF. NAsH's PAPER.
He Spares Neither Of the Parties in
His Speech.

He Spares Neither of the Parties in
His Speech.
Prof. Nash. of Hobart College. declared
tina the present political campaign will
long remain memorable in history, as offer
ing the curious spectacle of two great
parties in their first stage of organic de-
cay, and the solvent and germ of that de-
cay a world force. Continuing Prof. Nash
said:
1.-THE candidacy of Mr.. Mckinley and Mr..
Bryan this year occasions much greater
disturbance in party politics than was the
case four years ago, when the platform
of the latter was more dangerous, and the
record of the former less Objectionable. We
now see lifelong Democrats offering their
votes TO the Republican candidate, and
veteran Republicans rallying under the
STANDARD Of the Democracy. What drives
them forth from their old associations Is a
moral force-it is conscience, it is, in short,
the fact that the candidates or both parties
are morally ineligible. Mr.. Bryan has this
advantage. that he is chiefly objected TO
for what he is supposed to intend. while
Mr.. Mckinley is reprobated for what he
has already done. j am aware that Mr..
Bryan is accused of procuring the con-
frmation of the treaty of Paris, knowing
il TO be a menace and a detriment to his
country, for the sake of the discredit which
would thereby fall upon the party In power,
when our people should be made to under
stand that Ii was so. If Mr.. Bryan did this,
the only name that suits him is traitor. The
man who would do such a thing would per-
nit, or even secretly compass, the defeat OF
our armies In the field to discredit a rival
commander; he would stand by and let any
calamity befall the country if that would
help him TO rule over its bleeding remains.
SAVING HIS CHARACTER.
"But Mr.. Bryan, while he admits the
fact. denies the motive. and saves his
- -
tation for good judgment and common
sense. So on the whole it may be that we
object to Mr.. Bryan chiefly for what we
expect him to do. and for the company he
keeps.
"Mr. Mckinley. on the other hand. is ac-
cused of many political crimes by many
accusers. An eminent and honored gen.
tleman, who will be heard here in another
convention this week, bases his objection to
this candidate on the ground that he has
violated his oath of office (and intends to
continue doing so) by attempting to govern
ten millions of men without any constitu-
tional restraints.
''The advocates of civil-service reform re-
mind us that he, for low political purposes,
as they allege. has removed no less than
five thousand positions from the civil-serv-
ice list. Others point TO a recent scandalous
judicial appointment, and declare that Mr..
Mckinley has already dealt with the
United States bench in that destructive and
%corrupting spirit in which Mr.. Bryan is
only suspected of intending to deal with
the personnel of the Supreme Court.
"And from another land comes a voice
which accuses him of involving this Ma
ton in war for the ends of his own selfish
ambition, the greatest. and at once the
meanest crime, of which a public man can
be guilty
MIR. Mckinley himself may be reckoned
~ -s---
after telling the world what would be a
criminal aggression he simply proceeded
to consummate that crime.
SOME ESCAPE.
LET us hope that there is some escape
from the moral turpitude involved in these
accusations. / do not see what escape
there is from another imputation. Those
Americans who found themselves in Eu-
rope at the breaking out of the Spanish
war cannot fail to remember will what
unanimity the press of Europe sneered at
our profession of disinterestedness and
affirmed that lust of conquest, and not the
love of man, was the controlling motive.
All that we could say in defense of our ma
tional honor was that we did not do such
things on our side of the Atlantic, and
thu time would show the honesty of our
VI nat lllAC "a IOnl rs Il ltdNR
it for you to say. In brushing aside the
scruple of national honor and breaking
pledges given TO the entire civilized world,
the President of the United States has
robbed this people of their good name and
their honorable standing among the nations
of the earth.
And after all this we are asked to elect
Mr.. Mckinley, because. as one distin-
guished gentleman puts 1t, he is sure to be
more conservative in a second term than
in the first. This reminds me of an old
Methodist revival hymn, which began with
these paradoxical lines:
- thought I'd been in sin so long,
That 1 must be forgiven
1--WE are further told that Mckinley will
behave himself because he has his ear to
the ground. Well, we must admit that he
has Before 1895 nobody even knew-and
himself least of all-whether he stood. if
any man can stand with his ear to the
ground-whether, / say. he stood for silver
or gold. In fact. he reminded me in those
DAYS of a certain knight celebrated in an
ancient English ballad, of whom Ii is there
said that
: His steed was shod with silver before.
With the beaten gold behind
.Wel. he put his ear TO the ground. and
those front horseshoes came off with as
tonishing rapidity. Yes, he will have, as
he has had. his ear 10 the ground. But. sir.
tina is not the way to hear the voice of
Cod An ear that is turned 10 the ground is
deaf to the cry of conscience. 1t may hear
the rolling of the most distant political
thunder. but il never yet heard the still
small voice.
LITTLE TO SAY.
"As to the vice presidential candidates I
have little that care to say. OF one Of
them / shall say nothing. The other. the
melodramatic hero. with an adhesive hat
and a war record. many men refuse TO
speak or think of seriously; but the friends
who a year ago persisted in trusting him
and looking up 10 him. In spite OF his
obvious surrender 10 bossism. I'm spite Of
his ignoble rejection OF the only nomination
that would have done him honor-those
friends only veil NTH a sad smile the bitter
feeling OF shame and disappointment with