Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-06-26
BRYAN'S STATEMENT
EI.pRESlDENT CLEVELAND ROASTED.


Lincoln, Neb., June 4.-Ihe aD-
sence Of W. ]. Bryan from the demo-
cratic harmony dinner at New York
is pretty well explained by state
ment given out by Mr.. Bryan yester-
day evening. He says:
"The banquet given on the even
ing Of June 10 by the Tilden club, Of
New York city, was advertised as q
harmony meeting but it turned out
to be what might have been expected
Of such gathering, an ovation to
the chief guest, former democrat,
Grover Cleveland. There can be no
such thing as harmony between men
like him and those who believe in
democratic principles, and he is
frank enough to say so. He spent
no time looking for middle ground
upon which to gather together dis
cordant elements. He boldly called
upon the members Of the party to
abandon their convictions and &C.
cept the construction which he places
upon democratic principles. He even
tainted the party with being sort
Of prodigal son and invited it to give
up Its diet of husks and return to
its fathers house."
Mr.. Bryan continues: HE (Cleve-
land) secured bis nomination in 1892
by a secret bargain with the f1nan-
ciers; his committee collected from
the corporations and spent the larg-
est campaign fund the party ever
had; he filed bis cabinet with cor
poration agents and placed railroad
attorneys on the United States bench
to look after the interests Of their
former clients. He turned the treas
ury over to o Wall street syndicate
and the financial member Of his off,
cial family went from Washington to
become the private attorney Of the
man who forced (?) the treasury de-
partment to sell him government
bonds at 1O5 and then resold them at
III. He tried TO prevent the adop-
ton Of the income tax provisions, re-
fused to sign the only tariff reform
measure passed since the war, and
while laundering against the trusts
in his messages, did even less than
Knox has done to interfere with
their high-handed methods.
"If we are to have reorganization,
Cleveland himself should accept the
presidential nomination. It would
be due him; Ms reinstatement would
be poetic justice to him and retribu-
ton 10 those whose democratic con-
science revolted against his undemo-
cratic conduct.
"Mr. Cleveland's speech should be
read in full. 1t answers useful
purpose; ii outlines the plan of cam
paign decided upon by the pluto
cratic elements for which the reor-
ganizers stand. Tariff reform is to
be made the chief issue and the men |
who voted for Mr.. Mckinley, the
high priest of protection. are to
carry on sham battle with their
of 1896, while the finan-
rers make the dollar redeemable in
gold and fasten upon the country an
asset currency and branch bank
system. Trusts are to be denounced
In sonorous terms, while the cam
paign managers mortgage the party
to the trust magnates in return for
funds. Sometimes i'm
perialism will be denounced, as in
Mr.. Hopkins Illinois convention,
sometimes ignored, as in Mr.. Cleve-
lands speech; but whether de-
nounced or ignored, the secret and
silent power that can compel submits
sion to the demands of the fnanciers
md to the demands Of the trust mag
mates can compel submission to the
demands Of the exploiters and the
OF milltarism.
1.-THE fight II on between a democ-
racy that means democracy and a
clevelandism which means plutoc-
racy. Every speech made by Mr..
Cleveland shows more clearly the
odiousness Of the policies for which
he stands. We have more TO fear
from those who, like Mr.. Hill, in.
1orse Mr.. Cleveland's views, but con-