The Topeka state journal., 1902-06-24
Declares There Can Be No Har-
mony Where He Is.
REVIEWS HIS RECORD.
Advises Democrats to Read the
Tilden Club Speech.
Says He VIII Print Whole
Thing in His Paper.

Lincoln. Neb.. June 24-The absence
of W. ]. Bryan from the harmony din
ner at New York is pretty well explain
ed by a statement given out by Mr.
Bryan comm enting on the dinner. At
the outset Mr.. Bryan says there is no
such thing as Democratic harmony
Where former President Cleveland IS !
| concerned. He says.
The banquet given on the evening of
June 10 by the Tilden club of New
York was advertised as a harmony
meeting but it turned out to be what
might have been expected of such q
| gathering, an %yation 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
/ upon which to gather together the dis
cordant elements. He boldly called
upon the members of the party to aban-
don their convictions and accept the
| construction which he places upon T
Democratic principles. He even taunt-
/ ed the party with being d sort of prodi- /
| gal SON and invited it to give upits diet /
of husks and return to its fathers /
| house.
He spoke of his 'retiren ent from po- !
| Htical activity and said: Perhaps there |
| are those who would define my position I
as one of Punishment instead of re- |
tirement. Against this shall not enter |
a protest. 1t is sufficient for me in |
either case that / nave followed on the /
! matters of differences within our party !
the teachings and counsel of the great |
! Democrat in whose name party peace |
and harmony are invoked. No confess |
sion of party sin should therefore, be |
expected of me I have none to make
nor do l crave political absolution.
He not only boasted of his course.
but put his brand upon those who sat
with him. Having asserted that his
Democratic faith compelled him to
leave the party Cor resulted in his ban
ishment) he described the banqueters
as sharing that faith.
He is not defiant, but he insists the
party success can only be secured by
an open and avowed return to his ideas.
Harmony is to be secured not by the
suppression of differences, but by the
elimination of those who differ from
him.
Mr.. Bryan says he will print in his
paper Mr.. Cleveland's speech, Ito show
that the reorganizers do not want har-
! mony. but control and that their con-
troll means ths abandonment of the
: partyss position and return to the
+ policies and practices of Mr. Cleveland's
second administration
He continues. He (CleVeland) Sc
, cured his nomination in 1892 by a secret
, bargain with the hnanciers- This com
mittee collected from the corporations
and spent the largest campaign fund
the party ever had; he filled his cabinet
: with corporation agents and placed rail-
+ road attorneys on the United States
former clients. He turned the treasury
4 over to a Wall street syndicate, and
3 the financial member of his ofncial fam
: ily went from Washington to become
the private attorney of the man who
: forced the treasury department to sell
l | him gOVernn ent bonds at 105 and then
, res0ld them at III. He tried to prevent
} / the adoption of the income tax proyis-
: ion, refused to sign the only tariff re-
9 form measure passed since the war,
and While laundering against the trusts
1 J, 1ferac- f7it iocE tHsav1
: Knox has done to interfere with their
a | high handed methods.
His administration instead of bein9
| fountain of Democracy sending forth
! | pure and refreshing streams, became a
? stagnant pool from whose waters foul
3 vapors arose-poisonous to those who
= fingered near Having debauched his
s party he was offended by its efforts to
: reform, and gave comfort to the enemy.
Virginius killed his daughter to save her
chastity; Cleveland stabbed his party TO
+ | prevent its return to the paths OF vir-
tue.
t And now. stin gloating over his po-
litical crimes, he invites the party to
2 return to him and apologize for the con-
G tempt which it has expressed for him.
+ VIII it2 Not until the principles of
I Jefferson are forgotten and the works Of
! Jackson cease to inspire.
) If we are to have reorga nizatiOn
r Cleveland himself should accept the
4 presidential nomination. It would be
due him; his reinstatement would be
3 poetic justice to him and retribution to
= those whose Democratic conscience re-
VOTED against his un-Democratic con-
o duct OF course he would get no Demo-
? cratic votes, but being closer to pIutoc-
f racy than any Republican likely to be
:, | nominated. he nigh divide the enemy
and even Democrats would have what
e little consolation would come from re-
q ceivlng their disappointment in ad-
vance.
e Mr.. Cleveland's speech should be
. read IN full 1t answers useful pur-
r pose; it outlines the plan of campaign
decided upon by the plutocratic ele-
p ments for which the reorganizers stand.
0 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
q make the dollar redeemabIe in gold and
= fasten upon the country an asset cur
rency and branch bank system
= Trusts are to be denounced in sonQroalS
terms while the campaign managers
a mortgage the party to the trust mag
4 mates in return for campaign funds
e Sometimes imperialism will be de-
v nOunced as in Mr.. Hopkins Illinois con
E vention, sometimes ignored as in Mr.
|. Cleveland's speech: but whether de-
: nounced or ignored, the secret and
nounced power that can compel subfl1is-
: sion to the demands of the financiers
e and to the demands of the trust mag
= mates can compel submission to the de-
II nandS of the exp1oiters and representa-
!. tfves of militaryism.
+ The fight is on between a Democracy
e that means Democracy and a Cleveland
d ism which means plutocracy Every
= speech made by Mr. Cleveland shows
Q more clearly the odiousness of the poll
: cies for which he stands. We have more
: indorse Mr.. Cleveland's views, but con
r ceal their real purpose in ambiguous
t. language"
m