Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-27

RAISES MORAL ISSUE
W. J. Bryan's Speech in New
York.
A UNIQUE GATHERING
SPEAKER DECLARED He HAD
NOTHING TO RETRACT.
Would Follow the Same Political
Course in Future if Opportunity
Was Offered.
A UNIQUE GATHERING

has known His justification of his own
action and his defiance of his enemies Was
received by his hearers fully two thousand
in number with tumutuous applause. Men
and women, men in all walks of life, IN
Guiding clergymen by the score. Judges no"
on the bench, laborers and business men,
stood on their feet cheering until the
speaker was compelled to raise his hands
for silence and beg that he be permitted to
resume his speech.
All things considered, the meeting called
by himself, organized by himself, with him.
self as the chairman and the only speaker.
was perhaps the most remarkable ever ad-
dressed in New York by Mr.. Bryan. over
his own name he issued a call for the meet
ing.
No organization assisted in filling the
Madison Square Garden Concert Hall, in
which it was held. Organization democrats
were conspicuous entirely and only because
of their absence. And with the weather as
Indictment as it we'll could be, the hall was
filled from main floor to the uppermoSt bal
cony. Before Mr.: Bryan began to speak
standing room was exhausted.
Audience Warmed Up as He Proceeded.
1t was an audience that was always will
ing to give courteous hearing to the speak
err and many who were inclined to receive
his opening remarks with critical GOODNESS
were on their feet cheering his declaration
of principles before he had half concluded
his lecture. And at the end of it all Mr..
Bryan was unable to leave the hall with
out submitting to an impromptu reception.
Two-thirds of those present insisted upon
shaking his hands and pledging to him
their support in his effort to obtain re-
forms within the democratic party.
Yet in one respect Mr.. Bryan must have
considered his meeting failure. 1t had
been his plan, his desire and his hope that
he would address representative body of
New York clergymen. He had addressed a
personal postal card to each preacher OF
the Gospel in this city, asking him to at
tend his lecture. 1t is possible that one
hundred clergymen were present. Ger
tainly not more than that number, and
among them were few of the better known
of the preachers of the city.
Won His First Applause.
Mr.. Byran won his first round of ap-
plause when he said he had voluntarily re-
nounced honors that he might speak for
the principles in which he believes. Then
after saying that he did not demand that
all democrats should believe in all things
as he does he turned directly to his moral
issues, saying. as he leaned over the edge
of the platform and spoke down into the
faces of the clergymen present:
Il asked you preachers to come here not
that l might instruct you how to preach
the Gospel, but to call your attention to
the corruption in the United States and
to ask you what you are going to do TO
warn your congregation against the de-
moraliZation that is upon US. l would
have you take Delaware aS a harsh ex-
ample. In some precincts in that state
three-quarters of the voters receive pay
for their votes. One vote was recently sold
there at auction, being purchased for $50
in gold. There is in that state man who
has spent a half million dollars trying
to purchase a seat in the United States
Senate and who would have spent more II
he could have found any place to spend it.
1t is to the credit of some republicans
there that they organized the anti-Ad-
dicks party.
"A few days ago I received a pitiful let
ter. a plaintive letter, from man in In
diana who wrote, why don't you get out
of the leadership of the democratic party
so we can get some money here in In
diana? Until you were nominated we al
ways had plenty of money in the cam
paigns, but since 1896 we haven't had
dollar in Indiana for our votes.
Would Brand Men Who Sold Their
Votes.
Instead of giving man five dollars for
his vote 1 would have a branding iron
taken in hand and that man branded, to
show all the world what he is. But 1 am
not willing to brand man who needs the
money and who sells his vote without
branding the member of the city council
branding the member of the legislature who
sells to corporations the privilege of writing
the laws of the state; without branding the
members of the House of Representatives
and the members of the United States Sen
ate who allow corporations to dictate the
laws of the nation. 1t is because the pub
lie conscience is demoralized by CONNER
cialism that our election system is de-
bauched. SO l say to you preachers to
thunder against the principles and not
against the mere manifestations of wrong
doing.
when / was a candidate they said that
they feared that If elected l would not en-
force the laws. And they were afraid of
nothing of the sort Every one knows that
in all this country no one stands more in
favor of the enforcement of the laws than
l. What feared was that after en-
forcing the poor man to respect the law 1
would put the millionaire who is a crimi-
nal in stripes. And l would have done So"
The Subject of Imperialism.
While his hearers Numbered their APP
plause Mr.. Bryan turned over the pages
of his manuscript. and when permitted to
make himself heard again gave his atten-
ton to the issue of imperialism, saying that
1t Is as pertinent and as much alive as it
was in 1900. He said
We must remember that 1t Is the law of
God. the law of nature and the law of ma
tons. that man can better afford to suffer
wrong than to do wrong. Our nation cam
not afford to do wrong to advance it's in
terests. / was disappointed four years ago
that so many seemed to be absolutely in
different to the issue of Imperialism
Did You ever notice how easy ii is for
some people to see the hand of God when
it has dollar in 1t? So many thought that
the hand of God directed the seizing of the
Philippines, and at the same time made 1t
easy for us to acquire paying trade. Now.
as we decide this question. we decide the
position of our nation among nations and
We decide whether we will substitute for
the law of love the law of brute force 1
want this nation to go back to its old doc
trine. and let the world know we believe in
what is right rather than in what paws"
+ The speaker then alluded to the silver Is
sue and declared that the issue is still alive.
Lost on the Tariff.
Turning to the tariff he continued:
I'VE have lost more elections on the tariff
issue than on any other issue. and yet the