The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-02-03
BRYAN ON MORAL Iss SUES.
will 1t Pay?" Has Been Substituted
f,r"IsIt Rleht?'

A dispatch from New York says
every seat in the Madison Square Con-
cert hall was taken Tuesday night
when VIM. J. Bryan began his speech
on Moral Issues"
In the audience there were many
women, while the body Of the hall
was more than half filed with clergy
men. There was no presiding officer,
Mr.. Bryan being escorted to the plat
form, where he was greeted with pro-
longed applause. He said in part:
Why have lung away ambition?
Why have I rejected this proffered
greatness and been deaf to the en-
treaties Of those who talk only Of get
ting together" l want to know
what they are getting together for,
whether to defend rights OF to enter
upon course Of pillage.
The trouble with our government
today is thaS it is too much influenced
in its operations by men whose only
loyalty is loyalty to the money bags.
Will it pay?' has been substituted for
is it right, and as a consequence our
legislative assemblies, city, State and
national. are becomming auction
rooms in which governmental prlVl-
leges are knocked down to the highest
bidder.
''One evidence that our party was
honestly seeking to secure justice To
the masses in 1896 and 1900, is to be
found in the fact that our campaign
funds were Insignificant in both cam
paigns. In 1892 the Democratic par
ty collected large campaign fund
from the corporations. ltspent more
than 81, 900, 900 in the two States OF
New York and Indiana alone, and
what was the result:9 The most pluto
cratic administration this country
has ever known. We witnessed a sur
render to organized and predatory
wealth 50 abject and so complete that
seven years of exile from power have
not entirely removed the stain from
the party. You ask why am oppos-
ed to the reorganization Of the Demo
cratic party? Because 1 want my
party to define the rights OF the peo-
pie; want it to be the fearless cham
pion of their interests; want it to
present the moral issue involved in
public questions and to appeal to the
public conscience.
when the next Democratic con-
vention undertakes to write a new
platform. it will find the last one a
model Of clearness and consciSeness
and Of square dealing; and l hope that
the delegates to the convention will
be instructed by the various States to
endorse it.
And how about candidates? 1t
does not matter much what the name
of the pres: Dental candidate is, but it
does matter what be stands for, and
in what direction he is going to lead
the party. Let the Republican party
be challenged 70 meet the moral issue
presented--this is Democratic, this is
patriotic.
Mr.. Bryan departed frequently from
the text Of the address as previously
given out. Speaking OF the confer
ring of government faVorS on great
corporations he said:
II want to call the attention OF the
clergy to this and I want to ask them
what they are doing to warn their
congregations Of the degradation Of
the moral senses which is now going
on
II don't want to seem TO rebuke
the ministers for their past lapses Of
conduct. But want to have theil
attention called to the corruption ex'
isting 10 high places. These debaSers
Of the moral sense have grown more
and more defiant OF the people"