The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-29

New York. January 2G-Every seat
in the Madison Square concert hall was
taken tonight when William g. Bryan
began i speech on Moral issues
In the audience there were many
women, while the body CT the hall was
nor than half filled With c.ergymen.
There was no presiding officer, Mr.. Bry-
an being escorted to the platform where
he was greeted with prolonged APP
plause. He said in part:
why have flung away ambition?
Why have l rejected his prOf6ered
greatness and been deaf to tie entrea-
ties of those who talk on.y Of getting
are getting together for, whether to de-
fend rights or to enter upon a curse
of pillage.
The trouble with our government to-
day is that it is too u influence
in it's operations by men whose en- y
loyalty is loyalty to money bags. Viii.
it pay? has e. substituted for is it
right and IS a consequence our llgiS-
lataVe assemblies, city, state ana ma
tlonal. are becoming auct, on roo rs in
which governmental privileges are
knocked down to the highest bidder
"One evidence that our parry was
honestly seeking to secure justice TO the
masses in 1896 and in 1900, is to Le
found in the fact that our campaign
paignS. In 1892 the Democratic party
collected a large campaign fund iron
the corporations. 1t spent more than
81. coo eco in the two states of New YoTk
and Indiana alone. and what was the
result? The most plutocratiC admins
trati0n this county had ever known
We witnessed a surrender to organized
and predatory wealth so abject n s.
complete that seven wears Of exile from
power have not entirely removed the
stain from the party. You ask why L
am opposed to the reorganization of the
Democratic party. Because I wal :. y
party to define the rights of the Pc (
l want it to be the fearless champion
Of their interests; I want it to prasen-
the moral issue involved n public queS-
tons. and to appeal to the public con-
science.
When the neXt Democratic nyen
ton undertakes to write a new plat
form, it Will find the las one a model
CT clearness and concise1ess and OF
square dealing; and I hope that t e
delegates to the convention will b. in
structed by the various states to en-
dorse it
And how about candidates: 1t does
O matter much what The name Of the
presidential candidate Is. but it does
matter what he stands for. and in what
direction he is going to lead the party
Let h Republican party be challenged
to meet the moral issue rresented-thiS
is Democratic. this is Pc tTiOtic."
Mr.. Bryan departed frequently from
he text of the address as previous y
given out. Speaking of the comforting
of government favorS on great corpora
tions he said:
Il want to call the attention of the
clergy to this and l want to ask them
what they are doing to warnftheir con-
gregationS of the degradation of tn
moral sense which is now going o."
Il don't want you by your appl iuee
to seem to rebuke the ministers fer their
past lapses of conduct. But 1 want to
have their attention called to tho cor
ruption existing in high p ACES. Thes
Gebasers Of the moral sense have grown
more and more the gian;s OF the peo-
pie"
Abiding to open sale votes which he
said existed in Delaware, Nj. krya =
said:
1T is this commercial SIN that is de-
bauching our nation am Detraying cur
country. / beg you to thunder cut
against this vicious principle and not
to try and stop it in some little wa :"
In speaking Of the corruption of Not-
ing he said:
You can't stop corruption with cor
ruption- 1 believe that instead Of Civ
ing a man $50 to vote the ticket, NoI
should take a branding iron and brand
him. It mould be done to the council :
man who sells a franchise that belongs
to the city; to h member OF the state
legislature who betrays his people for
the rights of gain: the Congressman
end Senator who allows a corporation
to wreck the laws Of the land"