The Topeka state journal., 1908-10-19
BRYAN AT ALTON.
Speaks at Spot Where Lincoln and
Douglas Met in 1855.


Alton. Ill. Oct 19.-Standing on the ex-
act spot where Lincoln and Douglas con- |
cluded their debate in 1858. William J.
BRYAN. Democratic candidate for presi- |
dent. in a thirty minute speech here to
an immense crowd openly charged that
the Republican party was now preparing
to purchase the election and dare not tell
in advance how much money they are ask
ing to have on hand on election day. Mr..
Bryan told his auditors that the tide
was running toward the Democratic party
and referred to the straw votes taken in
different parts of the country to sub
stantiate.
He said: "What does Mr.. Taft's position
mean in regard to the campaign contri-
buttons. 1t means that If you knew be-
fore the election, what contributions they
are getting YOU might not vote the Re-
publican ticket and what does that mean?
Why it means that If you vote the Re
publican ticket and find after the election
what they would not allow you to know
before you will be sorry that you voted
the Republican ticket l am going to
draw the onlv conclusion that can be
drawn here and that is that they are do
ing today and knowingly doing today
what they are not willing for you to know
they are doing.
1--WE have opened our books. We have
given names of the men who contribu-
ted and the amounts and you can
therefore Judge of the Influences at
WOrk. we nave HOl Ollly 5lNCll yOd lily
amounts contributed to the national
committee but we have given you the
amounts contributed to the congress
sional committees. They promise TO
give you, after the election the amounts
contributed to the national committee,
but they have never promised to let
Won know even after the election what
contributions for the congressional
committee and we have well grounded
suspicious that they are using tnelr
IN the
refunds that they do not intend to tell
YOU about at all. L demand now as l
have before that they shall tell you
now whether they are going TO an
nounce after the election the contrlDu-
tions to their congressional campaign
fund and IL they are willing to an
nounce after the election the contrl-
buttons to the national committee anu
are not willing to announce the con-
tributions to their congressional COM
mittee what explanation will they give
and what inference will you derive. My
friends within the last few days, the
money has commenced to pour INTO the
Republican committee. They told you
in August that 1 always carried the
country in August but to walt until
September We waited until September
and I carried the country In september:
Then they said wait until OCTOBER ana
we waited until October and they hao
not opened their campaign and the TIDE
that has been running ever since the
convention that named the Democrauc
ticket continued to run
"What do the straw votes that are
being taken say? They say that not IN
| August. not in September, not the nrst
| of October alone, but IN the middle
| of October, the tide is running our
/ way and that whether they take tne
| poll in New York City or In Iowa, the
| poll taken by Repuohcan Papeas
| shows enormous gains for the Demo-
cratic ticket Now what? Now come
! out the contributions from the great
| corporations that are interested IN
| the campaign. What can they DO
with this money now? There are only
two weeks more The literature is
out and paid for. They can not cir
culate literature any more to amount
to anything for tl1esime has virtually
! passed They can't IhaVe many more
meetings; only two weeks more ,HlIL -Mhal
do they need money now for? They
need it to use on election day as they
have used it, year after year and l
| charge that they are now preparing
| to purchase this election and dare
| not tell you in advance how mueh
money they are going to have on hand
with which to purchase the election.
want to ask whether you are Will
ing that this shall go on"
| Mr.. Bryan continued: why is II
| that they do not go to the laDOrlng
man and the farmer and the merchant
| for contributions? Why is it that they
go to the trust magnate and to the
man who gets the benefit of the high.
tariff? Why do they go to these men
who get the benefit of special leg1sia-
| ton? a3l
at is because they. put these men
under obligations to-the Republican
party and these men expect now to
put the Republican party under obli-
cations to them by supplying the
sinews of war. What will they do if
they win by the aid of these corpora.
tions? They will proceed to pay these
men back out of the, pockets of the
people and they have laid the founda-
| ton for it in their platform"