Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1900 — The Prophet Bryan [ARTICLE]

The Prophet Bryan

Bryan says that the present prosperity of the country is due to “an unusual and unnatural stimulation.” Is it not better to continue the party fn power capable of producing unusual Stimulation rather than change for one which produces unusual stagnation ?J _J “Openly made was the treaty of peace, openly ratified by the Senate of the United States, openly and publicly confirmed by the House of Representatives; and stand today’ the territory of the Union, and as long as they are our territory sovereignty of the United States must be supreme.’-’ — McKinley. ‘•Could we have brought Dewey away without universal condemnation at any time from the Ist of May, the day of his brilliant victory which thrilled the world with its boldness and heroism? Was it right to order Dewey to go to Manila and capture or destroy the Spanish fleet, and dispatch Merritt and his army’ to reinforce him? If it was duty to.send them there, and duty required them to remain there, it was their clear duty to annihilate the fleet, take the City! of Manila, and destroy the Spanish sovereignty in the archipelago Having done all’ that in the line of duty, is there any less duty to remain there and give the inhabitants protection and also our guidance to a better government, which will secure to them peace and order and security in their life and property and in the pursuit of happiness?- Are we unable to do this? Are we to sit down in our isolation and recognize no obligation to a struggling people whose present condition we have contribnt-d to make?” — McKinley.

Bryan has not only earned the* right to be called a prophet, but a false prophet. In 1896 he eaid: “If McKinley and the Republican party are_ successful and put in power for the next four years, wages will be decreased, hard times will come upon us, and over us, and. over the land jthe price of wheat will go downUnd the price of gold will go up; mortgages cn our homes will be foreclosed by the money lenders: shops and factories will close. We will export no goods and we will import from foreign lands all the goods we use; thus will ruin, want and misery be with us.” Not contented with the ruin which he predicted in 1896 and the fact that his prediction was |false, he now goes one s'ep further ■tad predicts the complete over ■row and ruin of the republic in the following words: ■Today we are engaged in a controversy which will determine whether we are to have a republic ‘fa which the government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed, or an empire ip which brute force is the onlv recognized source of power. When such an issue is raised there can be only two parties—the party, whatever its name may be, which believes in a republic, and a party whatever its name, which believes is an empire."