Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 October 1900 — BRYAN’S DEFEAT WILL PRESERVE NATIONAL HONOR [ARTICLE]

BRYAN’S DEFEAT WILL PRESERVE NATIONAL HONOR

Edward S. Bragg, soldier, statesman and life-long Democrat, came out squarely for President McKinley in a speech at the Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, on October 11th. He did more. He exhorted the Gold Democrats, at ■- whose solicitation he publicly made known his views, to do likewise &s a step essential to the preservation, of national honor. General Bragg said, among other things: “The heart of this great people has always beat loyal to the government when the war trump sounded, and has never tolerated, and will never tolerate, encouragement to a public enemy, while he is robbing, fighting, slaying the brave men, your sons and brothers, whom the government has sent forth to do its mission, whether that enemy be an Englishman or Mexican, a Spaniard or a Filipino. “The result of ’96 is as a thricetold tale. Wisconsin, never lacking in its duty where State or National honor is concerned, set the badger stamp of condemnation on Mr. Bryan’s 16 to 1, indorsed by over 100,000 plurality. Are you ashamed of this record, and would you undo itP No, my fellow badgers, we will stand to our guns in the second barttle as we did in the first. “He who knows Mr. Bryan knows that he has never abandoned 16 to 1. The carrying into effect of his financial theories is the great purpose of his life. He is honest, if not prac-

tical, and he has never said, and he never will say, he has abandoned it. He would not abandon it at Kansas City. - “I have said Mr. Bryan is an honest, if not a practical, man What he says he believes he can do, and will never falter in his attempt to do it. “He is a dreamy idealist. He talks and acts and believes, if he were President, by a wave of his magic wand, as ’twere, he can make a desert blossom; that he can do away with want and misery, and make all his subjects prosperous and happy. In other words, that he is possessed of the mysterious power that can make the world an Utopia, if you give him a chance. “Such a man is a delightful companion, an estimable member of society, but a wild bull in a china shop would not be more dangerous to the safety of the crocitery than such would be to the safety of the State, if entrusted the management of affairs. . “The country is prosperous; money is plenty and good; interest has dropped to 5 per cent; the market of our abundant crops has furnished the money to discharge old mortgages and build new homes; labor finds employment in. our State, and the laborer fixes the wages. Why should you desire a change, unless it be for the better? And that better state yjjii cannot hope to*, find in the balloon of the idealist, Bryan.”