JANUARY 12, 1906
"FALLEN IDOLS"-
The Commoner,
Before the Jackson club at Lafayette, Ind.,
January 8, 1906, Richard L. Metcalfe speaking
on the topic: "Fallen Idols," said:
Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen 0f the Jack
son Club: I thank you from the bottom of my
heart for the great honor conferred upon me
when, I was invited to address this gathering of
Indiana democrats.
Wo meet tonight under strange conditions.
It has recently been revealed that for several
years a considerable portion of the American
people have been worshipping at a false shrine.
They have been told that for every ray of sun
shine, for every drop 'of rain, for every blade of
grass, for every ear of corn, and grain of wheat,
for health, for peace, and for all the good and
wholesome gifts, they are indebted to the re
publican party. They have been .assured that
every tear that falls responsive to another's woe,
every hand held out in help to a troubled creature,
every sentiment that appeals -to the best within
the human heart, owes its inspiration to the re
publican party. They have been informed that
with the republican party and the men who rep
resent it and dominate it, honesty in public af
fairs, fidelity in the discharge of private trusts
and integrity in the smallest as well as in the
greatest concerns of life are, as it were, "blown
in the bottle."
But somehow or other a change has come
"o'er the spirit of their dreams." Somehow or
other it has leaked out that the republican poli
tician is; after all, a mere man; that the "cap
tain of industry" has no more concern for the
national honor than he has for his own; and
that the republican party is not, in truth, God's
chief of commissary within this world of trouble.
Somehow or other the American people have
learned that so far as morality is concerned the
republican party "kneels at the foot of. the cross
but worships the impenitent thief."
It is not necessary to detail the stirring in
cidents of the great campaign of 1896, but we
cannot forget some of the things that were then
daily doled out to. us through the medium o the
Associated Press and in the columns of the re
publican newspapers. Day after day high-sounding
interviews with men who were referred to
as models of good citizenship, were printed in
these publications, and not a day was permitted
to pass without the presentation of the views
of some unctuous individual who posed as the
defender of national honor and warned the Amer
ican people that the democratic party had made
a covenant with hell.
In this day, a3 in 1896, the names of these
same gentlemen occupy conspicuous places in
the daily press; and these are the days when
the American citizen, unfolding his morning
newspaper glances at the headlines and involun
tarily soliquizes: "One more defender, heedless
of evil, pompous pretender, gone to the devil!"
In recent days the idols have fallen in
bunches. They are too numerous to mention,
but see one sample lotpassing in review: An
drews, the Detroit- banker, defaulted for $1,
600,000. Bigelow, the Milwaukee banker, went
broke with $3,000,000 of other people's money.
Baer, who boasted that he was one of the trus
tees of God, notoriously oppressed God's poor.
Deitrich, who as the republican nominee for
governor redeemed Nebraska, being rewarded by
a seat in the senate, was indicted and escaped
by an appeal to technicalities. Depew who
pleaded for what he called "the salvation of the
country," yet holding office under the republican
party, has been exposed in various ways. While
his voice was most eloquent in defense of the na
tional honor, his Angers were busy niching from
the dead. He was a mighty idol, but he has fallen
low. He will hardly respond again to the party
call for good and pure men to teach and preach
political morality. "When bleeding Greece again
shall call Achilles she shall call in Vain." The
'McCalls, the McCurdys, the Hydes, the Harri
mans, the Alexanders, the Odells all so jealous
for the national honor in 1896 and all so indif
ferent as to their own integrity. Schwab, at
one time head of the steel trust, fell in the
gambling houses of Monte Carlo. Corey, the
present head of the steel trust, fell in the
brothels of the variety stage and deserted a faith
ful wife. Carnegie who, from the millions taken
through a robber tariff builds libraries, enter
tained as his, guest of honor the notorious wife
deserter who continues to pose as a captain of
industry at the head of the steel trust. Rocke
feller, the Sunday school leader, scurrying over
e country and hunting for dark corners in
A TALK TO INDIANA DEMOCRATS
der to avnlii nn n-. -.... v
order to avnlii nn m r ,, . .
4i, ix "iuv.i;i ul me law c haiKod with
the duty or serving on Ih U ,,.,, !"
)Uee and tell U,e Irulh. T.R. wl-o , J.
m" '"'J"?0 wh0'1 1,e announced (lint ho vonl I
! ,fc l0 tno Inmost ois of the tnt
vesS7nT1,"fe; """Werably VZ
i ! , ,. s countrv than he could have oh
tained similar vessels for in England Uil
the owner of the Chicago newspaper 'that w h
touZTZ Qrmit$ t0 "' J" bono
flnnli1! democratic ticket in lSfiC, and
final ly because of its self-righteousncss left X
party, now retires from the banking busings
because of methods which, we are torn, re not
entirely ifbove criticism.
Rather than the canting hypocrisy of these
self-chosen trustees of God, one prefers he can.
dor of the Vanderbill who, in a go, u no rep 1-
Oi that of Boric, director of the Lehigh Vallov
Railroad company, who, when reminded that the
public was anxious to learn something of the af
go to hfelir C0mpany rci,lie(,: "Well, let them
A fine old Kentucky colonel was invited to
dine at a home where the mistress was devoted
to music. Dinner was late, and, while waiting,
the lady of the house took a seat at the piano
and gave several selections from the masters
1 he colonel was very fond of music but "A Hot
lime in the Old Town Tonight" represented tin
limit of his technical knowledge. Turning to
the colonel, the lady asked:
"Colonel, would you like a little sonata be
fore your dinner?"
The colonel gave a start of surprise and
pleasure and replied:
"Well, I had a couple on my way down here,
but I reckon I could stand another."
The American people suffered a couple of
victories for national honor and integrity under
the direction of these self-elected defenders, but
two of that kind of victories will suffice for a
long time in the history o n free government- -and
they couldn't stand another.
And last but not least among these fallen
idols is the republican party itself, to whose
very treasury has been traced several hundred
thousand dollars of money belonging to policy
holders, and for the misappropriation of which
the McCalls and the McCurdys are today ar
raigned at the bar of public opinion.
We find republican newspapers greatly ex
ercised because Senator Piatt accepted from in
surance chiefs an occasional ten thousand dollars
for use in the New York campaign, but these
same papers are significantly silent with respect
to the acceptance by the republican national com
mittee of several hundred thousand dollars em
bezzled from its rightful owners and for the
benefit of the republican party in the nation,
just as the money accepted by Senator Piatt
was embezzled for the benefit of the republican
party in New York state.
From the party of God and morality to the
party of peculation and plunder; from the one
organization that might be depended upon to
protect the widows and orphans to the despoilers
of the funds held in trust for the widows and
orphans, from the party of Abraham Lincoln
to the party of Chauncey M. Depew, this rep
resents the rapid descent of the republican party;
and what a fall, my countrymen!
It is the party of God and morality, yet it
becomes the beneficiary of stolen funds. It is
the champion of soldiers and sailors, yet it has
repeatedly snubbed and sought to humiliate
Dewey, Schley and Miles. It is devoted to the
American system, yet it creates colonies and
governs them as King George governed the
American colonies. It is business-like in its
methods, yet during the last year it increased
expenditures to such an extent that there was
a deficit of $24,000,000. It is devoted to popu
lar government, yet it gave to Great Britain all
the aid and sympathy it dared to give in the
cruel war waged by that nation against the
South African republics. It is devoted to Amer
ican traditions, yet it -sent a special envoy to
the coronation of a king. It is opposed to trusts,
i. ,.i , .imhUnnn administration trusts have
multiplied so that since 189G more trusts have
been organized than existed in all the history
of our government prior to that year. It is
discriminations, yet
opposed to rebates and discriminations,
!,' ii .nnncai Tiif?Knn and Harmon
ommended the prosecution of those responsible
foTsucli discriminations it threw its protecting
arm around one powerful mid conspicuous of
fonder. It I, m favor of purity m (ho public
Horvicc, yet it continued to hold the moan-splrilcd
J'Oomls in tho diplomatic servlco nftor IiIk ir-
Suod'hS .,md m00" .0X,0-Cd' n?l "hoS PoS.
i i m u roUro wIlh non, whllo It Ufa-
mlssod in disgrace tho faithful Bowou whoso
only offense was that ho displayed his tempo?
lathe ni?iCf.Vry f l(,,Hnot Practices. It
o ho i ) I U,f P00i)l0' ycL w,mt l -Presumed
J tll"JT,,a,r branc,of congress Is controlled
of i o nn f II,ont trough whom tho voice
of the people can not be hoard, while the somite
Hmf. Il!,,"0,ute,y ' lh0 control of tho corpora
Ions Umt even the president elected as a re
publican cannot persuade that body to give the
people relief oven on one point. V Jtandrf for
sound currency and relentlessly op,Ss0S "BO
con dollars," yot Its secretary of the treasury
bold y advocates an asset currency -a pJaTfo?
creating an assortment of no-cent dollars. It
hi ,. V&ir0Xln l)nono"t of the (juantitative
S1 ? m"y. .t Its spokesmen today point
uith pride to tho marked Increase In the volume
of money and while republican newspapers gen'
orally could not be prevailed upon to admit tho
quantitative theory, not one of them da, at
..JTT11'1110?1!?11 "mt t,,c,Qry whloh was,
hni,,ir r MUn(n ?n f aH a,'guments made
in behalf oi bimetallism. It pretends to bo re
sponsive to tho present-day demand for reform
with respect to special interests, yet Its reprc
sentatives In congress are just now Booking to
foist tho ship subsidy upon tho people. It pro
tends to favor reciprocity, yet on that question It
carries a big stick" while campalfiuliig among
he people, but "speaks softly" when it comes to
the enactment of legislation. It is opposed to
contributions for political purposes by corpora
tions, yet when reminded of its own misappro
priation of policyholders' money it turns a deaf
arr. t0, .V.10 l)0Pul111, and growing demand "Put
it Back! It pretends to be the foe of bosslsm,
yet the flag carried by tho enemies of Mayor
Weaver in Philadelphia and of Mr. Berry, that
grand old Pennsylvania democrat, was the re
publican Hag, while Boss Cox who fell before the
onslaught of the gallant John M. PatllHon in'
Ohio went down to defeat hugging the ropub
lican colors to his patriotic breast. It Js op
posed to free passes, yet Secretary of the Navy
Bonaparte is the only republican official who
has returned his passes, but we all know ho is
not the only republican ofilclal who received
passes. It favors a "square deal," yet while dis
charging District Attorney Baxter at Omaha be
cause the federal judge imposed a ridiculously
light sentence on two men who had illegally
fenced government land, It caused District Attor
ney Johnson in the Indian Territory to resign in
disgust. Newspaper readers generally have not
been given the details of this affair, but wo are
told by the Washington correspondent for
the Boston Transcript that Mr. Johnson
resigned because the republican adminis
tration had ordered the dismissal of Indict
ments brought against five men who were
charged witli conspiracy to defraud, and
out of which conspiracy they have already
profitted to the extent of $92,000. They had the
favor of republican leaders, and, like some other
distinguished republican offenders, were permit
ted to escape without trial. It Is In favor of pub
licity and economy, yet there is considerable mys
tery about the expenditures for the Panama
canal, while suspicion is very generally grow
ing to the effect that there is something rotten
about the management of that great enterprise.
It professes small respect for democratic doctrine,
yet it is significant that the president elected as
a republican has increased his popularity among
the people only as ho has advanced along the
pathway which has been blazed by the demo
cratic party. And now they even boast that
"democrats are following Mr. Roosevelt!" But the
records show that democrats "follow" Mr. Roose
velt only as Mr. Roosevelt follows democracy.
Pretending to promote the general welfare,
the republican party enriches the few at the
expense of the many. In dealing with the peo
ple of our new possessions it stands for force
where our forefathers would have stood for love.
In its relations with the people of our own land
it Is snivelling and hypocritical; its arguments
are those of the sophist; its pretense is pa- ,
triotism, but Its purpose is plunder.
Did It ever occur to you that music will
most effectively recall memories of other days?
"A song will outlive all sermons in the memory" f
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