Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-08-24
Congressman Clark Stands SquareIy o. the Chicago Platform
which PROFESSIONALLY Fayors BimetnIIi>m He Scores
the GoIdbugs OF the East-Facts and Figures for
SiIyer-A Mastery Argument by an A-
knouIedged Leader i'm the House.

Janus-faced double-dealing. good
Lord, good devil, all things to all
men sort of document, but was a
clear, bold, honest, manly, master
full, comprehensive declaration of
Democratic faith. From IA hundred
rostrums. in the presence OF high
Heaven and thousands of intelligent,
law-abiding, Industrious, God-fear-
ing, patriotic people, | pledged my
self to stand by it here, aud, come
what may, | am going to keep my
word.
The main planks in that platform
are tariff tor only and
bimetallism, i'll all which those
terms imply. 1t means that. or the
English language has no siguiti-
canoe whatsoever. 1t promised the
people unlimited coinage of both
silver and gold.
Mr.. Tracey: No in the platform.
Mr.. Clark Of Missouri: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Tracey: No, sir.
Mr.. Clark of Missouri: Aud that
they shall have, if my vote will give
it to them. Loud applause.
Mr.. Lane: We will join you.
MIR. Clark OF Missouri: Mr..
Speaker, it is an old saying that all
things are fair in love or war, and
some people appear to believe that
anything Is fair in politics. dis
sent IN toto from any such immor-
al doctrine. The people have a
right to honest treatment at the
hands of those who aspire to be
their agents in public affairs, and to
the man who betrays them they
will send the silken bowstring for
his W destruction. Loud APP
plause. 1t Is my solemn conyic-
ton that the man who will deceive
the people to obtain an office will
desert them when in office.
| relterate the proposition-and it
cannot be repeated too often-that
the Chicago platform proclaimed to
all the world that we are in favor OF
cutting the tariff to a strictly rev.
enue basis, and in favor of bimetal-
ism; and let ME tell the single gold
standard Democrats that if the peo-
pie west of the Alleghenies had not
believed that both of those things
would come about there would now
be no Democratic Congress to pass
a money bill and no Democratic
President to sign one. Loud ap-
plause. The people knew what
they wanted, and they thought they
knew what they were getting
Laughter and applause. Shall
they have it, or shall they not?
Will we redeem the solemn
pledges made by tongue and pen to
the people and be considered their
benefactors forever, or will we VIC.
late our vows and have pronounced
upon our heads their anathema
maranatha? Will we restore hap
piness and prosperity to the land
and read u history in a nations
eyes, or will we be the instru
ments in creating universal bank
ruptcy among the people who have
committed to u hands IA sacre d
trust9
These questions | press home up
on the mind, heart, and conscience
Of every Democrat upon this floor.
An illustrious statesman once
said, and | commend the wisdom of
his words to all men of all parties:
You may fool part of the people all
the time; you may fool all the peo-
pie part of the time; but you can't
tool all the people all the time"
The seventh section of the Chica-
go platform verbatim runs in these
words:
We denounce the Republican leeis-
lation known as the Sherman act OF
1890 rs a cowardly makeshift fraught
with possibilities of danger in the fu-
ture which should make all of its sup
pOrters, as well as its author, anxious
for its speedy repeal. We hold the
standard money of the country and to
the coinage OF both gold and silver
without discriminating against either
metal or charge for mintage, but the
dollar unit of coinage OF both metals
must be of equal intrinsic and ex-
chaDgeable value or be adjusted
through international agreemento or by
such safeguards of legislation as shall
insure the maintenance of the parity
of the two metals aud the equal DOW
er of every dollar at all times in the
markets and in the payment of debts:
and We demand that all paper cur
rency shall be kept at par with and
redeemable in such coin. We insist
upon this policy as espe clally neces-
sary for the protection Of the farmers
and laboring classes, the first and
most defenseless victims of unstable
money and a fluctuatiDg currency.
That is the last authoritatiyeDem-
oeratic u%tterance on the subject Of
finance, and it appears to me to
mark out a path so plain that even
the wayfaring man, though a tool.
cannot err therein.
That is the platform: and what is
a platform any way? Is it an hon
est declaration OF principles which
the trainers honestly intend to en-
act into laws if they attain to pow.
er, OF is it a dishonest device where
by to entrap the unwary voter? Is
1t a candid statement of the faith
that is in us, Or is it a bait to catch
g~udgeons?
Is it the plighted word of men of
honor to accomplish certain things,
or is it only "a good enough Nor
gan" till after election. which pal
tiers with the people in a double
sense-which keeps the word of
to the ear and breaks it to
the hope?"
lie the former, then Democrats
are thoroughly committed to the
same treatment for both silver and
gold; it the latter, may God have
mercy on Us, for a duped and out
ragged people will not. [Applause.
When gong into the battle of
which was to establish
his eountry's supremacy upon the
seas, which was destined to write
name high upon the roll of En-
glish-speaking heroes, and which
was to witness his own tragic but
glorious death, Horatio Nelson, the