The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-15

ton TO the repeal OF the Sherman law
| when we have boiled down all his f,oti
20 its ultimate residunm Il amounts TO this
that the American people are n set o.
children who have been overreached ir
the worlds trading by the much sharper
and shrewcer EngIishman. and that In
stead Of getting out OF bad bargain
which they have been incautiously led
into by the usual way adopted amongst
men OF pocketing the loss and striving to
do better the next time. he would have
them upset everything fixed in the order
OF affairs, dishonor all obligations. public
and private, dissipate all property hereto
fore existing in the form Of contract and
turn it into smoke. and tumble the United
States down from the high pinnacle OF
credit on which they have heretofore
proudly held up their heads amongst the
most civilized nations Of earth, TO founder
in the wallow OF dishonored obligations
With Paraguay. Buenos Ayres. Brazil and
the other half barbarous South American
provinces.
II MIR. BANDS whole speech were laid
| before our readers they would learn no
more about It than they can learn from
the following sentence:
And yet" said ne. with vehemence.
I'VE are asked here to-day to lay the
| bloody hand OF confscation on millions
/ Of our population I'm order to satisfy the
| greed Of England. VIII Congress do II?
| VIII you trample down the interests Of
J your own people anL destroy the value
| of one Of the precious metals simply 10
/ crafty the greed of Wall street-a mere
! agent Of Lombard street? 1t cannot 1t
shall not be done"
There 1t all Is, and II Is the stock argu-
ment Of the case. You will see It In
| Populist platforms and in the Populist
| speeches. You will hear 1t wherever you
encounter a mounting, frothy demagogue
who does not own a dollar TO be "con-
fsoated." who never earned a dollar by
honest toll, who would not work a day
II you gave him ten times the price Of a
days labor. and whose whole aim in life
Is 70 fool people by one trick or another
into voting him into an Office that has
no duties that involve work. and will
pay him salary on which he can keep
himself always tipsy. That is the sum
and substance Of the case, turn it and
twist II as you will.
We hear il from those who know him
that Mr.. Bland Is an honest man who is
simply misled. But is II possible that Mr..
Bland can be simpieton enough to believe
that the sensible and conservative peo-
pie Of the United States who ask him to
repeal the Sherman law Gor he refers
to them when he says he is asked ito lay
the bloody hand Of confscation ON mill
lions Of our countrymen')-is it possible,
we say, to believe that Mr.. Bland Is sim
peton enough to believe that these peo-
pie ask him to do this "in order to satisfy
the greed of Engiand?" And is he fool
enough to believe that the millions of
citizens of the United States who feel
that the Sherman law is threatening TO
turn them out Of their houses and homes
and who are therefore praying Congress
to repeal it, are doing so simply to
crafty the greed of Wall street, an agent
of Lombard street," We strive earnestly
20 believe Mr.. Bland to be a fool when
he makes these statements, but we
have great difficulty in reaching that
conclusion. But hear Mr.. Bland further
upon the English buraboo. He said:
1--WE do not intend that any party shall
survive, If We can help it. that viii lay
its cOnfscating hand on America i'm the
interest of England or Of Europe That
may be strong language; but. speaking
TO you Of the Eastern Democracy, we will
bid you farewell when you do 1t.
Now, you can take your choice OF sus-
tanning America against England; Of sus-
tanning American Industries and American
laborers against English industries and
English laboTers. or of our going apart.
We have come to the parting way. l do
not pretend to speak for anybody but
myself and my constituents, but l be-
lieve that / can speak for the masses
Of the great Mississippi Valley when 1
say that we will not submit to the dom-
nation Of any political party however
much. we love Democracy if 1t lays It's
sacrihcial hand upon silver and wounds
it in this country"
Now what does Mr.. Bland mean by
saying that "the masses of the great
Mississippi Valley" have come to the
parting way" and that we Of the East
must take our choice between holding
our "sacriheial hand" off of silver or ''of
our going apart? Does this mean only
that II we refuse to take fifty cent sill
yer dollar for the one hundred cent dollar
due to us Mr.. Bland is going to get up
another political party out West, or does
1t mean that the West is going TO secede
from the Union? When we couple II with
Governor Waite's blood 10 the horses
brindles." it has a good deal of that sort
Of sound
Mr. Bland was followed by Populist
Pence OF Colorado. who thus stated the
grievance of the Western people that
! might cause them to secedc from the
Union, and make blood flow to the
horses brides" He said:
at IS true the people OF Colorado mine
silver. and, under the law since 1873. are
compelled to sell it and cannot coin II.
1t Is true that they must come with II as
a commodity and not as n coin metal"
This is that outrage and wrong perpe-
trated upon the people Of the West which
viii justify them In seeding from the
Union and making blood flow TO the
horses brides" II IS that the miners OF
Colorado are forced to sell their silver
like any other commodity. at what II
will bring in the market. and are not
allowed to compel men TO receive fifty
cents worth of IL as a dollar Of the debts