The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-09-14
dead. Reguiescat in pcce, ''or words
to that effect" Laughter.l

the bill gwen IN renewal are OF so
general a nature that they may be
easily evaded as amounting to nothing
definite. In a court of law they would
he held void for uncertainty. If it is
really our intention to enact these laws
as we promised, why not do it now:
We are in possession of the entire
law making department Of the Govern
ment. The same power which can
enact this bill into law could so
enact other things promised, if only
Barkis is willin'.'' In fact, there
would be a greater power in the hands
Of the Democracy if this bill were
coupled with provisions carrying out
the platform. for, in that case, donot
suppose there is a Democrat in either
House that would refuse to support it.
I repeat. if we are in good faith, why
not do it now! Now Is the accepted
time" and 'n0w is the day Of saliva
ton - To-day, if you will hear the
voice of the people. harden not your
hearts, here is water, what doth
hinder me to be baptized -
Is it to be done hereafter: Who
says so with authority to speak: Who
saws so with authority to give an as
surance that it can be done at all il
postponed: Is it not about all many
can do to give assurance OF their own
votes a little way ahead: How do we
know that when some other bill comes
up for the benefit Of capital these
threadbare and contemplate promises
to pay will not pop up again like Jack
in a box as a substitute for the per-
formance: If we let 90 what we have
before we get something else III eX-
change, how shall we justify ourselves
10 that portion Of our constituents who
are supposed to have common sense:
WHY can not the bankers and stock
brokers wait for the repeal Of the Sher-
man law until the remaining leglsia-
ton which we have promised to enact
shall be prepared and ready:
The last excuse for its repeal, except
the true one, which they do not give,
has been knocked from under them.
They know it did not take gold from
this country, because in the face OF
their prOtestations they see that gold
is returning in obedience to well known
laws of trade. and all that they now
hang upon is that they have not CON
fidence'' in the Government OF their
country that it will redeem its obliga-
tons in gold That is equally as false as
the other they know that every dollar
that is due from the Government OF
the United States that is properly and
honestly redeemable in gold coin will
be so redeemed. They see the Sccrc-
tary of the Treasury, with the a!-
prevail of the President, every day re-
deeming silver obligations i'll gold.
even where his discretion permits him
to redeem i'll silver.
Now, if asked why / can not tiGst
the future for the enactment of those
laws which ought to come concurrent
with the repeal of the Sherman act,
my answer-and with much more Truth
than theirs-is, l have no confidence.
When a man promises me that + Will
put him in a position which vii! c,.@ Die
him to do so he will pay me thousand
dollars, and when | haye performed
my part OF the contract and put him IL
that position and he refuses to pay me,
and applies his money to some other
purpose, and proposes to promise me
the same thing again, | refuse TO &C
cept his promise as that of an honest
and responsible man my confidence is
gone.
The Senator from Georgia (Mr.
Gordon) who the other day entertained
us with very eloquent speech with
most illogical conclusion, demanding
to know why we halt between con-
ditional and unconditional repeal. He
says:
If the friends of bimetallism are strong
enough to impose conditions on the repeal
ing bill, Will not that same strength suffice
to enact bimetallism in separate bill?
Mr.. President, | will tell you why
l halt between conditional and un-
conditional repeal. Unconditional re-
peal is unconditional surrender. In
the first place, by conditional repeal
we unite the Democratic party, or at
least all true friends Of bimetallism.
know that they all came here, as did
hoping, praying, that some cOmprO-
mise could be found between them and
the President, the chief of our party
by which they could stand with him.
BY the position of unconditional repeal
that is impossible.
In the next place, if we repeal with
out doing other things which we
promised the people at Chicago we
would do, neither that Senator nor any
other can give assurance that these
other things will ever become law in
separate bills. The Senator must
know that every gold monometallist in
repeal, as everyone in this body will,
and against the coinage Of another
silver dollar at any ratio whatever-in-
Guiding the resurrection Of the Bland
Allison act of coming 1000, 900 a
month. Where then can be found
evidence of the strength for separate
bill, favorable to silver in that body ?
1t has been tested; ours has not. Aud
should such bill pass that body and
this one, can that Senator give us any
assurance that it would not meet its
death blow elsewhere? We have every
reason, as he has, to know that it
would therefore. as it seems to me.
to vote for unconditional repeal, in the
face of these undeniable facts, amounts
to an unconditional surrender, a giving
up Of the cause of silver, which we all
profess to love. and an abandonment
OF our promises to the people that we
would do everything to maintain it
that was necessary to be done by
legislation. The Senator also says
that it is perfectly immaterial whether
the panic was caused by legitimate
arguments or was caused by the
Vaccinations of designing men; he
says the results are upon US and We
must deal with them.
1t is quite true, Mr.. President. that
II the panic is upon US we must do the
best we can TO evade its dangerous
consequences but if there should be
any suspicion, as he intimates there is,
that it was produced by designing men
for q manifest puruose it strikes me