The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-08-17

1 free coinage. de knew al Iue Illne
that that element would demand its
repeal at the first moment that it saw
the opportunity. The repeal of the
Sherman act had been part of the Chi
cago platform, the other part had been
/ a declaration for the use of both gold
and silver as the money of the country.
Speaking for the people he represent
ed he understood that free coinage OF
silver, in accordance with the platform,
necessarily repealed the Sher--
man law. the two laws could
not exist together. They were
were inconsistent. Bland appealed to
members to stand by bi-metalism and
not obey the commands OF the shy.
locks. The money requirements OF
the United States with her vast
wealth. and the industry and energy
of her people were equal to those Of
England, France and Germany COM
bined, and the whole civilized world
would have to look to this country for
its future monetary supply. And yet
we are asked here today to lay the
bloody hand of confiscation ON mil
lions of our population in order 10
satisfy the greed of England. VIII
congress do it? Will you trample down
the interests of your own people
aud destroy the value of one
of the precious metals simply to
crafty the greed Of Wall street a
mere agent OF Lombard street? 1t can
not, it shall not, be done. Applause.
Speaking for the mass of the people OF
the Mississippi valley and of the PEG,
pie to the west of it, say you shall
not do it. Renewed applause. And
anybody or any party that undertakes
to do it will in Gods name be tram
pied down, as they ought to be, in the
dust Of condemnation now and IN the
future. Continued applause on the
floor and in the galleries lspeak as
a Democrat but as yet an American
above Democracy. Cheers. we DO
not intend that any party shall sur
vive if we can help it that will
lay confiscating hand on America
in the interest of England or OF
Europe. That may be strong language.
but in speaking to you gentlemen OF
the Eastern Democracy, we Will DO
you farewell when you do it. APP
plause. No. you can take your choice
in sustaining America against En-
gland, of sustaining American in.
dustries and American laborers against
English industries and laborers, or of
going apart. We have come to the
parting way. | do not pretend
to speak for anybody but myself
and my constituents, but be-
lieve can speak for the masses OF the
great Mississippi valley when say we
will not submit to domination OF any
political party however much we love
Democracy if it lay its sacrificial hand
upon silver and wounds it in this coun-
try. FJr myself l will not support
such party here or elsewhere, but will
denounce it as uu-Democratica and I'M
American, and Democrats engaged in
it | will ask the people of the country
to condemn as the agents and repre-
sentatives of the moneyed power and
moneyed interests instead of represen-
tatives of the American people. You
cannot hold the Democratic party to-
gether on that line. Applause. In
closing his argument Mr.. Bland
declared that the time had
come to decide whether or not
the country was to go to bimetalism.
He thought it the duty of the house,
Especially his Democratic assoclates)
to settle the money question and settIe
it at once on Democratic lines. lt
would not do to demonetize silver and
then undertake to restore it after
wards. There was time enough now
to arrange it according to principals
of bimetalism and in a manner con-
formally to the promises OF the Demo
hn n
clusion, addressing his words particu-
larly to Eastern Democrats, you do
not do it yours is the responsibility,
not ours" Applause.
Mr.. Pence (PopulisD of Colorado
was the next speaker. With his open
ing sentences he attracted close atten-
ton of the house and retained 1t to
the end. He was sorry, he said, to
note by the tone and words OF the
gentleman from Maryland (Raynor)
that he was influenced by the columns
of the metropolitan press and was dis
posed to treat the representatives OF
the western districts, particular those
states where silver was mined, as for
eigners and aliens. The people of Col
orado had come to understand that
the platforms of the two great politi-
cal parties were but glittering catch
words and had therefore within
the last 70 months asserted their po'
litical independence. 1t was not, as
the New York Sun said, be-
cause Reed of Maine was
car that the Democratic party
come into power. 1t was because it
had declared unequivocally for remone-
tization of silver. The scene in the
house today was enough to attract the
attention of any thoughtful observer,
Was it possible the gentleman from
Maryland (Raynor, uttered the senti-
ments he did, and the gentleman from
Missouri (Bland) uttering sentiments
he did, were elected last fell on the
same platform? Laughter on both
sides. When the Democratic party
met in convention in 1884 it declared
its belief in honest money; that golc
and silver is the coinage of the consti-
tuition and is the circulating medium
convertible into such money without
loss. That meant, he said, remoneti.
zation of silver, at its old ratio, and II
was so accepted by silver pro
ducers. But even before Cleve
lands first Inauguration thai
platform has been deliberately slap
ped in the face and spat upon. Zap
plause. For four years of Cleveland'
l., leo 80