The state herald., 1895-05-17
SILVER DICK" BLAND
HIS FIRST VISIT TO DENVER.


vsssSen APostAo OF rEeo VoiuaBo Ao'
dresses an Enthusiastio Audience
Urges His Hearers Not to Vote for .
Gold Man for President.
Denver, May 12.-At the Broadway
theater lust night Richard p. Bland,
ex-Congressman from Missouri. deliver
ed an address on the Twenty Years
Battle for Silver and the Fight Yet to
Come"
There was large and distinguished
Audience present to welcome the emil
nent advocate OF the free coinage or
silver at ratio of 10 to /. The ad.
dress was an able one and was re-
cdved with much favor by the audi
ence. Tho speaker after narrating the
history Of the struggles In Congress
over the silver question, said:
"In all the great battles in Congress
on the silver question, the Southern
people; while enthusiastic for silver,
have had that sympathy and enthus-
iasm clouded with the dread OF force
Dill or federal interference with their
local self-g0vernment. Doubtful us to
whether their safety depended upon an
alliance with New York and tho East
for protection Of their local affairs, or
whether to go to the people of the West
and Southwest, where nature points
as their true friend and allies, caused
them IS hesitate upon the threshold Of
Victory for silver; Fortunately, how.
ter, in the great battle over the force
bill In the Senate, the senators from
the West, and especially of the gold
nita FLYER, mining states. IN their OPP
U k4sbllia n,easvre. which resulted
~ final overthrow and defeat. has
given assurance to the people of the
South that tiielf Political reliance. both
for safety OF their home government
and their prosperity on economic qucs-
lions, point to the West. We do not In
tend TO draw sectional lines further
than those who Insist on the single
gold Standard have forced upon us this
L'tuation. The great money centers of
the East, whose banking institutions
are principally owned and controlled
by European banking houses, have
forced the people Of the West and
South In sclf-defense to make war up
on the system of finance.
1.-The day Inns now come when war Is
sues caiinot longer dominate our poll
tics. The great political battles Of the
future Will be fought on economic
questions. The battle of the standards
is the greatest battle TO be fought In
this county and the world over. The
enslaved masses of the Old World look
naturally TO this free people of ours to
lead the way. This vast country of
ours of forty-four independent states
and other vast territory. with over sew
cnty billions OF wealth. and with n
population Of seventy millions Of peo-
pie. increasing Mt the rate of more
than million annually. Is strong
enough to maintain their own monetary
system, TO open the mnts TO the free
coinage Of gold and silver. and thus
again restore. not only TO ourselves, but
to the world the old order OF things, by
which gold and silver circulated side
by side. aiding and supporting each 9th
or In giving labor employment and eff
fecting the exchanges of commerce"
"1n conclusion, attention should he
called to the fact that heretofore no
president OF the United States since
1878 has been friend OF silver. Mfr.
Hayes vetoed n limited coinage bill; II
is well known that every president
since that time has been hostile to free
coinage and would veto any such bill
II sent to him. This has had the effect
OF discouraging Congress In all thes.
contests. l have reason TO believe that
silver would have long ago been re.
stored to Its old place In our system OF
money had there been president OF
the United States favorable TO 1t. It is
well known that the Senate to-day Is
~. .l,a1 t,,tu M In favnr nf colin.
ags, and williprobably remain SO for all
future time. The battle TO he fought,
and the all.lmp0rtant point TO gain. is
TO secure a president who Will sign a
free coinage bill II sent to him. and will
not use the power and patronage OF his
office to prevent such bill coming u
him; but. on the contrary. will rec0m-
mend such legislation. II we can once
secure such president the battle Is
won. To this point NIL our energies In
the future must he directed. 1t IL not
my purpose, and would be out OF place
In non.partisan lecture or speech OF
this character to Indicate how that may
be brought about. further than to cx-
press the hope that every true friend
of the free coinage Of silver Will make
a firm resolve and stand to II. that he
viii not support In any manner u prcsl.
dental candidate. no matter how NOM
mated or what party platform he
stands on, unless that platform and
candidate give assurance OF silver res
toratlon.
Al the conclusion OF Mr.. BANDS ad-
dress, Senator Teller was called for. lie
said he had just finished congratulating
the speaker ON the closing words OF his
d, IIrnss that eueh ana shn,tI plas,,a