The record-union., 1895-05-25
BRYAN REPLIES TO
SECRETARY CARLISLE.
His Sentiments Both in and Out of
Congress In Favor of silver, and
Had only Changed His Views Since
Cleveland Became President.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.

yesterdays SOUND money" convention
at the Auditorium, at which the economic
views of the Secretary OF the Treasury
were eXpounded TO large gathering OF
men from all parts of the South, comes a
rousing meeting tonight of an equally
numerous class of citizens whose slogan
is "honest money" and whose guest of
honor was the eloquent young Nebraska
Congressman. William j. Bryan.
Shortly after the sound money con-
vention was called the silver people got
to work upon a counter demonstration,
with the result that MIR. Bryan consented
to reply to the speech of Secretary Car
llsle The meeting was held at the Grand
Opera-house tonight. That structure
seats only about one-third as many peO-
pie as the Auditorium. in which yester-
days convention was held, and large
number of people who sought admlttance
could not be accommodated.
Mr.. Bryan was introduced by Mr.. Car
mack, editor of the Commercial 4 ppeat,
and received an enthusiastic reception.
A considerable part of his speech was
taken up with comparisons of Secretary
Carlisle's last speech with utterances said
to have been made by him In 1878. The
telling points in Mr.. Bryan's speech were
loudly applauded. He was followed by
Congressman j. M. Allen of Mississippi
in humorous and interesting speech.
Mr.. Bryan said in part: II have read
the speech delivered by Mr.. Carlisle in
this city. also that delivered by him at
Covington last Monday evening, and
have compared them with the speech de-
llvered by him on February Is, 1878. in
the House of Representatives, and l am
reminded of the language used by David
in lamenting the death of Saul: How are
the mighty fallen In 1878 Mr.. Carlisle
was hurting the pebbles Of truth at the
giant of the Philistines, John Sherman;
to-day, as a Goliath, he daily issues chal-
lenges to his former friends.
"Mr. Carlisle did not refer while at
Memphis to his speech of 1873. but he did
refer to it at Covington, and said: Some
of the opinions so expressed have been
modified, aud some of them have been
changed altogether by subsequent events,
and by more thorough investigation OF
the subjects to which they related, but on
the question of free coinage my convlc-
tions have never been shaken for q mo-
ment.' But he did not state, even at Cow
ington, what parts of his former speech
he repudiated and what parts he modi-
fed. He served in the House and Senate
for about fifteen years after the making of
that speech, and never upon a single oc-
casion did he attempt to withdraw the
utterances of 1878, or to modify the en-
phasis with which he then spoke.
HE explains that he had voted for free
coinage in 1878, in the hope that it would
be amended in the Senate. but he never
voted against tree coinage until after the
nomination of Mr.. Cleveland in 1892 1t
is true that in 1873 Mr.. Carlisle did say
that he was opposed to the free coinage of
silver, but he ought, in all fairness, to
have stated that he was at that time op-
posed to the free coinage OF gold also. He
said in his speech in 1878: L am opposed
to the free coinage ofeither gold or silver,
but in favor Of the unlimited coinage of
both metals, upon terms of exact equal
ity.' Not only was his present language
contradicted by his former speech, but a
letter written in 1890 by him says that he
was at that time in favor of free and un-
limited coinage of silver.
"Mr. Carlisle in 1878 said: The strug-
gle now going on cannot cease and ought
not to cease until all the industrial inter-
ests of the country are fully and finally
emancipated from the heartless domina-
ton of the syndicafes, stock exchanges
and other great combinations OF money.
grabbers in this country and Europe
Now he is the honored guest at a conven-
ton attended by bankers and financiers
who are opposed to the use of silver-as
standard money.
mir. Carlisle asks why the advocates of
bimetallism are not in favor of the re-
storation of silver gradually. What
mockery this is. Did not they secure the
passage of the signiorage bill after the re-
peal of the Sherman law, and did not Mr..
Carlisie's chief, Mr.. Cleveland, veto this
bill, Notwithstanding the fact that it was
voted for by more than two-thirds of the
Democrats of both houses? Did not the
advocates of binetallism in the Senate
offer to support bill providing for the
ultmated coinage of silver. with the pro-
vision that the Government should
charge seigniorage equal to the differ
ence between the bullion and coming
values? Did not the opponents of silver
oppose this measure as violently as they
did the free coinage of silver
''In 1878, when Mr.. Carlisle was in
sympathy with the masses of the people,
he said: Let us, if we can do no better,
pass bill after bill, embodying in each
some one su ubstantial provision for relief,
and send them to the Executive for his
approval. If he withholds his signature,
and we are unable to secure the necessary
vote here or elsewhere to enact them into
laws. Notwithstanding his veto let US, as
a last resort, suspend the rules and put
them into a general appropriation bill,
with the distinct understanding that if
the people can get no relief. the Govern
ment can get no money These are the
words of the same distinguished states
man. who, at Memphis and Covington,
assures the people thas there is now no
need of relief, and that we have only to
enjoy the prosperity guaranteed by gold
standard.
"Mr. Carlisle, in discussing the legal
ratio. assumes that the United States can
accomplish no more by free coinage than
our little neighbor Mexico, and over
looks entirely the effect which will be
produced upon the value OF slyer bullion
by the unlimited use OF 1t III the United
States. In other words, he does not take
into consideration the fact that the
United states is, in commercial standing,
more than ten times as great as Mexico,
and ne does not take into consideration
the fact that an increased demand. such
as would be furnished by the United
States. will affect the price OF that por-
ton of silver which falls upon the
market In estimating the amount OF
gold available for coinage annually be
fails to consider the great increase In the
consumption of gold in the arts and the
increase in commerce in the last 100 years.
Mr.. Carlisle holds out no hope OF IN
ternational bimetallism, but insists that
ii is the duty OF this Government to MAIN
tain gold standard, and tries to show
that it will cause an appreciation in the
value of the dollar. At the Memphis Con-
vention Mr.. Catchings insisted that OPP
ponents of silver were expecting interna-
tional bimetallism. This seeming con-
fiict between Mr.. Carlisle and Mr..
Catchings can be easily explained. Mr..
Carlisle believed. tha the Government