Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-10-17
srpatOr Vests Address.

in a rev words introduced the speaker oi
the day.
Senator Vests Address.
Mr.. Vest spoke as follows:
The OF any cause IS demon
strated by a resort to falsehood and mis-
representation. When l returned from Eu-
rope recently, where 1 had zone for much
needed rest and to regain my health, /
was confronted On arriving In New York
by a statement in a gold paper that l had
ton and had become a member of the
single gold standard party. That state
ment was absolutely and Internationally
false. No syllable had ever come from
ny lips which. directly or indirectly, could
have given just cause for any such charge.
so far from having changed my opinion
upon the silver question, l returned to
the United States more convinced than
ever that the welfare of this country and
Of the world had already demanded the
broad, free and I'M coinage of sill
YER.
So far from having changed my opinion.
I came back convinced that this great re-
public would be false to the principles
upon which 1t was founded unless it stood
the champion of popular rights, the rights
Of people against financial greed and mon
opoly. If l had changed my opinion /
would nave falsified every declaration of
my public life. / would have received from
the principles Of Thomas Jefferson. the
founder of the Democratic party, and, in
my Judgment, the greatest StdIesUldu WHO
has ever lived. If / had changed my
opinion 1 could not stand here to-day with
out the mantle of shame upon my cheek
and look into the faces of the people who,
thirty-fve years ago. heard me defend tie
principles Of the Democratic party. /
came back to the United States absolutely
satisfied that the only hope of blmetallisin
was in this country. It's useless to look
to Europe upon an issue of this kind at
his time. Mr.. Gladstone represented the
| sentiment of the English people when he
declared that the world owed England ten
| billions of dollars and this debt must be
| paid in gold.
| In Europe the nobility of capitalists con-
| front the country. The people are I'M
known in public affairs, except 10 be
ground down with X and made to
Iupport the luxury and affluence Of the
| rich. If they clamor they are stilled
| with the tramp of armed men: IL they
murmur. the roar of cannon and the rat
tie of musketry cause those muI murings
! standing army In Germany, constantly
ready for battle, and with the ability to
put one million men In the army in case
y war; with two millions Of soldiers In
Russia, a country where there Is no leg
Station and no legislative will except that
pf the Gar, and I'm France with ESQ, GOO
soldiers, fed by the people. where the
Soldiers chronicle shall set his stripe upon
the cheek of every peasant; in England
with its primogenftives that have a fixed
estate and its enormous capital controlling
foreign commerce., Ine people look up TO
The hereditary monarch-a monarch in
hame. and a monarch behind whom Is all
The gold power of the world. What chance
Is there for popular freedom in countries
like these?
If the United States should now aban-
don the cause of bimetallism. the cause
would be eternally and ir~revocably lost. If
there ever was a time that we. in whose
brain and that of our ancestry, was first
conceived the right Of freedom: IL we
whose Government was based upon the
rights of the people, for the people and
their children forever-if We should now
lbondon the cause OF bimetallism, the
EQUITY of two metals and life-blood of
commerce, then, indeed, would bimetal-
ism be destroyed forever. No. my friends
| come back to stand, II no other man
stood, as the apostle of the free and UNI
limited coinage of silver in the United
states. (Applause.1
But Justification and Misrepresentation
have not stopped at personalities. Mem
bers of the federal cabinet are now trav-
| srsing the country making speeches de-
bouncing those who were their former as
| sociates in the silver body as being the
enemies of sound money and the a1vo-
Gates of a 5o-cent dollar. Nearly eighteen
years ago they were foremost in the
body for bimetallisn. but to-day they are
d~enouncing the former political associates
| because they are attempting to put q
dishonest dollar upon the people of the
United States.
Hon. Hoke Smith, secretary of the inte-
rior. lately delivered an address at JEFF.
ferson, Ga, In which he INDUCED in the
| following Misrepresentation: He said thai
3 certain time In old Virginia tobacco was
were purchased with tobacco at so much
O pound, and 1t was then said that the ole
vfrginians purchased their wives with thu
same commodity. Now" he said, sup
the pound Of tobacco and stamped it two
pounds. Does anybody think he coult
| thus add to the merchandise and ex
! changeable value of that pound of tobac.
skins wers used As menss Pc n sag as, wns.
Suppose some man had taken one ski
and marked two skins upon it. Woul'
that have given 1t the e-xchangeable vaiu
OF two skinsf ] could have furnished Hok
6rnfth with a more accurate Illustration II
the celebrated case OF the mountainaer o
Kentucky, who sent a man to the peni
tertiary because he sewed a 'coon's tai
upon a 'possum kin Cloud laughter an,
applause, but / speak most respectful.
of the government of our country and o
met position when / say that this illus
tration Is hardly worthy of a cabine. min
lister. Is 1t possible that Mr.. Hoke Smith
secretary of the interior, can't see the dit
ference between the dollar of paper, whic
II OF value for a great many purposes tina
o silver dollar Is, N this silver dollar, C
intrinsic worth. upon which is stamped tn
sovereignty of a great people. and who
~ SoON iv9at huuoc Ach &h NCStSs SASth
and private?
Is II possible that Mr.. Smith doesn'
know that the intrinsic value of geld an
silver as he heraids II, Ii almost nothing
Why, II you make II money, 1t represent
all value n will buy everything, eve
the souls of men. (~Applause.) Where. m
friends can Mr.. Hoke Smith, secretary {
the interior. find a man In Georgia, outsid
of the lunatic asylum. who would sell h
silver bullion at the commercial price Il
day. II every man who had silver. coul
take that bullion to the mint and sell 1t g
4121f grains for a dollar? Why, hi woul
ind his silver dollar would buy as muc
as a dollar in gold n he must be though
an idiot who would take his silver bullio
n sell for s1x cents an ounce and go /
| the mini and say: II would like gold fc
this and let the stamp of sovereignty rey
rescnting the brain and sinew, blood an
COURAGE o. IoSoo.ooo OF proud people obtai
gold, not only In this country. bu
Throughout the world" (~Appiause),
When l was living In Carlsbad. where
went for the sake OF my health, I too
some silver certificates which / happene
asked him to give me Austrian goli whe
IN austria. He handed II to me ,Sithor
discount across the counter. (Chssrs an
applause Gold. red goidi despotio gold
|, know what he was doing and that he wa
> cheating himself. but anker don't gene
Ally do that way. (Appiause). I said /
> him: D you know what this is7 This
! rot q sreenbaek. read that" He said b
80 reaa IT, said: This Is q silvs
z you carry II to the treasury Of III
Onited States. IN silver and nothing else.
sCns said he, II know very well thaf
. silver dollar, but hts will bi,y An,
tang In your country and that is a. roo
. dollar 10 seid, B,