The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-08-28
THE SEN1WEEKtY OHIO DEMOCRAT FRIDAY AUGUST 28 1896

4
ularity, however great, thar can pro-
ltect from the avenglpg wrath of an in
dignant people the man who Will neither
declare that he Ia In favor OF foisting
the gold standard upon the people or
who Is willing to surrender the right OF
self government and place legislative
control in the hands OF foreign poten-
tates and power. (Cheers).
| We go forth confident that we shall
win why? Because upon the para
mount Issue In this campaign there Is
not spot OF ground upon which the
enemy dares TO challenge battle. Why,
II they tell us that the gold standard ls
a good thing we point to their platform
and tell them that their platform
pledges the party to get rid of a goll
standard and substitute bi-metallIsm.
| (Applause) II the gold standard Is a
good thing why try to get rid of It?
| daughter and continued applause.)
And I might call your attention to the
fact that some OF the very people who
are in this convention today and who
| tell you that we ought to declare In ia
vor OF International bi-metalllsm, and
thereby declare that the gold standard
Is wrong and that the principle OF BIZ
metallsm is better, these very people
four months ago were open and avowed
| advocates of the gold standard and tell
ing us that we could not leglsla!e two
metals together even with all the world.
| Renewed applause and cheers)
l want to suggest this truth that II
the gold standard Is good thing we
ough. to declare In favor of Its rcten-
! tlon and no: In flv6r of abandoning
It; and II the gold standard Is a bad
thing, why should we walt until some
other nations are willing to help us to
le: go? (Applause). Here Is the line
Of A
| sue they may force the fight. We are
prepared to meet them on either issue
or on both. II they tell us that the gold
standard is l4he standard OF civilization.
we reply to them that this, the most
enlightened of all the nations OF the
earth, has never declared for gold
standard, and both the parties this year
are declaring against 1t. (Applause).
II the gold standard is the standard
of civilization, why, my friends, should
we not have It? SO If they come to
meet us on that, we can present the
history of our nation. More than that
we can tell ths-that they will search
the pages of history in vain to find a
single instance in which the common
people of any land have ever declared
themselves in favor OF the gold standard.
(Applause). They can find where the
holders of fixed investments have. Mr..
struggle between the idle holders of
idle capital and the struggling masses
who produce the weakh and pay the
taxes of the country, and my friends.
It Is simply a question that we shall
decide-upon which side shall the Dem
ocratic party fight? Upon the side o.
the idle holders of Idle capital or upon
the side Of the struggling masses?
That Is the question that the party
must answer FIRST, and then 1t must be
answered by each individual hereafter
The sympathles of the Democratic
party as described by the platform,
are on the side of the struggling masses
who have ever been the foundato on OF
the Democratic party. (Applause.)
There are two ideas of government
There are those who believe that II
you just leglslate to make the well-to-
do prosperous their prosperity viii
leak through on those below. The
Democratic Idea has been that II you
legislate to make the masses prosper
Gus, their prosperity VII find its way
up and through every class and rest
upon 1t. (Applause)
You come to us and tell us that the
great cities are In favor of the gold
standard. 1 tell you that the great
cities rest upon these broad and fertile
prairies. Burn down your cities and
leave our farms and your cit es will
spring up again as IL by magic But de-
stroy our farms and the grass will grow
In the streets of every city in this coun-
try. Applause.)
My friends, we shall declare that this
nation Is able to leg slate for it's own
people on every question, without wait
Ing for the aid or consent of any other
nation on earth (applause), and upon
al %
single state In the Union. (Applause.)
l shall not slander the fair state OF
Massachusetts,. nor the state of New
York, by saying that when It's citizens
are confronted with the proposition, Is
this nation able to attend to It's own
business?- will not slander either one
by saying that the people of these states
will declare our helpless impotency as
a nation to attend to our own bus ness.
1t is the issue of 1776 over again. Our
ancestors, when 100000, had the cour-
age to declare their political independ-
ence of every other nation upon earth.
Shall we, their descendants, when we
have grown to 70,OOO,OO0, declare that we
are less Independent than our forefat tn
ers? No my friends, II will never be the
Judgment of the people. Therefore we
care not upon what lines the battle l.
fought. If they say bl-mstallsm Is good
but we can not have 1t till some nation
helps u.s. we reply that Instead of hav-
Ing gold standard because England
has, we shall restore bi metalllsm, and
then let England have bl-metallism be-
cause the United States has. (Applause)
II they dare to come out, and In the
open defend the gold standard as a
good thing, we shall fight them to the
uttermost. having behind us the pro-
ducing masses of this nation and the
world. Having behind us the CONNER
clal interests and the laborlng interests
and all the to.lng masses, we shall an
swer their demands for a gold standard
by saying to them you shall not press
down upon the brow of labor this crown
of thorns. You shall not cruelty man.
kind upon cross Of gold. Great ap.
plause)