The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-16
want stare in the face of a million of

want stare in the face of a million of
men.
Il In 1892 was In town in my state,
that was the very seat of industry.
There L met an old and lifelong friend
of mine who was on the opposite side
of the political fence He worked in a
factory. and had little home upon
which the mortgage was nearly lifted.
He was happy man, frugal and care
full. He asked me how viewed the
situation, and I told him that, as soon
as the Democrats struck down the
gates of the tariff, the gates on the
other side would be lifted, and
the country would be flooded with
cheaper merchandise. Our people are
not different from others and they will
but buy what is the cheapest. I told
him that American products would be
left on the shelves; that the employer
would cut down wages, and close the
shops. l told him that capital would
be withdrawn as capital could wait
longer for a dividend than labor for its
breakfast. One year later was at the
same place. 1 found that the factories
had not turned a wheel in six months.
My friend was there, but he too was
idle. He and hundreds of others
realized the truth of the prophecies.
Some one says that the difference
between the Mckinley and the Wilson
bill is only 10 per cent. But, my
friends. that 10 per cent placed as it
was, was enough to stifie and paralyze
hundred different kinds Of industries.
Now William Jennings Bryan seems
to be directing his entire attention to
one plank in his platform. In fact, he
says that there is but one plank which
need attract the gaze of the people If
this is so, then it was fraud and trick
cry to put the others there. If that is
so, then the Democrats and the Popr-
lists are trying to gain power under
false pretenses.
Prosperity must come to every state
or 1t will come to none. If you could
start up every factory in the land at
midnight, before another sun set
another era Of prosperity would be
uShered in. How can we gain it. Well
our Populist friends tell us that if we
would open our minis to the free and
unlimited coinage of silver, that alone
would bring prosperity. We deny this
We do, perhaps, admit that we both
want bimetallism, but we differ as to
the means of procuring it, 1 want to
here point to a speech I have made on
this very question, and which I see is
being distributed in the room. Popn-
lists claim it is an argument for theni
But PopuliSt reads my speech like
Bob Ingersoll reads the Bible, not that
he may learn, but that he may scott.
(Laughter)
Il reiterate here that 1 believe the
world has made a mistake in demon
etizingi silver, but POSSIBLY / do not
assign the same reasons as the other
side does. The Populists say that if
the minis are opened, that every dol
lar will be worth 100 cents. If this is
so, let's open the minis before midnight
We know however, that there are some
things which parliaments and con-
crosses can not regulate. They can
not regulate the market value of com
modities. It is the law of supply and
demand alone which regulates the
price of commodities. and it is a law
which feels the effect of no legislation.
1t regulates the price of gold as mucn
as 1t regulates the price of wheat.
suppose for moment that the Rocky
mountains were turned to gold. BY
night this metal would be cheaper than
iron. If the mountains were turned to
silver, that metal would be cheaper
than lead Why? Because the supply
would be far greater than the demand.
Inc government can say what the debt
paying power of a dollar must be. bur
1t can not say what its purchasing
power is.
The government can say that a sill
yer dollar of it's coinage shall paw one
hundred cents upon a debt we incurred
yesterday, but the fiat of law can never
say that that dollar can buy as muet
tomorrow as 1t did yesterday. That is
your business and no ones else. Here
comes In the Interchangeable law Of sup
ply and demand.
There are other and just as serious
SIDES to this situation as the one we
nave been talking about When Zee
under the trees at Appomattox, sur
rendered his sword to Grant. we
thought that even the ghost of the
Confederacy had been buried forever.
But this year Of 1896 has seen the same
Old spirit reSurrected and we see the
RED hand of anarchy, stirred up by Till
man and Altgeld, clutching at the ma
tons throat. They are saying that the
power and force of the United States
shaIl not cross the borders of a state.
unless forsooth they the TiIlmans and
the Altgelds, and the organs, grant the
fairs is all that high treason demanded
in 1861
William Jennings Bryan" exclaimed
the speaker, In tones of thunder. You
do not know the temper of the Amerr-
can people," (Cheers)
The speaker here also attacked the
platform Of the Pop-Democrats. in
Wnlch the supreme courts of the United
states were assailed. He predicted
that III there was victory for SOUND
money. as there would be, that Ger
many, France and even England would
arrange for system of bimetallism
At the close Of the speech, three rous.
ing cheers were given for Mckinley
and three more for the speaker. The
enthusiasm ran high, especially when
the speaker said that the better
element of the Democratic party had
repud1ated the dangerous doctrines OF