The herald., 1896-10-04

creditors in free silver dollars Why did
they not find that out at St. Louis? Be
cause the platform pledges the Repub-
lican party to get rid of the gold stand
ard. 1t pledges 1t to substitute a double
standard for the single gold standard
If the gold standard Is a good thing
would the Republican party want to get
rid of it?(A voice, NO. think 1t would,
but that they would not want to admit
They cannot defend the gold standard
as good thing. The Republican party
admits that bimetallism is better than
monometallism. In the sense that two
yardsticks are better than one yardstick
they want bimetallism. Will not that
help the mine owner as well as free COIN
age of silver? (Cheers.) Will not in
ternational bimetallism help the mine
owner as well as national bimetallism?
(Cheers. Therefore the Republican
party is estopped from making any ar
sument against a double standard. It
has placed itself in the unfortunate no.
sition of declaring that bimetallism is a
good thing.
WHEN BIMETALLISM IS DESIRED
BY REPUBLICANS
The Republican party postpones the
bringing about Of that desirable thing
until foreign nations bring it to us. It
admits that the gold standard is bad.
because II 1t is not bad they ought not
to try to get rid of it, and they affirm that
II II Is pad the American people must
suffer from that bad thing-how long?
Until they get rid of it.? Oh, no; we are
tired or 1t now. How long shall we MAIN
tain IT.! Not for one year. not for four
years, but forever If foreign nations
insist on our doing 1t. (Great cheering).
Ihat is what the platform means, and
their candidate for president in his ac-
ceptance states that until foreign ma
1A,,r a. s.... voS
laughter).
MY friends, want you to meet this
issue said in, the beginning that the
republican party assailed the right of
the American people to- govern them
selves on the money question. I repeat
II; their platform transfers legislative
power from you across the ocean. (Great
cneering). If you doubt it, read that
platform. 1t says 'Until those nations
act we, can do nothing "a voice-'Oh,
we WILL think we will. (Great cheer
ing). I am willing to submit any ques-
tion to the American people. (Cheers).
l care not what decision they may make.
will abide by it until they change it
themselves. (Great cheering)
HIS CONFIDENCE IN THE PEOPLE
why am willing to submit? Because
l have confidence in the principles upon
which rest our form of government.
!
government. You tell me that the ma
jority may. err. tell you 1t is possible,
but that I would rather risk majority
than risk minority any time. (Cheers.)
I am willing to submit a question to the
American people, because if they get
tired of system they can vote it out
and get better one. But am not will
ing to submit the decisions of the Amer
| ican people to foreign powers, beyond
the reoch of our ballot. to which we must
go on bended knee. (Cheers)
DO the Republican party tell you
how we are going to get foreign nations
to let us know? Do they tell you why
for twenty years they failed, to help us
when we asked them? No, but they sim
ply leave it until-until-until (Cheers)
BRYAN'S INTERPRETATION OF
THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
| Now, let me give you my interpreta-
| ton of that platform. 1 believe the men
who wrote it did not want bimetallism.
| l believe the men who wrote it wanted
the gold standard permanently, but did
| not dare tell the American people what
| they wanted. lCheers.) believe that
| they intended that platform to hold the
| people who want the gold standard, and
| II possible, to conciliate the people who
| do not want the gold standard. (Laugh-
| ter.) In other words, believe the plat
| form was intended to deceive the voters
| VI lHe OHlteu 0IdLeS. buL Is IL Q1Rn1HeQ
| to deceive voters like that. daughter }
| When they say that they believe in main
F! tanning the gold standard until the ma
| tions that profit by the gold standard
shall get tired of profiting-when they
say that, think they say just the same
that they would have said had they de-
clared in favor of maintaining the gold
| standard forever. Do you realize what
| it means for the United States to cast its
influence on that side? This nation has
never declared for a gold standard. No
| political party ever went before the
country on gold standard platform. In
| 1888 the Republican party denounced the
| Democratic party for it's efforts to de-
monetize silver. In 1892 the Republican
| party declared that the people from tra-
| dition and interest were in favor of bi-
| metallism. Have traditions changed in
| four years? daughter) Have inter-
| ests changed in four years? And yet the
| party which four year ago declared that
both tradition and interest endeared BIZ
| metallism to the American people now
tell you that while the American people
love bimetallism because of tradition
have what we love unless other nations
love us well enough to let us have It..
| (Great laughter.)
PREVIOUS DEMOCRATIC PLAT
| FORMS.
"The Democratic party In 1884 de-
| clared for honest money, and then, very
| unlike the present advocates of honest
| money, the Democratic party told wha t
| honest money was. The Democratic
| party declared for honest money, the
| gold and silver coinage Of the constitu-
| ton (Great applause), and it elected q
| president on that platform, and then,
| in 1888, the Democratic convention re-
| affirmed the platform of 1884, again de-
| claring for honest money, the gold and
,s1 <,ptv, ,f Cfit
then in 1892 what? The Democratic con-
| vention said: We hold to the use of
| both gold and silver as the standard
| money of the country and the coinage of
both gold and silver without discrim-
| mating against either metal or charge
for mintage.' That was the platform In
| 1892 There were qualifying words, but
| they did not destroy the principle Of
! bimetallisn for which the platform de-
c1ared. The platform of 1896 declared for
| bimetallism and declared for the present
| ratio, and the coinage of both gold and
silver on equal terms without dfscrim.
| mating against either metal or charge
| for mintage. (Great cheering) Our
record is clear. The Democratic party
never declared for a gold standard, and
no man In Office ever advocated gold
standard after he was elected until he
/ had betrayed the people who elected
him. (Great and long continued ap-
| plause.) I deny the right of any public
servant to secure office upon platform
and then abandon that platform. (Tu-
multuous applause)
|