The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-07-30
People from Three States to
Hear the Maine Man Speak mt
Alfred Yesterday.
THE CHANGES in TWO MONTHS
CAUSED BY SILVER FROTH IN THE
POLITICAL ATMOSPHERE.
He Does Not Believe Those Who Blum
dered Can Rescue the Nation from
Business Disaster.

ALFRED, Me-, July 29.-This quaint
| county seat was the scene to-day of a
Republican rally. From the country round
about came people to listen to a speech by
the Hon. Thomas B. Reed and to congrat-
ulate him on the prospec of his renomina-
ton as Representative in Congress by the
First district Republican convention. TIL
immediate occasion was the Republican
county convention. There were pres
ent many people from nearby sec
tions of New Hampshire and Massa-
chusetts, giving the occasion some of the
character of an interstate demonstration.
After the convention had closed its labors
there was a meeting on the public square
at which Mr.. Reed spoke in part as fol-
lows:
the people of the whole United States j
should take this time to do it. Just now
there is a great deal of froth and foam in
the air, and some time is really needful 10
disclose clearly to every eye how much of
it is the result of the temporary breeze
which stills at nightfall, and how little
there is of that heavy ground swell which
shows that great elementary forces ara at
work. How very suddenly all this rush
and stir has set itself into action. Two
months ago no man of any standing would
have risked his reputation of a prophet
by limiting the slightest doubt of Repub,
licsn success. Four years of actual trial
o. the opposition under the guidance of its
best and twice-trusted leader has left no
shadow of question as to public duty.
NHowever far the Republican party might
have fallen short of perfection, ne~verthe-
less all men felt that it was the best party
just now to draw nigh to for whatever is
to be left 10 us of sound government. COM
mercial success and business prosperity.
On tina we were all agreed. some of us
who were Democrats, regretfully. for we
ali hate TO be classed with the unsuccess-
full whose condemnation is at hand, even
If we gain by the change; others of US
without emulation, for we know how
hard the task must be to rebuild out of
the ruins of the last four years the stately
mansions of national happiness. prosperity
and self-respect. in which our people lived
until that unfortunate election of 1892.
Two months have slipped away-hardly
time TO ripen a strawberry. much less a
system of iHancc-and there are those who
tell US that all things have changed, but
for decent burial had burst the m
of the grave. and. TRANSPORTED by some
new arrangement of crowns eff thorns and
crosses oil gold, were TO lead us TO a new
happiness. and even repair all the damage
they themselves had wrought. Now. this
may be so. but TO me 1t does not seem
probable. Human experience in every walk
of life teaches us that those who have
blundered will blunder again. and that the
MiSest cU1ioe - n ~, nmereed from
his last shipwreck. but the safe sailor who
has never lost a ship. "a passenger or a
letter. but who has sailed safe through
sails and even been rudderless for hours,
but il he has every time come safe to
shore better have him than all the lands
men who are forever shouting what they
can do and never dare to tell of what they
have done Boosters are worth n9tning-
Talk dies on the empty air. Better a
Mound of performance than a shiDload of
language.
Two months ago. as | have already
said. everybody conceded the election of the
Republican ticket. What has happened since
then? Have the four years of history been
blotted out? Not one scrap of them. Is our
cerdition better? Rather worse. We are all
in a bad way and something must be done.
Let us see what is proposed by those gen
tlemen. who within the last two months
have discovered a new cure of all
the ills flesh is heir to- and who
that they alone hold prosperity in
their grasp. Their remedy is the coinage of
SILVER, is TO 1. What does that mean? Here
tofore. whenever gold and silver have stood
to gether il has been at the market value.
When We tried to make gold and silver cir,
culate together We have always married
them according to their market value. To-
day we find them. not Is to l.; but 81 to l.
and are going. they say. to lift silver TO
twice its value. not by the universal sense
of mankind, which alone makes values.
but by the statute of the United States.
s~ingle-handed against the world. Why
should the United States try to do this
alone? ! won't discuss the question wheth-
er the free coinage of silver will raise it
il will. and if they did. / could not be-
lieve them.
Il was told. i'm 1890. by two of the most
sincere. as well as the ablest silver men.
that the purchase of 4.500. 000 ounces a month
would raise silver to par. and when we did
buy it. silver went down like lead. Silver
men have not been good prophets in the
past. What we want is not more money
hut more capital. Money always
comes with capital. We have money
row. more than We can use. lying idle.
We have Just exported a lot of IL. Money is
the transferrer of capital. as a hayrack
and horses is a transferrer of hay. More
hayracks will never make more hay. but
more hay will require more hayracks and
Is sure to get them. Our capital Is great.
but the United States is much greater.
There are millions of square miles and
5000. 900 people,. and uudeveloped riches
without stint. But there is not capital
enough to keep 100000 people at
work. When are We the most
prosperous? 1t is when the rs
CcO.C00 are all at work. and when that
happens we borrow of the rest of the world
thousands of millions of dollars. Now. just
as soon as this election is over and the flu
ture position of the United States is as
sured. both as to money and to the en-
ploynent of people. capital is ready to
come TO us from abroad and from our own
people. and we shall again be prosperous"