Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-06-25
Have Been Life Long Repub-
lIcans. Party has Sur
rendered Principles.
Other Delegates and Con.
gressmen Feel and act
the Same Way.

could give it. have given it great study
and the best thought of my mature
years. have been engaged all my life
in service which think fits me to judge
rightly and correctly and to draw proper
conclusions. Under such circumstances
have formed my convictions OF the
importance and character of this oontro-
versy My convictions are Of such q
character that upon me they force con.
illusions which emount almost to q
verify. admit that / may be wrong IN
every proposition touching this question
that l may submit here today but, ss I
have said, I have formed my own judg-
gent judgment on this financial ques-
ton and, after much deliberation and
thought, cay here now that in my
judgment this question 10 the greatest
question that has been presented to the
American people in one hundred. years.
Right or wrong have convinced my
judgment, and have done that, too, not
from partisan standpoint, not because
the state of Colorado produces silver,
but after q most careful investigation
and painstakinR research.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE WORLD WITH HIN.
If 1 had only my own judgment to
depend upon, should be afraid to make
such statement to an intelligent COM
mittee like this, but ! have back Of me
and agreeing with me, and advocating
blmetsllism, as against the gold stand
ard, the intelligence OF the world. Every
political economist in Europe, with hve
or six EXCEPTIONS who is worthy to be
named political economist, 10 Q pro-
nounced and open advocate OF bimetal.
lism. There 10 no professor OF political
economy IN any Of the great European
institutions that does not declare for
bimetallism and condemn that which
you have put IN your platform, and
which you today say you mean to make
the cardinal features OF faith Of the
republican party. That ie the gold
standard. The greatest teacher OF New
England, . man Who commands more
respect than any other teacher in this
country or in Europe, the only American
whose text books have become text
books OF European colleges, has de-
clared that the question Of international
bimetallism 10 the question of civiliza-
ton. Mr.. Chairman, I believe this, and.
believing this, 20 do, l say it 10 not
tho prosperity OF today or tomorrow that
depends upon it, but this 70 the question
which concerns civilization aud morality;
that concerns not the people Of the
United States alone, but the people OF
the entire world, and on Eightful solution
of which their prosperity and happiness
depends.
STANDS FOR PRINCIPLE.
"Having thus formed my concluslons,
after many years of public service and
Investigation can I look any man in the
face and tell him believe this and then
give my vote to q candidate who stsnds
on Q platform pledged to support q gold
standard? Would You expect me to do it?
Would you not despise me il l did lt7
And, what 10 more, should l not despise
myself? II am wrong, and. Of course.
I may he, the truth will some day be
known.
III am right, you are entering upon
q course that will some day, and that,
too, speedily, bring to this country great
disaster and dire distress. II partial
acceptance Of this financial system has
brought this country to the condition it
ls now ip, what shall be it's condition
when you have crystalllzed in laws this
declaration that you are putting ID this
platform, that gold, and only gold, shall
be the standard money OF this land?
II do not intend to debate this ques-
ton. I am speaking now in explanation
Of my conduct when l shall declare
publicly, az shall when the platform is
adopted, that I can take no further part
in this convention, and can no longer act
with the republican party.
'Mr. Chairman, it is not small thing
for man to break his political asso-
Citations. No man would be justified in
doing this except from principle. No
man would be justified IN so doing be-
cause of dissatisfaction with mere
methods or candidates, but when you
adopt principle and ask me to sustain
it, make it one OF the cardinal tenets of
great political organization, that I
believe to be destructive of the interests
of the whole country, then common
honesty calls for protest from me.
II have been in this party from its
organization. I doubt whether today in
this body or in the convention there is a
man who has served more years in it
than l. and deny that there is any man
who has served more devotedly and with
more enthusiasm than have.
'When the democratic party, to which
I belonged, and in which had been
reared, became the party Of oppression
and the advocate Of system OF servi
tude that was destructive, in my opinion.
not only to black men but to white men