The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-06-27
RS THRILLING
SPEECH
His Reasons for Leaving the Repub-
fican Party.

St Louis June Ex-senator Teller. hav-
ing presented to the subcommittee on
resolutions today a proposition for free
coinage of silver as a substitute for the
financial plank proposed, spoke in part
as follows:
Mr. Chairman, l have given this imam
cial question the most careful attention.
l have formed my convictions OF the
Importance and the character of the con-
troversy. My convictions are of such a
character that upon me they force the
conclusions which amount almost to
verify. l have tried TO reach an intelli-
gent judgment on this financial ques-
ton and after such deliberation and
thought / say here now that in my judg-
ment this question is the greatest ques-
ton that has been presented to the Amer
lean people in many years. II had only
my own judgment to depend upon l
should be afraid to make such state
ment to an intelligent committee like
this, but | have back of me and agree,
ing with me- and advocating bimetallism
as against the gold standard, the intelli-
gence of the world. There is no professor
of political economy in any of the great
European institutions that does not de-
clare for bimetall.sm and condemn that
which you have put in your platform
and which you today say you mean to-
make the cardinal feature OF the faith
of the republican party.
l do not intend to debate this question
my conduct when / shah declare public
ly, as 1 shall when the platform is adopt
ed, that I can take no further part N
this convention and no longer act with
the republican party. 1t is nor a small
thing for n man to break from his DO
litical associations. No man would be
justified in doing this except upon prin-
oiple No man would ne justified i'm do
ing so because of dissatisfaction with the
mere methods or candidates. but when
you adopt the principle and ask me to
sustain it, make 1t one OF the cardinal
tenets of the great politica organization
that / believe to be destructive of the
interests of the Whole country then
common honesty calls for protest from
me. AS a member of the republican par
| ty, / have shared In the triumphs as l
have shared in it's defeats I took part
by voice and by vote in It's first cam
! paign and in the campaigns since that
! il has made either of the states west or
east of the Rocky mountains, have been
an active participant.
Mr.. Chairman, ! shall break from the
party of my youth, and the party of my
choice, and the party of my service. and
! the party that has gwen me honors as
| few have been given honors. feeling as
| though / were going to my grave, as
| though l were burying my best friends :;
and nothing but the supreme conviction
| of the danger of the maintenance of this
| gold standard could induce me to make
| such a sacrifice. l am going TO fight for
this principle, but I can no longer fight
! for il in the republican ranks with hopes
of success. had hoped the party which
| had done so much for the human race,
and for whose future much was hoped,
would come TO the right view upon this
question; and I still have lingering hopes
that some day this party will reach a con-
dition when it shall not take IFS declara-
! ton from Wall street or Lombard street
but from the honest sentiment of the
! great heart of the American pc )ple."