The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-07-16

ing dlstinctness the sound of the waves
as they beat upon the lonely shores of
st. Helena, (Cheers.) Why this
change? All my friends, is not the
change evident to any one who will
look at the matter? It is no private
character however pure, no personal
popularity however great, that can pro-
tect from the avenging wrath of an in
dignant people the man who will
either declare that he is in favor of
fastening the gold standard upon this
people or who is willing to surrender
the right of self-government and place
Legislative control in the hands of
foreign potentates and powers. "
Cheers
INTERRUPTED BY THE APPLAUSE.
The continued cheering made it i'm
possible for the speaker to proceed; it
was renewed as the chairman vainly
and repeatedly wrapped order. Finally
Mr.. Bryan, raising his hand, obtained
silence long enough to say that he had
only ten minutes, and he asked the
audience to let him occupy that time.
He then resumed;
eve go forth confident that we shall
win. Why? Because upon the para
mount issue in this campaign there is
not spot of ground upon which the
enemy will dare to challenge battle.
Why, if they tell us that the gold
standard is good thing, we point to
their platform and tell them that their
platform pledges the party to get rid of
gold standard and substitute BIZ
metallism. (Applause.) If the gold
standard is good thing why try to
get rid of it? daughter and continued
applause.) might call your attention
to the fact that some of the very people
who are in this convention today and
who tell you that we ought to declare
in favor of international bimetallism
and thereby declare the gold standard
is wrong, and that the principle of bi-
metallism is better, these very people
four months ago were open and avowed
advocates of the gold standard and
telling us that we could not legislate
two metals together, even with all the
world. (Renewed applause and cheers.
| want to suggest this truth, that if the
gold standard is good thing we ought
to declare in favor of it's retention and
not in favor of abandoning it; and il
the gold standard is bad thing, why
should we wait until some other nations
are willing to help us to let go? Gap
plause.)
"Here is the line of battle. We care
not upon which issues they force the
fight. We are prepared to meet them
on either issue or on both. If they tell
us that the gold standard is the stan
dard of civilization, we reply to them
that this, the most enlightened of all
the nations of the earth, has never de-
clared for a gold standard, and both
the parties this year are declaring
against it, (Applause.) If the gold
standard is the standard of civilization,
why, my friends, should we not have
it? So if they come to meet us on that,
we can present the history of our ma
ton. More than that We can tell
them this, that they will search the
pages of history in vain to find single
instance in which the common people
Of any land have ever declared them
selves in favor of q gold standard.
(Applause.) They can find where the
holders of fixed investments have.
"Mr Carlisle said in 1878 that this
was a struggle between the idle holders
of idle capital and the struggling
masses who produce the wealth and
pay the taxes of the country, and, my
friends, it is simply question that We
shall decide, upon which side shall the
democratic party fight? Upon the side
of the idle holders of idle capital, Oh
upon the side Of the struggling masses
That is the question that the party mus
answer first, and then it must be an
swered by each individual hereafter
The sympathies of the democratic par
ty. as described by the platform, ar
on the side Of the struggling masses
who have ever been the foundation o
the democratic party. applause.
TWO IDEAS OF GOVERNMENT.
"There are two ideas of government
There are those who believe that if 70,
lust legislate to make the well-to-d
prosperous, that their prosperity will
leak through on those below TIL
democratic idea has been that if yo1
legislate to make the masses prosper
GUS their prosperity will find its wa
Iup and through every class and res
upon it. (Applause.)
"You come to us and tell us that tn
great cities are in favor of the gol
standard. / tell you that the grea
cities rest upon these broad and fertil
prairies. Burn down your cities an
leave our farms and your cities wi
spring up as il by magic. But destro
our farms and the grass will grow i
the streets of every city in this cour
try. cloud APPLAUSE
aMv frienda we shall dacIare this