The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-09
COL. INGERsoLL SPEAKS.
Notable Address i'm Support of Me-
n I,x Sauud dnnex.

CHICAGO, Oct. S.-Col. Robert G. Inger-
soil addressed a large mass meeting in this
city tonight in support of Mckinley. lie
said in part: "A piece of gold coined py
the Romans $500 years ago is just as good
to-day though julius Caesar rode at the
head of the legions. Since that time dark
ness has fallen over the Roman empire
and the empire has passed into oblivion,
but the gold coined shines as brightly now
as in Romes palmiest days. That is gooa
note you want some good person behlnd ~,
Good money is that money which
backer; it is always good. No mat
ter how many nations go down to dust,
good money remains forever the same.
we have a man running for me presi-
dency three platforms with TWO vice
Presidents, that says money Is the ereauure u,Ia,
of law. If the government can make money money
by law why should the government coilect
taxes? According TO Mr.. Bryan our fathers
in all their lives only minted eight milliph
of these sacred dollars. Now, see what the
enemies of silver have done. Since iSl5 o. tne ne
enemies of silver have coined over 4SV'ooo;;vvU ;e
of these dollars, and yet silver kept gong
down. We are coming now over TWO mil
lion a month and silver keeps going down, aoWh,
for the law of 1878. He said, from his place
in the Senate that God had made gold IN, me
standard he sa,a 1hae haber sopr he has heard
from God since or not | do not know but
now he is on the other side Senalor
Stewart of Nevada. was there at the time,
he voted for the act of 1873 and said that
gold was the only standard. He has
changed his mind.
to talk another way; Let me ten you now
have stood on this question. H. twenty Eve, cy
New York, in 1876 / made speech upon
this subject, among others, and ] want to
and you win see how much / have changed:
Here is what ! said: L am in favor or
honest money. | am in favor of gold and
and silver behind 1t. | believe in silver
because it is one of the great American
products and l am in favor of anything
that will add to the value of an American
product, but l want a silver dollar worth
a gold dollar, even if you have to make
it four feet in diameter: You would say
my head was level them
g No government can afford to be a clip
ford to stamp lie on silver or gold or
paper. Honest money for an honest people
issued by an. honest nation. You cannot
make a paper dollar without taking dol
lars worth of paper. We must have paper
that represents money. want 1T issued
by the government, and want behind
every one of these paper dollars either a
dollar in gold or silver dollar worth 100
6e eents so ,;f that every greenbacka under under the
know that my redeemer liveth.' That was
where ! was twenty years ago, and that
individuals at all times everywhere and
forever, honesty is the best policy.
Better be an honest bankrupt than a
rich thief. Poverty can hold in its hand the
jewel honor-a jewel that outshines all
other gems. A thousand times better be
poor and noble than rich and fraudulent
Nobody can be helped by free coinage,
cept the few people who could pay their
debts If they were willing. Some say that
it would help the mine owners. 1t would
rot. Coming this bullion into dollars would
not increase it's value, because you could
ocin the bullion of the whole world and the
supply would be greater than the demand
Have free coinage tomorrow and there is
not a silver-mine owner who would make a
dollar-not one-by changing it into Amer
ican coin. 1t would only be worth what the
bullion is worth in the open market. We
want good money-good honest money
and there was never any real prosperity
for a nation or an individual without hon.
esty, without integrity, and it is our duty
TO preserve the reputation of the great Re-
public"