Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-10-23
BRYAN ON THE DEFENSIVE.
Seeks to Ward.Oh Some of the Blows
Aimed at Him by Re-
..-.. nuhllcanA.

Terre Haute, Ind, Oct 22.-The trip OF
William J. Bryan through Hoosierdom to-
day was of interest not only because of the
enthusiastic crowds encountered at nearly
every stop, but because OF; the aggressive
nature of his speeches. At Delphi, he de-
MED the imputation Of ex-President Harri-
son that when he spoke of those who had
been saving the country for thirty years at
so much per save he alluded to the
old veterans. On a platform erected with
in a few yards of the home of General Lew
Wallace he replied in vigorous language to
the author of Ben Hur,'' who In speech
made sometime ago alluded to- Mr.. Bryan
as an anarchist. At Lafayette, he denied
the statement of ex-Presdent Benjamin
Harrison made yesterday at Salem that
1.-The present conditions are that we are a
bimetallic country" He said that that
statement meant that having been defeated
in this campaign on gold standard the
Republicans are trying to get under the
cover of bimetallism and claim that their
platform is a fraud.
1t was at Charlottesville that the sensa-
ton of the day occurred, and at that meet
ing Mr.. Bryan made his declaration that
he was willing to put his patriotism against
the patriotism of any other man on earth
who indorses the Republican platform. His
speech was as follows:
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen
I believe this is one Of the towns in which
I have been accused of being an anarchist.
After hearing your shouts 1 feel tempted
to address you as fellow anarchists. Now,
why are we called anarchists? Is it
for anything in which we believe?
No, my friends, there is nothing in the
platform upon which i stand that justifies
the charge. No man is afraid that II am
elected president 1 will not enforce the
laws of this nation. There is no man liv-
ing beneath our flag who Is a better friend
or firmer believer in our form Of govern
ment than l am. 1t is true that / am a
young man; but my friends, want to as
sert here. with all the emphasis that can
command, that l am as good a friend OF
our government-aye. will say that am
better friend of American institutions
than any man who declares that foreign
creditors must run our country.
II was not old enough to have proven my
love of country in time of battle, but am
old enough now to prove my love of coun-
try when foreign financial policy has set
foot upon our shores, and, my friends. l
want you to understand that in this great
contest l am enlisted, not for year. not
for four years; 1 am enlisted for the war,
no matter how long the war may last, and
I shall not cease to fight until the gold
standard, which has cursed every nation
that ever had it, is driven out OF the Unit
ed States, across the ocean. and back TO
the Old World, where 1t belongs. And
shall. not be deferred from my determine
ton by any man. no matter what his title.
civil or military. may be. who doubts the
ability of this nation to attend to its own
business. The Republican platform trans
fers to foreign nations the right to determine
when we shall have the double standard
because that platform promises to main
tain the gold standard until the leading
commercial nations shall join us. Who
shall determine when they Will act? They
must determine it or we must wait until
they act and then our decision in this
country is to be based not upon what We
want but upon what they will let us have.
The Republican platform for the first time
in the history Of this nation proposes to
surrender the right of self-government and
standing upon a platform which declares
in favor of an American dollar for the
American people. I put my patriotism
against the patriotism of General Lew
Wallace or against the patriotism of any
other man on earth who indorses the Re-
publican platform"