The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-23

slider, and they have none to protect them
but us, and if we fail in our duty their
interests must be neglected. | believe to
the very bottom of my heart | believe,
, and the belief touches every fibre of my
being, that until we restore silver to its
equal place with gold, to the place where
it occupied for so many years, so many
centuries and so many ages, there can
be no lasting prosperity brought back to
the homes of those who toll. Deafening
applause). :,
"They tell us they want confidence re-
| stored. We reply that confidence must
have substantial basis upon which to
rest great aplause), and that so long as
you legisate value out of property there
is nothing left. If they tell us they want
an honost dollar we tell them we vie
| with them in our desire for an honest dol
| lar but when we attempt to define hon,
est dollars we beg them to give us a dol
lar which is as kind to the man who pro.
| duces wealth rs to the the man who holds
a fixed investment, dollar that smiles
upon one man just as much as it does on
another. | am not treading new paths
| nor trespassing on dangerous grounds
when / tel you that dollar that rises
in value is Il dangerous dollar; dollar
which reaps where it does not sow which
gives to its possessOr an unearned mere
ment which is taken out of the sweat and
blood of those who toll; if man who
owns dollar desires that sort of Il dollar,
| he forgets the equities of the case. There
is no reason why the producers of wealth
should bow down and worship Il dollar
destroying them and their chances for
| existence.
But | am not going to discuss this
! question (cries of go ON, but | want to
appeal to you to study it for yourselves
l suggest that you think about whether
the gold standard is the standard of civil
cation. If that is the argument they
make to you let me suggest an answer
that is competent. If the gold standard
is the standard of civilization why is it
that the United States, the leader in the
civilization of the world, has never de-
cared for the gold standard? Great ap-
plause). If the gold standard is the
standard of civilization why is it that
no party in the history of the United
States has used that standard. Gap
plause).
A Voice-Ihe Republican party.
Mr.. Bryan-You say the Republican
party did. No, the Republican party de-
clared that the gold standard should be
maintained until something could be sub
stituted for it. Then what was that
something? 1t was bimetallism, and they
pledged themselves to get rid of the gold
standard and substitute bimetallism as a
better thing than gold standard. Uaugh-
teri. If the gold standard is good thing
why should we try to get rid of it?
daughter and applause). If it is a bad
thing, why should we keep it for a single
moment? (Applause).
IF, my friends, they declare to you
on any stump, upon any platform or in
any state that they advocate the gold
standard rs a good thing, we point to the
Republican platform as evidence that the
spirit of bmetalism is better than the
principle involved in the gold standard,
and if they admit that the double stand
ard is better than single standard and
tell us that this nation is unable to sus-
tain it without the aid and consent of
other nations, we hurl back defiance to
| them and tell them that this nation is
great enough to legislate for its own peo-
pie without waiting for the aid or consent
of any other nation on earth. CHEERS
and applause).
rs the United States unable to legis-
late for itself on the most important is
sue before the country or must the legis'
lative power be delegated to some for
eign power? Must the American people
surrender the right of elf-government!
! have no fear of the verdict of the peo-
pie. Aye, when we were but 3,OO0,OO0
we were willing to declare our political
independence. When we are 7O,O0OO,00O
shall we be afraid to declare OR financial
independence. Why, in OR platform. we
declare in favor of the Monroe doctrine.
we are in favor of this nation protect
ing little nation like Venezuela from an
act of wrong. Are we great enough
to 20 to South America to protect Nene-
zuela, and can we do that and say we
are unable to protect our own people on
our own soil?
"Wel, now, my friends. | did not
start to talk politics at all, but when
YOUR presence, the presence of this mag
| nificent assemblage tempted me to break
the promise | had made | have talked
even longer than l intended. Cries of
go ahead)
MY friends, want to leave this sub
ject to be discussed by others: and |
want to simply say one thing. 1t is not
a difficult thing for us, who live in this
western country, who know the c0ndl-
ton of our people; it is not difficult
thing for us to ask for the restoration
of free and unlimited coinage of silver
and gold at the ratio of 16 to /. But
there are sections of this country in
which it requires more heroism to stand
up for the rights of the masses of the
people, and L ask you not to fOrSet mat
the brave man who stands on the ticket
with me, and who. away off on the At
lantic shores, has been fighting the bat
ties of the common people as courageous
ly as Mr.. Bland has fought them in
Missouri. Uong continued applause
As courageously as the western advo-
Gates of free coinage have fought the
battles and delight in having at last
claimed recognition on the national ticket
for a western man and western IDEAS,
No not for a moment forget Arthur
fewall who stands as the embodiment of
lhis principle. | beg you to remember
four responsibility as citizens. We come
not begging for your votes. They are
your own. You live in nation where
The people rule, where every citizen is a
bovereign; aye, where no one cares to
wear crown. (Applause.) We do
not come to appeal to you. We simply
come to present during this campaign our
cause. We believe in it: we believe it
is a righteous cause. But we submit it
to your judgment and all we ask is that
you shall study the question and when
you have made up your mind have the
courage to do what you believe right.
Great applause and cheers.) Let your
ballots let the ballot of each one regis
ter free will and then, my friends
whatever may be the result, we shall ac-
cept it in that spirit which is Democracy
we shall accept it because the majority
of the people expressing themselves AT
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