The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-10
TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND PEG
PIE LISTEN TO HIM IN
SOUTH BEND.
HIS DEFINITION OF IN HONEST DOLLAR
One That Has the Same Purchasing
Power From Day TO Day-Why
Gold Loses Nothing in Value
by Being Melted.


hear Mr. Bryan speak on the money
question.
Mr.. Bryan reached South Bend this
evening and was received by Il trcmcn-
dous gathering at the depot.
Tonight he and Mrs. Bryan left the
house of Hon. Benz. Shively. democratic
| candidate for governor of Indiana, whose
guests they were, and were central iig-
urcs in witnessing a torchight parade.
Excursion trains brought in immense
crowds during the day The larger con-
| signmcnts came from Logansport, Elk
| hart, Valparaiso and Kalamaz zoo. Some
of the silver clubs brought bands
On the platform were Mr.. and Mrs.
Shively and Senator Blackburn of Ken
lucky, with Mr.. Bryan.
Senator Blackburn addressed large
meeting held in the afternoon.
| Just after Mr.. Bryan began TO speak
symptoms of stampede occurred in
the audience, through the efforts of
many on the outside to secure points of
vantage. The exterior pressure caused
the solid mass of humanity 10 surge like
pillows on the ocean. Many people were
carried off their feet and considerable cX-
element was the result. Mr.. Bryan
ceased speaking and waited for the dis
order to pass. The pressing continued,
however, and Mr. Shively arose and made
an appeal for order. He spoke coolly
and calmly and the crowd ceased sway
ing to listen and the disorder passed
| away.
Mr. Shively wasted no words in pre-
scnting Mr.. Bryan to the audience.
Mr. Bryan was greeted with cheers,
and spoke as follows:
| Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
men-About year ago | had the priri-
lege of visiting this city as a guest and
at the invitation of your townsman, who
was then representing this district in
congress. 1t gratfied me very much
on this, my second visit, to find him the
candidate of our party for governor of
the state. | am glad to greet you again,
and in the short time that | may be able
| to speak to you L desire to discuss that
question which is uppermost in the minds
of all of you-the money question. Our
opponents are in the habit of declaring
that question like the money question
was too deep to be considered by the
masses of the people and Our form of
government is based upon The theory that
the American people have not only the
patriotism. but the intelligence neccs-
sary to sit in judgment upon any ques-
ton which can arise. (Applause) |
want to argue this question upon the
theory that you are able to decide for
yourselves how this question affects you.
| want TO talk about some questions in
order that you may better answer them
in your conversation with your neighbors.
suppose there are several different
classes of people here tonight. There
may be those who believe in a gold stan
dard because they are peculiarly bene-
flied by a rise in the dollar. If there
are any such L am not very hopeful of
bringing them to bimetallism. | have
learned that as Il rule people are in
cined to judge others by themselves. If
there are those who advocate the gold
standard under the mistaken idea that
it would be a good thing for them, | hope
| may be able to lead them to II better
understanding of the question. If there
are bimetalists here who have been
troubled by questions put to them which
they could not readily answer, | desire
to suggest answers to some of these ques-
tiOns. If there are those who believe in
bimetallisIn, | desire to deepen their CON
victions, so that if you come here say
ing that bimetallism ought to be re-
stored | want you to go away declaring
the first question to be considered, what
is an honest dollar? We hear people
talking about honest money. What do
they mean by honest money? Did you
ever hear an advocate of the gold stan
dard give the definition of an honest
dollar? | will tell you the definition
which you generally hear. 1t is this,
that an honest dollar is IA dollar which,
when melted. loses none of its value;
that is what they tell you is an honest
dollar. | want to say to you, my
friends, that the man who gives to You
that definition of an honest dollar has
yet to learn the first principles of none
tary science.
AN honest dollar is the dollar which
retains the same general purchasing
power yesterday, today and forever.
Great applause) That would be an
honest dollar. Purchasing power is the
test of honesty. a dollar which rises
in purchasing power is just as dishonest
as Il dollar which falls in purchasing
power. (;ApplanseJ The, only differ
ence is that when the dollar rises it
helps one class of citizens. When it falls
it helps another class of people And
when you find a person who is always
afraid that a dollar will fall in its pur-
chasing power, you have found man
who, being interested in having dollars
grow larger, is, of course, in favor of a
SOlu SldlludTu. w UtIl you UIlu men WIN
tell you that they want a dollar of the
highest purchasing power you may set
it down that you have person who be-
lieves in legislating for the monied
classes, who profit by raising dollars. If
a person sympathizes with the money
owning class it is but natural that he
favors those things which are good for
the money-owning classes. The defini-
ton which they give you that the honest
dollar is the dollar which, when melted
loses none of it's value, as a definition
overlooks the one important thing in n
good dollar. Let me illustrate. Sup
pose all the world should join in a gold
standard and make our dollar the unit
under the standard, and then suppose
the next day all the nations should get
together and decide there was too much
money in the world and decide to gather
up ninety-nine one-hundredths of all the
dollars in the world and sink them in the
ocean. What would be the result? You
would have one dollar where you now
have one hundred, and, according to the
definition of the gold standard men, you
would still have honest dollars, because
if you melted one of them it would lose
none Of its value. (Applause.) II, how
ever, you owe man $1,000 and had to
90 out and sell property to get $1,000 to
I ..aVf