The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-13
He Discusses the Chicago Platform
and Condemns Its Vicious Feat
ures in Strong Terms.
JESSE GRANT VERY CANDID
HIS REASONS FOR FLOPPING OVER
TO THE POPULIsT PARTY.
He Wants to Break Into the United
States Senate and Saw No Chance
as IL Republican.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Sept. 12.-Ex-Sen-
ator George F. Ednunds made at Berwyn,
Chester county, Pennsylvania, tonight
what he declares will be his only speech
of the campaign. A big tent, seating 1000
people, was erected for the occasion. Much
of the address was devoted to the free-sil-
yer plank of the Chicago platform, and
on this subject he said, in part:
The Chicago project, therefore, is not,
and cannot be aimed at the pulling down
of the rich and the building up of the poor.
1t is aimed at our system OF true freedom,
equality and justice than reaches from tie
richest to the poorest man in the country,
and if carried out, 1t will operate-as such
schemes always have-a hundred times
more severely upon people of small means
and upon labor than upon the very
wealthy who are always able-as they al
have been--to take care of themselves un-
der any condition of things. The substan-
tiaI prosperity, therefore, OF the whole
body of the people of our country, as well
as it's honor require US to unite in con-
demning and defeating this scheme by the
surest means in our power.
The Senator commended the civil system
which, he said, the Chicago convention de-
rounced. THE system was inaugurated by
President Grant he continued, land has
been continued by every President since
under the authority of law. The only fault
found with it is that it prevents the pro-
fessional politician and boss from hosting
his particular favorite into the service of
the government when it so often and very
naturally happens that they are far from
being the most capable and trustworthy
of our citizens.
But, above and beyond all that I have
referred to- is the demand that Congress
shall pass a law forbidding any citizen to
make a contract payable in any particular
kind of money This, of course. shows be-
yond question that the promoters of the
financial schemes at Chicago knew that
paper or silver currency which follow 1t
would be deprecated, and that they must
have a law compelling a citizen to take
the poorest kinds of money in payment
for their labor or commodities. The Ch1ca-
go proposition is that the laborer in time
of depression and collapse. which the Chi
cago people foresaw would follow the ae-
complishment of their schemes, shall not
agree with his employer to be PAID IN the
best money, but that his employer shall
have the right to pay him in the poorest
condemning federal interference in State
affairs the Senator said, in part: Il think
it may be safely said that nowhere IN the
history of civilized government has any
such demand and proposition been before
asserted by any so-called representative
body of people. They strike at all that
sincerely iiberty-loving people have sought
for and fought for through generations,
and they strike at the very essence of
that orderly liberty, without which no
people can prosper or be happy. And this
is done in the name of Democracy; no
Democratic platform ever contained a
hint of any such idea, but always the re-
verse. And no Republican platform ever
contained any such thing, but always the
reverse. And if this is to be done what
may we expect from the promoters of
such schemes? There is disput1ng the
fact that the crisis is the NEST important
of any that has happened since the founda-
tiOn of our government"