The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-07
VERY PLAIN

DdlH, Muluc, OCU Dion. ArInur
Sewall, Democratic candidate for Vice
President of the United States, tonight
made public his letter of acceptance. 1t
is rs follows:
Hon. Stephen B. White, chairman, and
members of the notification committee:
Gentlemen:
81 have the honor to accept in writing,
rs l have already verbally done, the NOM
ination rendered by you on behalf of 70
Democratic party, as it's candidate nv
Vice-President of the United States,
in doing so am glad, first, to expires my
satisfaction that the platform of our lal
ty, which has commanded my life
allegiance, is honestly and fully de,
tory of ali its principles and especin
the absorbing financial issue upon
as you say, took my stand 'whe
hour of triumph seemed remote
when arrogant money changers tn 4r-
out the world boosted that the COW, ST.
OF the American masses was complete.'
These principles have been of late in
| allegiance, but only because those whom
we trusted to maintain them have failed
to do so. These principles can never die.
We have rescued our party from those,
who, under the influence of the money
power, have controlled and debased it,
Our mission now Is to rescue from this
same power and its foreign allies our
| own beloved country. This is the first
and highest duty imposed by our party S
platform; upon the performance of this
duty all other reforms must wait. The
test of party principles is the government
they assure; the proof of good government
is contented and happy people, and the
supreme test OF both is the ability to
guide the country through the crisis rs
we'll as to administer the government in
ordinary times. Our people now face
crisis more serious than any since the
war. TO what party shall they turn in
their dire emergency? 1t is true that the
present crisis may not involve all equally,
that there are those who do not suffer
now and may not suffer, should the crisis
threatened by the gold standard come on
i'll all its fury. Human selfishness makes
these deaf to all appeals, but to these,
fortunately, the Democratic party has
never needed to appeal to win its battles
nor does 1t now have to rise superior to
itself in the sacrifices which such Il crisis
demands of every patriot We are told
That tile country has proSpered under the
present monetary standard; that it's
wealth has enormously increased Grant
ell so; but III whose hands? In the hands
OF the toilers, the producers, the farmers,
the miners, the fabricators in the facto-
ries, the makers of the nations wealth in
pNNNS3 ioo hSiOiiNtSiS III MuT! nave UDcY
prosperity which was theirs so late as
twenty years ago? 1 deny it. They deny
1t. None affirm it, save those whose in
terests it is to do so. Whose profit would
diminish as prosperity returns to those
on whose distress they thrive? All is in
deed not right between labor and capital
The best money in the world is none too
good for those who have it, but how
Is it with ninety per cent. of our people
who have got it to get?' How is it with
those who must buy this best money in
the world with the products of their own
labor? These are the people for whom
the Democratic party would legislate.
What is the best money for these? is the
question for all to ask who really love
their land. How else can you increase
iabor's purchasing power but by increas-
ing the price of labor's products? Is it IL
talr measure of values that in our great
producing section ten bushels of potatoes
must be paid for dollar, ten bushels of
oats for dollar, three bushels of wheat,
six bushels of corn for dollar. and ali
other products of the soil and mines and
the labor of all wage earners Mt the same
ratio? Docs any fair mind say this is
honest money that forces such an ex-
change, and if it is not fair exchange is
it honest, is it less than robbery?
"This is the onerous condition to which
the single gold standard has brought us
Under it the appreciation of the best
money in the world has increased the
wealth OF the rich and for the same req
son has increased the debt of the debtor
30 it has been, so under the present
standard it must continue to be- With
these object lessons about us, little need
have we for history and statistics and the
studies of the scholars. Little satisfaction
it is to us that they have warned us long
since of the deadly evil of the gold stand.
ard. It has brought us at last to the part
ing of the ways Whittier shall the peo-
pie go-in the way that has led to their
enslavement or into that which offers
them their only chance to regain individ-
ual liberty, lasting prosperity and happi
ness? Yet our opponents charge us with
creating class distinctions. Alas for the
Republic, they are already here, created
by the Republican policy of the last thirty
years, created by the very system we
would now overthrow and destroy. Nor
do we raise sectional issue. The nomi-
nation you tender repels the charge.
None know better than that this nomi-
nation is meant as no personal tribute,
but as an assurance that our party is
non-sectional party. Not by our policy,
but only by the continuance OF the gold
standard can sectionalism be revived.
Neither shall our opponents be per-
United to terrify the people by predic-
tions that temporary disturbance or panic