The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-06

IN these capacities. An Ofncer, i
might say, is a necessary evil. 1T would
be better for the people if they could
act for themselves but that being inn
possible, they must do the next best
thing amd act through some one else,
and the beauty about our form OF gov
ernment is that instead of acting
through some body who rules by right
divine, our people act through repre-
sentatives whom they themselves
choose, and whom they can turn out
OF Office whenever they get tired OF
them. (Applause.)
"Since the public officer is elected
to carry out your ideas it is impor-
tant that you shall know: First, for
what policies does candidate stands,
and second, will he carry out those
policies if elected? | believe in the
Democratic platform, not because |
stand upon it--I believe in its because
it presents doctrines which / believed
in before they were put in that plat
form. Great applause.) And ] have
reasons for the faith which is in me.
1t is true of every platform that it en-
braces a large number of subjects, be-
cause at all times government covers
various questions, but it is also true
that in an election there is generally
one issue which rises above all other
issues and which more than any other
or all others, engrosses the thoughts
of the people and of the party. The
citizen takes the paramount issue in
any campaign, the thing which he
thinks more important than other is
sues, and by that paramount issue he
determines his allegiance. In this
campaign we have suffered some de-
sertions. Why? Because our platform,
departing from what has some times
been the custom, has been straight,
clear and emphatic on the leading
questions. (Applause.) 1t is easy to
hold all the members of the party to-
gether if your platform means moth
ing; and people are willing to submit
to platforms which may mean any
thing or nothing according to con-
fusion, but whenever a party takes n
firm position on any great question, it
must expect that those who do not be-
lieve with the party viii feel justified
in leaving the party, provided they can
find somewhere else an expression of
their ideas. / say it must be expected
REPEAL OF THE SHERMAN LAW.
but my friends, we have reached
time when decided action is necessary.
This money question which to-day
overshadoWs all other questions, has
been thrust upon the American people,
not 50 much by the advocates of free
coinage, as r. tie opponents Of free
coinage. (Applause).
What has brought it to the atten-
ton Of the people? As soon as the
last campaign closed the monied inter-
ests of this country made combined
attack on what was known as the Sher-
man law. They demanded the repeal
of the purchasing clause Of the Sher-
man law, and they based their attack
upon the platform of the Democratic
party of 1892; but instead Of attack
ing that platform as a whole, they
picked out a part of a sentence and in-
sisted upon enforcing part of the
platform while ignoring the rest OF
the platform. (Applause) The DEM
ocratic party denounced the Sherman
law us a make-shift. What is a make
shift? Why it is a temporary expedi-
emit? 1t is a thing used until some
better thing can be secured, and the
very plank in the platform that declar-
ed in favor of the repeal
OF the makeshift asserted
that we had held to the use Of gold and
silver as the standard money of the
country and not that only, but that
platform added that gold and silver
be coined without discrimination a.
gainst either metal or charge for coin
ing. (Applause.) There were certain
qualifying words which followed, but
those qualifying words did not des-
troy the declaration of the Democratic
party for coinage of gold and silver
upon equal terms, and yet the monied
interests of this country combined to
attack the Sherman law and to secure
its repeal and leaving in its place to
furnish the money which the people
need, nothing They said that the
gold was going abroad and that if they
repealed the Sherman law gold would
stop going abroad.
THE ISSUE or BONDS.
'After a struggle that has seldom
been equalled, they succeeded in re-
pealing the Sherman law without con-
dition and then what? Did gold stop
issued fifty million of dollars of bonds
ter than before; and then what? Then
they began to issue bonds to get
enough gold to furnish it to those who
wanted to send it abroad or who want
ed to put it away in their vaults or
wanted to make an excuse for the is
sue of more bonds. (Applause.) They
going abroad% No, it went abroad fas-
and then fifty million dollars more of
bonds and then the administration
entered into wat was known as the
Rothschilds contract.My friends, let me
childs contract. My friends let me
dwell just one moment upon that con-
tract. ] call your attention to the fact
that while that contract was made
by Democratic administration it was
supported by all the leading members
of the Republican party (Applause)
And more than that, the Republican
party in convention assembled, did not
denounce or criticise that Rothschilds
contract. Why? Because, the men
who wrote the Republican platform
have always justified the Presidents
conduct. Now, ] want to say to you
that in my humble Judgment that con-
tract was the most Infamous one that |
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