Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-10-16
WITH A VARNISH OF ORA
TORY,
Not With Argument Did The
Silver TOngued Orator Try
To Cover Up Facts.
A HOWLINO SUCCESS.


Colonel Bradshaw, the silver tongued
orator of Kentucky, who is SO well
known by everyone except Michigan
people, and who is known for his elo-
quence and ability to move the most
stubborn audience TO tears, made his
first and as he expressed it, probably his
ence, Saturday evening. Now Alma
people have always had reputation for
tender heartedness, but try as he would,
he could not bring single tear TO the
eyes of his listeners, that is, so far as we
were able TO see from our somewhat
cramped and obscured position. Evil
dently the managers were not aware of
the fact that a reporter can attend any
public meeting and furnish report in
accord with his own opinion of the pro
ceedings. State law says so.
In opening, the speaker showed how
inconvenient it would be if we did not
have money, this of course any one will
admit Then he slid off into the land
of vocalized atmosphere and said that
one hundred and twenty-six republics
had existed before ours, and that every
one of them had fallen because of the
money question, now these are facts
which will probably appear in the next
issue of ancient history, but a diligent
search of present works fails to reveal
such facts. 1.-The Roman Empire came
to its fall, because of a contraction Of
the currency" Then Gibbon Myers,
Thalmers and all the rest must have
been misinformed. We were surprised
that he didn't say that Adam fell be-
cause he didn't have silver dollar.
1--WE want our money worth its face
value all over this land" Yes, we want
ours worth its face value all over the
world, so that we can deal with foreign
countries, and thus have a market for
our surplus of grain, cattle and other
products of the country. The speaker
next gave a splendid definition of gov
ernment and clear exposition of its
workings, which showed the true genius
of the orator, but which had little to do
with the issue in hand. "Silver was
the bedrock on which our currency sys-
tenn was founded" Yes, and gold is
the bedrock on which it now rests, and
why this difference, because silver was
scarce in 1889, and so held as unit of
value, but now it is secondary to the
rarer metal, gold and has fallen to a
lower position in the scale of credit
The orators quotation of the money
plank in the 1892 Republican platform
was utterly false, hardly word of the
plank being rightly read. 1t seems
strange that such an error would be
made.
"Why didn't Abraham Lincoln call
an international conference in 1868, TO
decide whether we should have war
with the south?" Well, for the simple
reason that the war of 1868 was a pure
ly local affair, effecting no one but cit
izens of the public. While the present
issue has to do with our intercourse
with other nations.
He reminded the old soldiers of the
fact that if free silver was adopted, their
pensions would be cut in two, but hrs
only reply to it was an exhortation to
remain true to free silver all the same,
and help the nation, no matter if they
did go down to their graves with an
empty stomach.
This appeal to patriotism might have
| done in 1868, but it will not now, for
the soldier is endued with common
| sense, as well as patriotism.
Money that is coined by nation of
70,000,000 is worth its face value the
| world over, no matter where presented. 4"
How does this sound to you? Does not
the credit of that nation have a little to
do with it?
Most of the silver orators will tell you
that we do not care for other nations.
| that we can run our own affairs, but
| the Colonel said, "we do not care much
for other nations. A generous con-
session of our dependence upon them.
He next gave an interesting history