The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-21
THAT ANCIENT DOLLAR.
Mr.. Frank Opens the 53-Cent Dollar
Campaign.


A Real Populist Argument.
The Hon. NJ. P. Frank opened his 3d.
ship of Maine at Westbrook, last even
ing, before a good sized audience. The
most noticeable feature of the address
was that it teemed with facts that are
not SO about the money question. 1t was
a real Populist argument reiterating the
exploded humbugs like the crime of
49," the money of the constitution.
etc."
Chairman Crowley Of the city oom-
mitree introduced VIM. Lyons, Eos, who
presided and introduced Hon. NJ. P.
Frank, as gentleman cultured and
learned.
Mr.. Frank, after brief Introduction,
plunged into the financial question, de-
soribing WHAT he considered "honest
mo sy." An honest dollar was one for
which you have to expend a just and
reasonable amount of labor; one for
which you have TO part with only just
amount of your property; one that is no
rsspeotel of persons; one that abides with
you in times of trouble as well as in
times Of prosperity; one that in times Of
depression does not hide itself behind the
gilded doors of the banks.
; The dollar of which speak tonight is
one whose existence is coeyal with the
independence of America. The men who
led us through the Revolution were pref
ty good judges of what dollar ought
to be, we re they not? And they estab-
lished the silver dollar. (Applause.) That
was the dollar which had its birth in
the days when men were looking more to
independence and liberty than to acoum-
mulatsd wealth.
The silver dollar then was placed as
the basis of our currency. and all other
currency was based on it. That was
the dollar of our fathers. And from that
day it has been with this country for
nearly century. With gold and silver,
based on that dollar we bought of France
the great Louisiana territory; with that
dollar we took up arms against Great
Britain aud fought the battle for free
trade and sailors rights. (applause); with
that dollar we bought the green ever
glados of Florida; with that dollar we
conquered Mexico and planted our BAN
ners on the walls of the Montezumas;
with that dollar we bought the gold and
silver regions west Of the Rockies; with
that dollar as the basis of our paper
money, we fought the great war of the
Rebellion.
Such is the history Of the silver dollar.
Are we trying now to establish some.
thing new. Or are we trying to restore
something tina t is old.
Our fathers put the big dollar on the
bottom and the little dollar on top. We
have reversed it, putting the gold be-
meath. What is the result? Everything
else has been turned over. Formerly the
laboring GLASSES owned most of the prop
erty, now the few capitalists own the most.
IL the old days the rulers came to the
people. The man did not seek the office.
The office sought the man. Now instead
Of rule Of the masses, it is the rule of
the bosses.
Now what do we seek to do. We seek
to place the dollar back where it was be-
fore the time when, stealthily in the
dark, under the influence of the money
power of England, they plunged dag
er into the silver dollar.
And, then, when it was reeking In its
blood, they cried out, do you see your 30.
cent dollar.
Now ladies and gentlemen, shall we
permit this crime, or shall we restore
that dollar, put it's wealth upon 1T again,
and send it to proclaim liberty through
out the 10 nd? (Reluct ant applause.)
Who are these parties who are crying
out against the 53-cent dollar?. They are
the Andrew Carnegies, who SO dearly
love the laboring man. They are the
life insurance companies. Did you ever
know life insurance company that
would not pay you 53-oent dollar if it
could, or get out of paying all together.
daughter and applause
Suppose that we do. have 55-cent dol
lar. All the government expenses will
be paid in them. Mr. Bryan as President
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