Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-07-17
MlDDLEBURY REGISTER, JULY A. 1896

QlVldualS imam we could AFFORD TO dele
gate to private individuals the power to
make penal statutes or to levy laws for
taxation. Mr.. jefferson, who was once
regarded as good Democratic authority,
seems to have a different opinion from
the gentleman who has addressed us on
the part Of the minority. Those who are
opposed to this proposition tell us that
the issue Of paper money is a function
of the bank, and that the government
ought to go out of the banking business.
l stand with Jefferson rather than with
them and tell them, as he did, that the
issue of money is function of the gov
eminent and that the banks ought to
go out of the government business
They complain about the plank which
declares against the life tenure in office.
They have tried to strain it to mean
that which it does not mean. What we
oppose in that plank is the life tenure
that is being built up in Washington
which excludes from participation in
the benefits the humber members of
our society. I cannot dwell longer in
my limited time Cries of go onl
Go onp']
Let me call attention to two or three
great things. The gentleman from New
York says that he will propose an
amendment providing that this change
in our laws shall not affect contracts al
ready made. Let me remind him that
there is no intention of affecting those
contracts which, according to the pres
ent laws, are made payable in gold.
But if he means to say that we cannot
change our monetary system without
protecting those who have loaned money
before the change was made, | want to
ask him where, in law or in morals, he
can find authority for not protecting the
debtors WHOM the act Of 1878 was
passed, but now insists that we must
protect the creditor He says he also
wants to amend this law and provide
that if we fail to maintain a parity
within a year we will then suspend
the coinage Of silver. We reply that
when we advocate thing which we be-
lieve will be successful we are not COM
PEELED to raise doubt as to our ON
sincerity by trying to show what we
will do if we can. l ask him, if he will
apply his logic to us, why he does not
apply it to himself? He says that he
wants this country to try to secure an
international agreement Why doesn't
he tell US what he is going to do if they
fail to secure an international agree
ment? There is more reason for him to
do that than for us to fail to maintain
the parity. They have tried for 30 years
for 80 years-tO secure an interna-
tional agreement, and those are waiting
for it most patiently who don't want it
at all.
Now my friends, let me come to the
great paramount issue If they ask us
here why it is that we say more on the
money question than we say upon the
tariff question, | reply that if protection
has slain its thousands, the gold stand
ard has slain its tens of thousands. If
they ask us why we did not embody all
these things in our platform which we
believe, we reply to them that when we
have restored the money of the constitu-
ton all other necessary reforms will be
possible and that until that is done
there is no reform that can be accom-
plished Why is it that within three
months such II change has come over the
sentiment Of this country? Three months
ago, when it was confidently asserted
that those who believed III the gold
standard would frame our platform and
nominate our candidate, even the advo-
Gates of the gold standard did not think
that we could elect a president, but they
had good reason for the suspicion, be-
cause there is scarcely a state here today
asking for the gold standard that is not
within the absolute control of the Re
publican party.
But note the change. Mr. Mckinley
was nominated at st. Louis upon plat
form that declared for the maintenance
of the gold standard until it should be
changed into bimetallism by an inter
national agreement. Mr. Mckinley was
the most popular man among the Re
publicans and everybody three months
ago in the Republican party prophesied
his election. How is it today? Why.