Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-09-23

they don't improve the opportunity my
generally enjoy the privilege or suffering
because they have neglected the oppor-
tunity. Applause) II the laws are not
good the people themselves are TO blame.
IN this campaign one great issue Is pre-
sented to the people. If everything is all
right and what YOU wish IL to be, then II
ought not to be changed. II the gold
standard IS a good thing, and we have
had IL these many years, why IS 1t so
many fail TO appreciate its blessings? i
will tell YOU Because its blessings have
only reached a few people who like II.
Applause) This Is campaign OF educa-
ton. I'm which the newspapers are not
doing their share Of the work. Applause
and laughter) There is one thing about
truth-that IL comments itself TO those
who receive II. who examine II, who in
vestigate Il. n re is one thing about
error. and that u.s. IL is discarded by pco-
ple when they get acquainted with II.
And the reason why every day one nnds
more advocates OF free coinage is eN-
plained by the fact that free coinage OF
silver IS based upon solid rock, and Is de-
Tended by arguments which appeal to the
heads Of those who think and the hearts
OF those who feel-argIments which are
only useless when directed 10 tne pocket
book. Applause)
said that until the Chicago convention
acted on the subject he had never inves-
tigated the money question, and never
supposed there was anything In 1t; that
the papers did not seem TO consider II
worth thinking about. They regarded 1t
as a craze. and he did not have time, as
a man of business. 10 pay any attention
10 crazes But when a great national
party adopted n platform making the
money question the paramount issue ne
began to think about 1t. That was only
a few weeks ago. He got to be crank.
He said to me: If we don't win this fight.
II is going on until we do win, and l
don't care how many years 1t takes
Applause)
FREE-sILVER ESSENTIAL
"I can appreciate the feeling Of that
man. 1 went through the same expe-
rlence myself. Until six years ago l
thought any man who talked about
money was a harmless crank. l did not
listen TO his arguments. They had no
weight with me. Six years ago | began
to study the question, trying 10 find out
what was right. because | was taught 10
believe IL a man would ground himself
on what was right he could wait for
otner people TO come 10 him. I was
taught to believe no man could afford 10
be wrong. no matter how many he had
I'm his company. j studied the question.
| read books on both sides and compared
them. and the more | read the
deeper became my conviction, until /
became so firmly OF the opinion that
there could be no prosperity in this coun-
try until free silver was restored that i
was willing 70 risk all / had or hoped
10 have on the correctness Of that con-
clusion. Great applause)
1--WE have gone through I'm Nebraska
the same process people have gone
through in other States. We began the
fgnt i'm Nebraska. II II the pioneer.
The platform adopted at Chicago on the
silver question was first adopted In Ne
braska by the silver Democrats there.
(App'ause)
"When we did 1t we had boilers then.
as they have had since. We had men
who claimed to be Democrats who would
not agree to our platform. They called
themselves better Democrats than we
were. and voted the Republican ticket to
nrove II. Great laughter) We believed
the Democratic party, which owed its
success 10 the toiling masses. must still
stand bv them in their fight against the
few If n deserved 10 continue It's exist
ence. We organized in Nebraska a De-
mocratic free-silver league. The mem
bers Of that league made an open fight.
They did not 60 around I'm the dark
wearing a mask. They said TO the
democracy OF the state: We are going
10 take uossession of the machinery Of
the marty II we can; We are going 70
submit this question to the voters We
went out and presented the question.
when our State convention met we had
three 10 one. and we adopted that plat
form. which has been re-adopted by the
National Democratic Convention. GAP
nIause1 There was never a fairer con-
test ever waged.
"Then we organized bimetallc De-
nocratic National League. which went
ont 10 do IN the nation what the free
silver Democrats OF Nebraska had done
IN that State. We carried the question
IN the primaries. and the voters instruct
"a the delegates TO the county con-
vention. aud from there TO the State
convention and from there to the ma
tional convention.
eve never had a convention in this
country which more correctly represent
ed the sentiment Of the people who sent
the delegates than that convention which
met at Chicago. IL Is honor enough TO be
the nominee OF a convention for Presi-
dent. But IL is a higher honor yet TO be
the nominee OF the most Democratic
convention ever held In this country. (Ap-
plause) II Is sufficient honor TO he
nominated by the machinery OF party,
but IL Is a higher honor still to be nomi-
mated by the people OF party. regard
less of the machinery. (App.ause.k
THE PEOPLE STUDYING.
"since that platform was adopted the