The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-03

would be a party to contempt 10Y law. 10
an attack on our highest court and TO a
subversion of our form of government by
loading it down with ungovernmental tunc-
tons: Before such n spectacle now would
the shades of Jefferson, jackson and Tilden
shudder and shrink.
CAMPAIGN OF a DEMAGOGUE.
While, as 1 have said. Mr.. Bryan boldly
processes to stand on every one OF the
strange planks of the Chicago platform, he
adroitly attempts to divert Democratic at
tention from the revolutionary spirit which
pervades most of that document by condn-
ing the larger part of his public utterances
to what he calls bimetallism; and he evil
IDENTIFY hopes by magnifying the Importance
of this financial issue and distorting its
phases so that it will appear to be the
movement of the masses against the
classes, to make Democrats forget their
dislike of the plainly undemocratic features
of the platform and to persuade them Inas
after all only an economic issue Is lnNoINeu
and this should not IustiIy a oFeahIi ~
party ties. But that kind or iactlcS shouiu
deceive no one. We believe that ar.
Bryan's arguments for free silver are lai-
lacious and demagogic, but we Oppose ms
candidacy not chiefly because he faVors
free coinage. but because his advocacy OF
that policy is but a feature OF his support
of a SET of doctrines which we nave peen
taught to regard as the very, oppoSitS u
onstrates the unftness of Bryan and his
associates for positions of public trust. Let
not this fact escaDe Democratic attention.
Every appeal in the name of party regu-
larity to support the Bryan ticket is an
appeal to support the governmental owner
ship of railroads and t~elegraphs, to attack
the independence of the federal judiciary:
to abolish the merit system as a test OF
fitness for public office, to refuse to uphold
the national credit by the issue of bonds
when necessary, to scale down the puDiic
evils which would follow a silver standard,
but those which would follow 1rredeemaoie
paper money. for even purely nat money
seems to be in TINS Ch1caso
platform. The men who represent Such a
conglomeration of poor principles ana rad
ical notions are not Democrats. They have
no claim on Democrats, and all over the
land to-day Democrats are rising TO over
throw these party letters which mean
and the certain injury which the partys
rash leaders would inflict upon the Nation;
Bryan's nomination is manifest in his
speeches now being delivered throughout
the country. His conspicuous failure at
Madison-square Garden 10 ADVANCE the
cause of silver by close argument mas IN
logician and statesman and TO employ the
arts of the orator. From the rear END OF
cars he has been finging out social ana
political firebrandS among the PEOPLE. he
appeals to the base instincts of the lgnor-
ant or to the misery of the distressed. he
strives to array class agains class, to in
cite employee against employer, to stir up
debtor against creditor. to make this n
contest of the poor against the rich; May
God prevent this incendiary's work! In this
broad land it has been our proud boast
that the avenues of success have been
open TO All. Ie IlCA lO-bdS Nt1C nv b9OL
of yesterday. No families of inherited
wealth dominate our politics or our So
cietv. Before the law all men are equan;
The same opportunities do not come to all
men; some succeed, many fail, but no bar
rier to success or position is created by
law. Industrial conditions may be affected
by unwise laws. and when this is demon
strated we attempt to change them
through the opportunity which every man
has to register his vote at the polls. But
though some men succeed and many fail,
this is the lot of life, and no candidate for
49, hos ny-nr IN red hnfnTp tn
use this fact to arouse man against man
and to kindle the fires of social discomfort
and disorder.
ANSWERS TO FOREIGN CRITICISMS.
Proud as we have been of Americas ma
terial prosperity. we have been prouder
still of the self-reliant, independent and
sensible spirit of her people. When for
eign critics have told us that democracy
here would some day prove a failure, that
universal suffrage would lead to anarchy,
that class feeling would be engendered
which would result in riot or in the con-
fiscation of property. we have laughed
and pointed to the sturdy Americanism or
our farms, to the influences of our public
schools, to the respect for law and order
in our cities. to the examples of self-made
men in every family, to the educat-
ing influences of our press, to the full
ness and broadness of our charities. and
more than all, to the solid patriotism of
our people. l believe that we can still
utpGIu jill t5E "a a. NHC NiAiiCo oAt
stagnant as industry is, distressed as
many homes are for lack of employment.
pie will not be deceived by appeals to pas
sion, but will perceive clearly what
is the truth-namely, that present con-
ditions are largely caused, not by the in
fuenceS against which Mr.. Bryan. in lurid
words, declaims, but by fear of the very
remedies which he suggests. When this
great shadow which he and his associates
have created passes off the surface of the
financial and industrial world, then con-
GIA-~1 It'll H. ra-t4rA1 0lrony v;1l cool
investment, factories will be reopened and
employment will be secure. There can be
no prosperity without confidence, and Mr..
Bryan's plan shelters confidence and por-
tends business failures and panic. These
mean more men out of employment more
homes without food and clothing, more mis-
cry and distress.
All of Mr.. Bryan's specious pleas and
M for silver are based on the as
sumption that the free coinage of silver
by the United States alone would establish
and maintain bimetallism-the parity of
gold and silver at the eXchangeable ratio
of 16 to l. If that is incorrect
or ill-founded, each of his falls
to the ground and every one of his pre-
dictions loses it's force. Not one word has
he uttered in advocacy of a silver stand
ard. Not one word does he dare utter in
behalf of a silver standard. He will de-
claim by the hour against the evils of gold
recommendation, and nearly everything he
says on that subject is equally applicable
to silver recommendation also. Bimetallism
is a genuine Democratic doctrine, but BIZ
metallism can never be maintained by the
men who dominated the Chicago conven-
ton or by the method implied in the Chi
cago platform. There is reason to doubt
whether the forces which controlled that
convention even desired to BIZ
metaIlism. The word bimetallism does not
appear in the platform. The convention
by an Overwhelming vote rejected a propo-
Sition pledging the government to main
tain the parity of the two metals. The dis
position of the convention as indicated by
its expressions and it's actions was to-
ward silver monomatallism or irredeema-
BILE fiat money. AS well might the ark of
the covenant have been intrusted to the
PhilistineS as to intrust the cause of BIZ
metallism to the revolutionary horde be-
hind Bryan.
SILVER MONOMETALLISM.
1t is not a difficult task to show that
under present conditions free coinage of
silver by the United States alone would
result in silver monometallism Foolish
experiments in that direction have already
caused the loss of a great part of our gold
from circulation. Part of it has gone
abroad, Withdrawn from investment in our
industries, and part has been boarded for
the day when it should bring a high pre-
MUM. Our government can get none ex-
cept by increasing the national debt and
the burden of taxation. About 500. 000. 900
in gold is in the United States treasury to
support the parity, not alone of the $346.-
coo. 600 of greenbackS which was its orig
inal function, but the six hundred and
twenty-five millions Of silver currency,