The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-09-22
AT LEXINGTON, KY.
Twenty Years Of Farming History i'm
the United States.


Mr.. Bryan was given q rousing re.
| ceptlon at Lexington, KY, and made q
speech at the Fair Grounds to an i'm.
mense audience, estimated from To-
900 to 10000 people. The appearance
Uf the candidate was the signal for an
ovation. Men waved their hats as
they cheered, and the women waved
handkereGiefs as they joined in the
shouting, Mr.. Bryan was presented by
State Senator Bronson. just after the
candidate had begun his speech a
heavy shower drove many of the spec
tators froIa the field, but their places
were taken by afcontinuous stream. OF
constantly arriving people.
One of the pleasant incidents Of the
day was .sthe parade of over eight
thousand horsemen which passed the
stand from which MIR. /. Bryan WIS
speaking. In. the middle Of his speech
the equestrians made their appearance
carrying banners and Interrupted Mr..
Bryan in his talk, making very i'm
pressive sight. They cheered him
time and again, and fell in line at the
outskirts of the crowd and, listened to
the rest of his speech.
When MIR. Bryan had been intro
duced, he spoke,as follows:
1t Is not often that the money Ques-
tion is presented to the people. 1t is
deslrabie, that Sthere should be fixed
and permanent financial policy, but, my
friends, for more than twenty years the
American people have been seeking TO
restore financial policy which existed
from the foundation Of the government
and had the support OF every promi-
nent statesman Of all parties until
1873. 1t was changed without the
American peoples consent (AppIause. J
Ever since that unfortunate hour the
American people have been seeking to
re.nstate the law that was at that time
removed from the statute books Some
times they have passed through the
lower House bill to open our mints
sometimes they. have passed that bill
through the Senate; but heretofore
they have not succeeded in passing
that bill through the House and Senate
at the same Congress. We have been
compelled, time and time again, to
compromise, and then we have found
that our enemies, when they have
forced upon us compromise, have
commenced the next day to undermine
that which they compelled us to ac-
cept. (Applause.)
Whom the people succeeded in pass
ing through one house bill for the
free coinage OF silver, the other house
insisted upon an amendment that re-
suited in what was known as the Bland
Act of 1878. 1t gave some relief to the
people. 1t gave to them q short re-
spite from the increased depression
that had been forced upon them by
vicious legislation but no sooner was
| the law passed -and remember that
even that law was passed over the
prpaldnnt)a Untn-fhof hn ~
| free coinage, who had compelled Its
adoption, began to work secretly for
it's repeal. Then when the silver sen.
timent had grown until, in February
1880, there were prospects of the pas
sage OF FREQ coinage law, our friends
again forced a compromise and sub
mitted the Sherman law for tho free
coinage OF silver and no sooner was
the Sherman law passed than our op
! ponents began to try to secure it's re
| peal. Sherman, in his book, "Johr
Shermans Recollections," expressly
states that he secured and favored thai
bill In order to prevent the passage o.
a free coinage law, and that he wa,
ready to voGe for its repeal the mex
day If that repeal could bo secured
without substituting free coinage
| (Applause.)
i call your attention to these facts Il
show you that during all these years
instead of meeting open and frank an,
candid enemies, we have had to tigh
those who, under the guise OF bein,
friends of free coinage, the friends o
bimetallism, have by stealth sought +
fasten the gold standard upon the Am
erican people. Great applause
They went TO ST. Louis and wrote tn
platform of the Republican party, Di
they say In that platform that thegol,
standard was good thing (? No, no, no
friends. TO have made an open decls
ration of what they wanted would hav
been contrary to oil their history, an
they were not willing to ch6Rgs thei
J, plans. (Applause.) -
What did they do? Why, lthe
adopted platform which pledged III
Republican party TO get rid al Til
, gold standard aud TO substitute b
snetalism. Whom? When leadi4g n,
} tions help us do 1t. Having done5Lha
the same Influences that dom insst Oh
, ST. Louis convention went 20 Chioap
) and attempted the old gaD8e. yhey a
tempted towrite d g45fleY plank I,
|. the Democratic platf0fyn hat could a,
= have been disttnguf5lhe from the Il
. publican plank, even with the aid OF