The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-11

aristocracies? If bimetallism will help
the common people it will make our ma
ton stronger. Have we not already set
Europe such an example that the common
people there have again and again revolt
ed? Kings and cmperors rejoice at the
downfall of the people. Will kings con-
sent to build up republics? Never, and
they will never consent to international
bimetallism, unless at n ratio fixed to
cheat us and their own common people.
All our monied classes know this. 1t is
heads | win md tails you lose with them
all the time II we want international
agreement let us agree with our sister
republics.
We owe these foreign nations many
dollars. BY the help of our monied classes
they have made each gold dollar harder
for us to get, and worth more to them
when they get it. They will not consent
to scale down the debt they have thus
increased. But we may honestly pay it
Just rs we agreed, in coin dollars, gold or
silver as we please, as was written in the
bond.
BY destroying half of our money they
have in effect doubled our debt BY res
toring old conditions we put the debt
where it was. We should do exact JUS
tice. But we should not submit to inius-
tice and eXtortion if we are deserving the
name of Americans.
Comrade, this is not the first time in
history that gold standard has been set
up, to lead II people wrong When the
chosen people were left alone, Aaron
caused golden calf to be craven, and the
people said of it, "These be thy Gods, o
Israeli which have brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt" But the golden
calf, then as now, was false god. The
golden calf did not save Israel. God is
divine. 1t will not save us. Nothing
will save us from untold misery but to
return TO the old path from which we
have gone astray. Our golden calf has
become bull, and seeks to gore and
trample us.
Now comes the important question. Is
1T safe to join hands with orr late oppo-
nents at the South, and accept their plea
that they are as loyal to this government
as we are?
WE'LL we never found the Southern sol
diers towards. You and / will certify
to their courage. Brave men are seldom
treacherous, seldom untruthful. If /
must choose between men who once
fought against us, but now avow their
loyalty, and men who admit they foistefi
u monetary system on the people without
the peoples consent; who doubled the ma
tional debt by jugglery, and insist OH
foreign aid to make American laws; if /
must choose between repentent rebels
and unrepcntent robbers will turn to
the man in gray, and say Johnny, count
me with you.''
But are the men who would return to
bimetallism anarchists and nihilists:
You and l stood shoulder to shou lder
with more than million farmer BOYS,
who thought no sacrifice too great to
make for the flag they loved. AS they
loved their country then they love it now.
The farmers have always been the bone
and sinew of our land. The farmers
know that in our present gold basis sys-
tenn is suffering and want. They believe
that under the old bimetallc system there
is honesty and plenty. They ask to re-
turn to that system, nothing more. They
are honest; they are earnest; they are
loyal; we can trust them. Comrade, am
with the common people, for our land and
our liberty, and against the monied arts.
tocrats who would bind us in the train of
European monarchs. Frnternally,
WALLACE a. BARTL EFT,
Late Private, Sth Co., New York Sharp
shooters.