Birmingham state herald., 1896-09-09

republicans, who were openly supporting the free coinage of silver and were as- serting that they had as much right to attend to their business as the New York banker had to attend to his business.
 Another thing that l noticed, and that IS the intense earnestness that character lzeS this campaign. I have not found a iukewarm man anywhere. They have been for us or against us. And they have been earnestly for us or against us I an glad to see that because, my friends, politics is serious business when you confront such issues as confront the American people now. (Cries Of that's rfSht. We have had financial system which has been injurious to the masses or the people. We have had a financial system which has brought gain to those who have secured it and untold loss to those who have suffered under it, and we are now confronted with a proposition that we must keep this system until for eign aid comes to our relief. Applause and cries of well never do it.'O
 My friends, we have right as Amer iean citizens to discuss this great over shadowing issue and determine, each for himself what ought to be done. The re- publican platform, without defending a gold standard, declares that it must be maintained until the leading nations of Europe shall join in a substitution of a double standard. That is the platform anu the candidate who stands upon it has emphasized that declaration. As against the maintenance of d gold stand ard, either for one day or forever the democratic party has declared for the immediate restoration of the money of the constitution. (Applause) Not only the democratic party, but the silver par ty and the populist party. Both of these have joined with the democratic party in making this the paramount issue of the campaign
 They are trying to drag in other ques- tions, but there can be no other ques- tion until we first determine whether the people of this country are able to have their own policy, and until we have de- cided upon 1t do not know whether all of you fully realize the intensity of the struggle in which you are engaged Our opponents began the campaign by as- serting that the American people were not able to establish bmetallish, and when they found there was revolt among the American people against such a policy they commenced a system of
 Coercion and Terrorizing,
 insisting that the masses of the people even have not the right to determine what kind of policy they want. This terrorism and coercion is manifested in two ways. In the first place the heads Of many great corporations are under taking to compel their employees to SUD- port the gold standard. (Cries of That is sol! and "Shame!) My friends, if the heads of these corporations assert the right to control the votes of those who work for them then we have presented to the American people even a greater question than the silver question. If a corporation has the right to control the vote of an employe on one question: it has the right to control 1t on every other question. (Cries of Right you are" and applause) Those corporations were not constituted for any such purpose. They are creatures of law. Has the law given unto these corporations any such power? (Cries of "No, never.)
 Continuing. MT. Bryan said: My friends, do you think you are under a ask you what you think will be the re- suit if we get to be a government by the bankers? (Applause) If we could trust our affairs to a New York banker we n,igfs. endure 1t for time, but when you remember that the New York banker Is under control of the London banker ask you to reflect before you submit the des- tinies of free people to few finan- ciers. We have been told that we can not borrow money from abroad unless we have a financial system that is satis- factory to the people abroad. My friends, let them control your financial system and you will never see a time when you can get out of the clutches of those who are dominating your financial policy. tGreat cheering) Talk about ar raying one class against another. I want to ask you why it is that every democrat who Is interested in a syndicate or a trust or has salary from railroad corpo- ration is arrayed against the democratic party? Why is it? It is because the democratic party has declared against the issue of bonds in time of peace and the traffieking with syndicates. CThats right from the crowd) It is because the democratic party is opposed to the trusts and the prices which the trusts have instituted It is because the democratic party believes in the control and the
 Regulation and Restriction of all corporations so that they will serve the purpose for which they were allowed to exist (Great cheering). If those con- nected with trusts are fiocking together in the republican party, may we not ap- peal to all the smaller business men who have felt the iron heel of the trust and who have been driven out of business by its unlawful competition? Great cheer ing).
 If we are to lose all the attorneys of these great trusts Ca voice, Let them go,') may we not appeal with confidence to the support of the people who have been plundered by these trusts, and their attorneys, who have received part of the plumber? Cheers and shouts of 'Yes'). We are not responsible for the arraying of one class against another. These peo- pie have defined the business 10 be a few or nOL tHe pTOuuceTS Ul WtdilH, Dut liic exchangers of wealth, or those who try to corner the wealth, and they are try ing to array them against the rest of the people.
 The republican platform in the state of New York said we ought to have busl- ness administra tion conducted by busi- ness men in behalf of the business in- terests of the country. What do they mean by that? Do they call the farmers business men? (Cries of "No'). Oh, no; simply producers of wealth. But if man goes on the board of trade and makes more in an hour betting on the price of wheat you raise than you make in a year he becomes a business man. These people who have attempted to ar ray few of the people against the rest of the people, and who have insisted that the affairs of this government should be put in the hands of g. few when we have complainad, what euphonious names they have given to us. They have been call ing US disturbers of the peace, and they have called us anarchists, my friends. (Great cheering).
 SITUATION AT MANILA.