The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-13
THE BOY ORATOR ACCEPTS.

Il
BRYAN. getting to be commonly known
as BILLY BRYAN and heretofore conspic
uous ss the Boy Orator of the Platte, ac
cepted the nomination OF he Democrat IL
convention at Chicago and gave his per
sonal endorsement 10 the several prepos-
ferrous proposi ions that distinguish the
platform adopted by the convention.
by far the greater part OF the speech,
say fiye-sixths OF it, was devoted to what
has come TO be tho paramount issue for
political discussion-the money question.
Indeed the address, for this greater part,
may be called a thesis on the subject of
the free, unlimited and independent
coinage of silver and gold at the ratio OF
10 TO ]. 1t is controversial In method
and moderate of expression. Acknowl'
edgement is made of the points OF arRu-
ment OF the gold standard advocates, and
they are taken up and answered seriatim.
Once MIR. BRYAN was launched upon his
exhaustive silver treatise he INDUCED in
little OF the skyrocket oratory that has
won him fame. Indeed there are few ex-
pressions of the whoop-la kind in the
entire effort, and occasional indulgence
in such pretty sounding stuff as "we
do not propose to transfer the rewards of
industry to the lap OF indolence," and
"we would not invade the home of the
provident in order to supply the wants
OF the spendthrift," may be parooned
because OF its rarity.
Many Of those who have followed the
seeming trend OF the silver discussion
since the PRONUNCIATION OF the Chicago
platform will perhaps be surprised to
find on reading Mr.. BRYAN's essay that
mention OF single standard of silver.
Therein he fails to acknowledge and re-
spond to The most important argument
for their own cause sdvanced by the
sound money advocates. 50 far as may
be learned from anything that he said at
Madison Square Garden last evening it
has never occurred to the candidate that
the free, unlimited and independent coin
age OF silver and gold at the ratio of 10
to Will not secure bimetallism but will
displace gold monometallism with silver
monometallism.
He took occasion the other day to ex-
press the opinion that the bimetallism
fantasy and the party delusion had be-
come naturally self-eliminated from the
field OF discussion as 1t 10 waged at this
stage OF the campaign. We camo to this
opinion because we thought we had OBJ
served In the controversy as waged from
day to day gradual sliding OF this
fantasy and this delusion and the reiuc-
tion of the debate to an advocacy OF a
gold standard on the one hand and silver
standard on the other hama. We ex-
pressed the opinion that thus stripped OF
delusion and fantasy the silvcrite cause
would be distinctly weakened, but that
1t was good thing TO 80 have the dis
cussion cleared OF embarrassing factors
and fancies, to have these dropped by
mutual consent, 90 to speak, from the
list of points necessary to the debate.
AT the Same timo we mad doubts as to
whether the key note to be sounded by
the candidate would justify this al
together cheerful view. And 1t has not
justified it. The candidate I'm his silver
essay hugs to his bosom both the bime-
tsllism fantasy and the parity delusion.
He gives us the benefit OF only the most
shadowy ideas OF what he thinks would
result II his attempt to secure bime-
talism and to maintain the parity would
collapse and leave the country on a silver
standard. He prefers to poirt the way
to campaign not of education, but of
incoming and rain bow chasing. lie would
challenge the advocates OF sound money,
of national and individual honesty, not
to q debate on facts, but TO fantastic
tilt over matter Of dreams. An eagerly
interested public listened, or reads, to
learn the views OF the Democratic can.
didate on a silver Standard for money,
of credit, of commodities, for wages, in
these United States. And it finds him
soaring over their heads in the limitless
realms OF financial fancy, quoting from
"Coin" HARVEY, and prattlng about
Z" bimetallism" -" "bimeeaIlism" - "par-
ity''-"parity."
He might as we'll have devoted his time