Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-07-17
PRESIDENTIAL


has slain its thousands, the gold stand
! ard has slain it's tens Of thousands If
| they ask us why we cid not embody all
these things i'll our platform which we
believe, we reply to them that when we
have restored the money Of the constitu-
ton all other necessary reforms will be
possible and that until that is done
there is 10 reform that can be accom-
plished. Why is it that within three
months such q change has come over the
sentiment of this country? Three months
ago. when it was confidently asserted
that those who believed in the gold
standard would frame our platform and
nominate OH candidate, even the adyo-
Gates of the gold standard did not think
that we could elect president, but they
had good reason fer the suspicion, be
cause there is scarcely d state here today
asking for the gold standard that is not
| within the absolute control of the Re
publican party
! But note the change Mr.. Mckinley
was nominated at ST. Loais upon plat
| form that declared for the maintenance
| Of the gold standard until it should be
changed into bimetallisln by an inter
! national agreement. Mr. Mckinley was
the most popular man among the Re
publicans, and everybody three months
ago ia the Republican party prophesie(t
| bis election How is 1t today? Why,
that man who used to boast that he
looked like Napoleon-that man shud-
ders today when he thinks that he was
nominated Gu the anniversary of the
battle Of Waterloo. l,ct only that, but
as he listens he can hear with ever in
creasing distinctrcss the sound of the
waves as they heat upon the lonely
shores of ST. Helena.
Why this change? All, my friends, is
not the change evident to any one who
will look at the matter? It is 10 private
character, however pure, no personal
popularity, however great, that can pro-
tect f1osn the avenging wrath of an in
dignant people the man Who will either
declare that he is in favor of fastening
the gold standard upon this people OF
who is willing to surrender the right Of
self government and place the legisla-
tive control in the hands of foreign po-
tentates and powers
We go forth confident that we shall
win. Why? Because upon the para
mount issue in this campaign there is
not a spot Of ground upon which the
enemy will dare to challenge battle
| Why, if they tell us that the gold stand
ard is a good thing, we point to their
platform and tell them that their plat
form pledges the party to get rid Of a
gold standard and substitute bimetal-
| ism.
If the gold standard is a good thing,
why try to get rid Of it? might call at
| tention to the fact that some of the peo-
pie who are IL this convention today and
who tell you that we ought to declare
in favor OF International bimetallism
and thereby declare that gold standard
is wrong and that the principle of BIZ
metallisln is better-theso very people
four months ago were open and ayoWed
advocates Of the sold standard and tell |
ing us that we could not legislate two
metals together even " it'll all the world
want to suggest this truth-that it
the gold standard is q good thing we
ought to declare in favor Of it's retention
and not i'll fav,r Of abandoning it; and
if the gold standard is a bad thing, why
should we wait until some other nations
are willing to help us let go? Here is
the line Of battle. We care not upon
which issue they force the fight. We
are prepared to meet them Oh either is
sue or on BOTH If they tell us that the
gold standard is the standard of civil
cation, we reply to them that this. the
most enlightened CT all the nations Of
the earth, has never declared for gold
standard and both the parties this year
are declaring against it. If the gold
standard is the standard of civilization
why, my friends, should we not have
it? So, if they come to meet us on that,
we can present the history of our nation.
More than that, we can tell them
this-that they will search the pages of
history i'll vain to find a single instance
i'll which the common people OF any land
have ever declared themselves i'll favor
of gold standard. They can find where
the holders of fixed investments have
Mr.. Carlisle said in 1878 that this was
IL struggle between the idle holders Of
idle capital and the struggling masses
who produce the wealth and pay the
taxes Of the country; and, my friends, |
it is simply aquestion that we shall de-
eide upon which side shall the Demo
cratic party 1ight-upon the side Of the
idle holders of idle capital Or upon the
side Of the struggling masses? That is
the question that the party must answer
first, and then it must be answered by
each individual hereafter.
The sympathies of the Democratic
party, as described by the platform, are
on tho side Of tho struggling masses,
who have over been the foundation Of |
the Democratic party. There are two |
ideas of government. There are those
who believe that if you just legislate
to make the we'll to do prosperous
their prosperity will leak through on |
those below. The Democratic idea has