The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-08-28
GOLD ST ANDARD ATT.AC ED

W. J. Bryan, the democratic candidate
for the presidency, spoke at the village of
Madeline Saturday to 800 people discuss
ing the financial issue from the free coinage
poiLt of view Mr.. Bryan said in part:
When our party at Chicago wrote the
platform which it did we knew that it woul!
offend some people. No party can take 4
plain. strong. emphatic position upon any
question without offending somebody. Let
me read one of the plankS of that plat
form:
I'VE are opposed to the issuing of
interest bearing bonds of the United States
in time of peace. and condemn the tratfick
ing with banking SvndicateS, which, in
exchange for bonds. and at an enormous
profit to themselves. supply the federal
, treasury with gold to maintain the policy
of gold recommendation"
That is one of the planks that was not
put in there to attract the love of those
who have grown rich out of the govern
ment'S extremties. We did not expect
those who have 4 passage way from the
federal treasury to their offices to join
with us in closing up the passage. We did
not expect those who are making profit
ont of the gold standard and out of the
! embarrassment it brings to the treasury
we did not expect them to join with us
in putting an end to the gold standard.
Why. if we had expected it we would
have expected it in the face of all the hiSto-
ry of the past.
do Won remember the Good Book states
| that some 1900 wears ago a man named
DemetriuS complained of the preaching
of the gospel. Why. Why. he said. it
destroys the business in which he was en-
gaged. We are making images for the
| worship of Diana, and those people say
| that they be not gods that are made with
hands. But Demetrius was much like men
| who have lived since his dav. When he
made up his mind that the preaching of
the gospel interfered with his business. he
| Our business is being injured and we are
mad" What did he say: He said,
| Great is Diana of the Ephesians."
We have some today who are very
| much like DemetriuS They know that
| the restoration of bimetallism DESTROYS
| the business in which thew have been en-
| gagged, But when they make public
speeches they do not say that the demo
| cratic patty is wrong because it interferes
with their business. What do they say.
| They say. Great is sound money. great
| is an honest dollar | say this platform
was not written to attract their votes. 1t
was WRITTEN DeCduSe we WANT 10 destroy
| the business in which they are engag-
| ed.
But. NV friends. if those who have
made a profit out of the government :
financial policy array themselves against
the democratic party, may we not ex
pect those who believe we are right to
| come to our rescue and fill up the ranks
that are being depleted by their deser-
| ton. 1T we must part company with those
| who believe in Il government of SvndicateS
| by syndicates and for syndicate>. may we
not appeal with confidence to those VIII,
believe that government of the people
and for the people should not perish from
| the earth?
IF those men who pride themselves
upon their prominence in the business world
and who glory in the title of business men
are going to make a business out ofpoltics,
are going to use their ballots to increase
their income, l beg you to consider
whether the great toiling masses of this
nation have not right to make Il business
out of politics and protect their homes
| and their families from disaster.
| MIR. Blaine, speaking in Congress on
| this subject. said that the destruction
of silver as money and the establishing of
| gold as the sole unite of value must have
a ruinous effect upon all forms of property
except those investments which bring Il
| fixed return of money. When you under
stand the effect of the gold-standard
policy, when you know that the desire
for it is manifested most among those who
hold fixed investments and trade in money
think you will come to the conclusion
that | have come to, that the fact that the
gold standard is a good thing for them
is the principal reason why they are in
favor of a gold standard.
| 'If bimetallism is to be restored the
United States must take the lead. assert
that the American people not only have
| the right but the ability to legislate for
themselves on every question, no matter
| what other nations may think about it.
The man who says that bimetallism is de
sirable and yet that the United States is
impotent to bring these advantages to our
people has made an admission that shall
not make.
| We appeal to you to remember that the
United States is the only nation that stands
ready to protect its own people from
every danger, foreign and domestic. 9th
er nations may protect their people as they
should. but our nation is the only nation
that can protect the American people If
we need relief from the gold standard we
must secure it for ourselves. and if we
| must secure this relief for ourselves YOU
| can only secure it through a party which
| believes in the restoration of the free and
| unlimited coinage of gold and silver at
| the present legal ratio of 16 to 1, without
| waiting for the aid or consent of any 9TH
err nation