The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-24
He Condemns Free Silver, Call
ing 1t COnfscatiOn.
PRAISE FOR HIMSELF
ExtOls the Virtues Of the Me-
Kinley Tariff.
He Says Free Silver win De.
grade Our Money.

other citizens from Lawrence county,
Pennsylvania Major Mckinley said:
Mr.. Jackson and My Fellow Citi-
zens of Lawrence county. Pennsylva-
mia: It gives me very great pleasure
to welcome the citizens Of a. neighbor-
ing state to my city and to my home.
note with great satisfaction the mes
sage which your eloquent spokesman
brings to me, that the people of Penn
sylVania have lost none of their deVo-
ton to the great principles of the Re
publican party and that this year they
will give to the Republican national
ticket an unrivalled Republican ma
jority. (Cries of 1--WE will do that all
right.') Nor am surprised, my fell
low citizens, that this is so. We have
had three years Of bitter experience I'M
der a policy which the Republican
party has always opposed; and there
I has been nothing in that experience
to win US to that policy, but everything
to increase our devotion to the old
policy Of protection which stands OPP
posed to it. CAppluse.)
My Fellow Citizens, the earnest
thought of the people this year is di-
Teoted to the present condition of the
country and how best to improve it.
This is the thought of every mind and
the prayer Of every soul. Nobody is
satisfied with our unfortunate bust
ness condition and the great body of
the people want and mean to have a
change. What shall the change be?
Shall 1t be the continuance of the pres
ent Democratic party under another
leadership (Cries of NO, no') a lead
ership advocating all the policies of
the Democratic party which have been
injurious to the American people and
rejecting all which are goo5, whole
some and patriotic, and which have
received the approval of the people of
the country? Great cheering and
cries of NOD The wing of the Demo-
cratic party which controlled the Chi
cago convention is just as much in IA
vor of free trade as the wing of the
Democratic party in control of the
national administration. Applause
and cries of That is SOD
Most of those prominent in that
convention were conspicuous leaders in
the assault upon our Industries and
labor made by the Fifty-third con-
gress. They are devoted to this un-
American and destructive policy. and
were chiefly instrumental in putting on
the statute books tariff legislation
which has destroyed American manu-
featuring, checked our foreign trade
and reduced the demand for the labor
Of American workingmen. cloud cries
of You are right.')
1T stands opposed to reciprocity, too
the splendid results Of which We're 50
signa1ly manifest during the admins
tration of President Harrison. Gap
plause.)
THE people OF this country have con-
demned the policies of this party in
this particular in every election since
1892. applause and That's SOY They
are only waiting now for a chance to
register again, and ali along the line
unite their opposition to this free trade
heresy in the general election next
November. (Applause.)
IF there was, however. but one
question-that Of protection against
free trade-we have 1t just as sharply
drawn and as distinctively presented
through the Chicago convention wing
of the Democratic party as we had 1t
through the United States in 1892, and
a triumph this year for the Chicago
platform would be a signal victory for
free trade legislation, which has al
ready resulted so disastrously to the
American people, and entailed upon the
government deficient revenues, upon
the people diminished trade abroad
and starvation wages at home. ('That's
SOD This wing of the Democratic
party believes not only in. free trade,
but it believes in free silver at a ratio
of is to 1. (Cries of Down with free
silver.") Having diminished our bust
ness, they now seek to diminish the
value of our money.
Having cut wages in two, they want
to cut the money in which wages are
paid in two, and we will not have either
the one nor the other. cloud and ire
mendous cheering, and cries of 'Hur-
rah for McKinley.O The other wing
Of the Democratic party is patriotical-
ly striving for the public honor, and is
opposed to free silver because it be-
Heves that such a policy would disturb
existing values, contract the currency
of the country by depriving US of the
use of gold, and put US upon a silver
basis, thus creating widespread panic
and bringing to every American inter
est serious injury.
My fellow citizens, will the people
turn to that party for relief whose pol
icy has created the conditions under
which we are suffering and from which
they are crying out to be relieved?
(Cries of No, no, never.O
What We want now is business ac-
tivity and confidence. With business
confidence restored money will invest
in private and public enterprises, and
when so invested labor win be we'll re-
warded and the toll of the husbandnan
will be fully requited, Great ap-
plause) Without confidence money
viii be boarded and the wheels of in
dustry stopped, and what that means
many of them before me know. a
voice: we have lived on sunshine too
long') Then the farmer, the merchant,
the manufacturer, the 1aborer and
those Of other useful occupations alike
will suffer.
Gentlemen, confidence lies at the