The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-02

L
an evil hour the people turned a willing ear
to the fairy tales OF the Democratic party.
After four years of administration they
do not point with pride to anything they have
done. They do not seem to wish us to con-
slider the past. They want the veil of secrecy
drawn over it. They have fallen so much into
the habit of being an opposition party that
they have cut loose from themselves, SO to
speak, and denounee themselves, and now
they come before the people with a brand-neW
assortm of rainboWs and ask for our sup
port. [Applause.l
I think it would be proper proceeding for
US to look at what they have done instead of
propose for the mischief they themselves have
wrought.
The question of what our policy should be is
one upon which all men should unite and
agree, as our ia theirs did when they established
the mint, and as they did down to the War of
the Rebellion.
1 can recognize and sympathize with the
class which is perfectly sincere in doubling a
line of policy, but / have no sympathy with
those who put forth the Democratic platform
at Chicago and proposed the free coinage of
National disnonor. Mr. Bryan says and
makes an appeal to National pride thereby:
els not the country great enough to have BIZ
metallism at 10 to 1 without waiting for the
consent of other nations?"
That sounds well and may influence a vote,
but have simply to say that this great coun-
try, however great 1t may be, is yet not great
enough to suspend law of gravitation or any
OF those great natural laws which no Congress
enacted and which no Congress can repeal.
We are great enough to esta blish silver
monometallism, If we will, but we cannot
have bimetallism and the free and unlimited
coinage and the use OF two metals at legal
ratio, which materially differs from their
relative bullion value. [Applausel
1 viii endeayor to show that Mr.. Bryan is
really an advocate OF silver recommendation.
The mint was established at the recommends
tion of that great statesman who aided George
Washington in founding the Republic-Alex-
ander Hamilton. He was bimetallist and es
tablished the first coinage ratio. But he went
TO work like a statesman and not like Popu-
list. Laughter and applause.l He worked
with his head instead OF working exclus lively
with his mouth.
Ii you viii read his report on the mint you
will find therein precisely in what way he es-
tablished the ratio, not of 16 to lone would
think that the Almighty had ordained that
those should forever be the relative bullion
values OF those metals-but of 10 to 1. He
made study of the markets of the world and
discovered that fifteen pounds of silver would
then buy exactly one pound OF gold and that
these two quantities were exact equivalents.
This ratio obtained for from fifteen TO twenty
years.
1t was found, however, in the course of time
that one pound of gold was worth little more
than fifteen pounds of silver and as a natural
result that gold was being expelled from our
currency and either boarded or exported. No
man would pay his debts with gold dollar
when he could get a silver dollar with less
trouble. So we arrived at q silver basis and
we had no gold.
In 1884 the matter came before Congress and
was CAREFULLY considered by committee OF that
body, which found after another study of the
marketf that the ratio was now Is Clio to l.
Consequently bill establishing that ratio was
introduced. But somebody-whether Popu-
list or not l do not know-wanted an even
number and moved to amend the bill by
making the ratio 10 to l. That motion car
ried.
So now, while one pound of gold was worth
10 6-10 pounds of silver il was not worth in
the markets OF the world quite 10 pounds, and
the result was that silver began to be ex-
ported and gold imported. We arrived at
gold basis. Even that slight difference OF
pei our silver and to make us a gold mono
metallic people. And from 1884 to 1873, when
the "great crime" was committed, silver
dollar was only curiosity.
Here the speaker made a depression in
order to show that France, Germany and
through similar financial experience.
Continuing he said:
This demonstrates that il the present "a ito
were q or II to 1 the fiat of the Government
making 1t 10 to would put US upon a silver
basis. And it is, therefore. utterly preposter-
have the two metals associated side by
side upon equal terms. III Mr.. Bryan
is honest he will talk no longer in this cam
paign about being bimetallisL He will say
frankly: 81 am in favor Of silver monometai-
lism and of having this great Nation secede
from civilization, from the great commercial
nations OF the world, from the great Countries
of Europe, and rank ourselves by the side of
Mexico, China and other halfcivilized and
heather nations" tApplause.l But Mr.. Bryan
comes to the rescue again with an appeal TO
our National pride, or rather to our National
hatred.
The speaker severely criticized Mr.. Brv-
ans contention that the Repu blican party
is trying 10 foist upon the country a Eu-
ropean system OF finance, and observed
that, though he would personally prefer
IN A Ton rInaT1 ~ l..
would select European system rather
than that of an alien and heather race
like China.
He pointed out that the Republican
party is actually the true bimetallic party,
though 1t proposes to maintain the ex-
listing financial standard until change
can be effected by international agree
ment. Mr.. Bryan's system would lead to
the expulsion OF our gold which now did
the work of money. On the other hand
the Republican policy would retain $780,
900, 900 of gold side by side with the same
quantity of silver.
The speaker cited many other conclu-
sive arguments to prove the logic of the
Republican political standpoint and to
further emphasize the fact that Mr.. Bryan
is really a silver monometallist He
showed how the free and unlimited coin
age of silver would injure nearly every
class in the communicative farmer the
artisan, the laborer and the policy older
and incidentally knocked the bottom out
of the contention that the Mexican work
man enjoys a greater degree CT prosperity
than the American. The Mexican dollar
possessed only half the purchasing power
of the American dollar.
Mr.. Mccall was interrupted by the
chairman when halfway through his
speech, and at the latter's request quoted
from dispatch just received which stated
that the result of the vote IN Vermont
showed largely increased Republican
gains. Loud applause. After a partial
consideration of the tariff question, so
scrupulously ignored by Mr.. Bryan, Mr..
Mccall concluded his magnificent effort as
follows:
If we must have boy anything give us not
the boy orator but the boy soldier Applause
Give US the man to-day in the splendid ma
turity OF his powers, who when boy was
willing to bare his young breast to the smoke
and shot OF battle in defense of his country-a
statesman OF many years of ripened expert
ence; give us the great leader, the great pro-
tectionist, the man who holds the honor of his
country as sacred as his own-give us as our
next President William Mckinley. [Tremend-
ous applause.l
AT the close of Mr.. McCall's magnificent
Grafton the powerful speaker was cheered
to the echo, being Obliged to come TO the