Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-23
HIS SPEECH.
He Plunge at Once Into the Main Issues OF
of the Campaign.

He Plunges at Once Into the Main Issues OF
of the Campaign.
Mr.. Bryan spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen
The presence of number of persons who
are prepared to discuss at length the is
sues of the campaign will make 1t unnec-
essary for me to occupy a great amount
of your time and l appreciate this oppor-
tunity of presenting to you only some or
the points which deem worthy OF your
consideration.
We are entering upon a campaign
which is remarkable one in many re-
spects. Heretofore, at least in the last
twenty-five or thirty years, each party
has gone into the campaign practically
solid, presenting a united front against
the opposing party; but in this campaign
there has been practically bolt from ev-
cry convention which has been held
What does 1t mean? 1t means that con-
victions are deeper this year than they
have been heretofore. 1t means that peo-
pie are not so willing now as they have
been to allow the platform of party to
control their elections Men are thinking
in recent years and the result of this
thinking will be manifested when It
comes to register the will of this great
nation, and between that time and this
hour we expect to present to those who
must act upon the questions the issues
of this campaign.
When our party at Chicago wrote the
platform which it did we knew that 1t
would offend some people. No party can
take a plain, strong, emphatic position
upon any question without offending
somebody. We declared in that platform
what we believed was right; we describ-
ed there the policies which we believed
were best for the American people, and
when we did we knew that 1t would alien
ate some. Let me read one of the planks
Of that platform
,"We are opposed to the issuing of in
terest bearing bonds of the United States
in time of peace and condemn the traI-
Ticking with banking syndicates, which,
in exchange for bonds and at an enor-
nous profit to themselves, supply the
federal treasury with gold to maintain
the policy of gold monometallism."
That is one of the planks. Voice In the
crowd: at is a good one.") That was
not put In there to attract the love OF
those who have grown rich out OF the
governments extremities. (Applause.)
''Great Is DIANA
We did not expect those who have a
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 a profit out Of the
gold standard and out of the embarrass-
ment 1t brings to the treasury; we did
not expect them to join with us in put
ting an end to the gold standard. Why,
If we had expected 1t. we would have ex-
pected In the face of all the history of
the party. If you remember, the good
book states that some 1900 years ago
man named Demetrius complained Of the
preaching of the gospel because 1t inter-
rupted his business. He did not go out
ana say to the world "Our business is
being injured and we are mad" What
did he say? He said: Great Is Diana
Of the Ephesians." (Applause.) We have
some today who are very much Ike De-
metrius They know that the restora-
ton Of bimetallism destroys the business
In which they have been engaged. But