Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-09-30
SHOULD BANKERS HANG?
BRYAN SMILES HIS APPROVAL
OF THE IDEA.
The Boy Orators Plan Of Bullying the
Bankers in an Endeavor to Scare the
Labor VOte-The Silver Party's Notifi-
cation.

The notification meeting at lincoln, on
the 8th inst, IN which Mr.. Bryan was of
ficially informed of his nomination by
the National Silver party at St. Louis,
suggests several things that are worthy
of note in this campaign.
It was a meeting of the Silver party.
1t was not Democratic meeting, not
Popocratic meeting. not a Populist meet
ing, but silver meeting of the Silver
party to notify the silver candidate of his
nomination, on platform that is nothing
but silver.
Mr.. Bryan says silver is the issue and
the only issue. He calls it the para
mount issue. If silver is the paramount
issue then the silver party is the para
mount party and this silver meeting may
be judged as the paramount meeting and
at this meeting the silver cause should
have touched its highest point
Mr.. Bryan was met at the 3. & NJ.
depot by a struggling crowd of about 500
people, some of whom followed him in
draggled procession through the streets
to his home. Not the business men of
Lincoln, not the business men of Oma-
ha, not the business men of any city in
the United States. No part of the BUSH
ness mind which the nation looks to for
the guidance and the maintenance of its
industrial and business energies was rep
resented III that parade or at the nOtlt-
cation ceremonies which afterwards
took place.
Where are the business forces of this
country in this contest? Are they for
silver? If it is the paramount thing,
then the business men ought to have
been SO notified, they should have been
represented here, and the idle people
who gathered at the depot and followed
the candidate through the streets would
know that this silver movement has the
nt-FIn
use it, when it is put into law, as a
means of restoring industry and giving
employment. If a new yardStick had
been proposed by Mr.. Bryan, and if a
new party had been organized on the
sole issue of this new yardstick, and if
this was the only issue of Importance,
if a revival of business depended solely
upon the adoption OF this new yardstick,
then would it not be reasonable to sup
pose that the merchants and business
men who are expected to use this new
system would manifest their approval
OF It IN some way. and give the waiting
people some reason to hope that this new
system would be put into use after it
was put into law? If a new business
plan is proposed and put into law, which
the business forces of the country re-
jectS as unsafe and impractical. then of
what use is this new plan? If the mer-
chant cannot and will not use the new
y
stick? Mr.. Bryan says we will compel
them to use it. Very well. if you pass 4
law declaring that eighteen inches is Il
yard when it is not Il yard. but only
half yard and if YOU compel the mer-
chant to use this new measure, then he
will change his price to suit the new
measure and he will narrow his bust
ness into as small a scope as possible
and wait until the new experiment has
spent its force and is abolished. You
will simply confuse the merchant in
stead or assisting him.
Mr.. Bryan smiled upon the small
crowd who gathered about him as he
moved along the streets of Lincoln but
his smile took on Il pale and painful eX-
preston when he glanced 1T the win
dOWS and saw McIkinleys picture every
where along the business streets. And
not only along the business street, but
out all over the city Mckinley looked
that Lincoln people felt unfriendly to-
ward Mr.. Bryan because it was he. or
friendly toward Mr. Mckinley because
it was he. but some how Lincoln people
feel that Mckinley and his plan of gov
eminent are safer. are more matured,
and have the confidence of the business
mind al OYER the nation. After all.
what viii this new financial plan avail
II the men who are expected to use it in
business are afraid of it?
City and Des MOineS who are expected
to engineer the labor industries in those
cities during the next four years is afraid
of Mr.. Bryan and his new silver dollar.
If the notification had been in either of
those cities the business men would have
been absent from the parade just the
same as in Lincoln and Mckinley's pic
ture would have been in the business
houses just the same. Mr.. Bryan gets
great deal of sport out of the cam
paign shaking his fists at the banks and
the business of the country. Mr.. GroOt,
who was the chief representative of the
silver party and who presented the
notification TO Mr.. Bryan, shook his
fist in excited anger at the bankers and
said they ought to be hung to the tele
graph poles. When Mr.. Groot said this,
Il number Of men who stood out III front
of him shook their fists also and said:
That's right While all this threatens
ing to hang the bankers and shaking Of
fists was going on, Mr.. Bryan nodded
his head and smiled his approval. He
not only nodded and smiled. but when it
came his turn to speak, he shook his
fist also and the workingmen shouted
louder than ever at the prospect of hang
ing the bankers as a means of restoring
confidence and bringing back good times.
Mr.. Bryan seemed to enjoy himself as
as many things as he could think of to
please the people and encourage his fol-
lowers all over the nation.
AS / said before. Mr.. Bryan had exhib-
tied some symptoms of panic in his face
when he saw that the business men had
put McKiniey's picture instead of his
picture In the windows. But when he
saw how the crowd cheered the prospect
of hanging a few of these bankers and
business mcn. it seemed to restore his
confidence. And then again, when he
himself stood up to address them and
one man shouted. Give it to 'em. Bill
~! and another shouted you betr'
he seemed 70 interpret this as sign
that the W0rkingmen were in the ma
Jority and would elect him just the same
in spite Of the business men. And so
he told them he had no fear of the oppo-
sition of the business men SO long as
he saw so many of the brave and honest
toIlers who were ready to reject the
advice of their employers and follow
him
Mr.. Bryan knows it will ne a good
thing tor him to get the labor vote, eye1l
II he paralyzes industry in the attempt.
Some OF the laboring men seem to think
II viii be q good thing for than aIsn