The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-09-29

the platform. MIR. Bryan shook a few
hands.
Providence was reached at 1906
o'clock. Here a 50-minute stop was
made. There was a multitude OF peo-
pie at the station and they completely
filled the space where Mr.. Bryan spoke
from a stand directly in front OF the
city hall. The candidate entered upon
and throughout his address devoted
himself TO a discussion OF the financial
issues upon the lines followed In previ-
Gus addresses. He took for his text
these words from a book by Prof. t.
Benjamin Andrews OF Browns univer-
sity Of Providence: 1T is always as
sumed or admitted that the initial i'm
port OF money would be money with q
unit having a general steadfast pur-
chasing power" In this definition Mr.
Bryan said Professor Andrews plants
himself upon a solid rock"
IF one of our western men," Mr.
Bryan added. advocates bimetalllsm
and calls attention TO the injustice Of
the gold standard, they say that he
lacks the education which is necessary
to comprehend the beauties OF the
gold standard. but when some learned
man, like Professor Andrews. advo-
Gates bimetallsm and denounces the
gold standard with an emphasis which
cannot be surpassed In all the South
or West, they say much learning hath
made him mad Men who are so alb
sorbed in the worship OF the dollar and
cannot give time to the study OF the
questions which surround humanity.
will sit back and with a holier-than-
thou expression, pity man who has
got beside himself In the study OF the
money question. They never get beside
themselves. They never get beyond
themselves in the study OF any ques-
tion.
You cannot find a correct definition
OF an honest dollar In the speech OF
any advocates of the gold standard
who are talking this year. He tells
you that he means sound money. Ask
him what he means by sound money
and he tells you that he means honest
money. And the chances are that you
cannot guide him outside of that cir
Gle, because in most cases he himself
has no suspicion of what he thinks an
honest dollar Is. He will tell you that
an honest dollar is a dollar which you
can melt without it's losing anything"
Mr.. Bryan argued that there can be
no material difference between the bull
lion and the coinage value so long as
one can be converted into the other at
will: He continued: "Some Of our op-
ponents have been calculating how
much money they can make under free
coinage by buying silver for 80 cents
and having II coined into 100 cents,
Now, my friends. IL any of you hold
silver bullion, would you sell II to any
body for half price and let the pro-
ducer make the profit? OF course not.
And yet, you hear this argument every
day by those who seem unable to COM
prehend even the plainest facts that
are presented In the money question.
My friends. II we differ as to the mer-
its of our policy. we might then dis
cuss the respective merits of opposing
policies, but the republican party does
not present any policy to the Ameri-
can people. The republican party does
not present a financial policy and say
that the proposed policy will benefit
the country. The republican party
simply proposes to maintain policy
which the republican platform con-
fesses to be bad and which II promises
to get rid of and substitute blmetal-
lism. But the republican party prom
eign nations shall come to our relief.
Persons who believe that we must get
down on our knees and ask the aid of
foreign nations before we can explain
on the money question ought to vote
the republican ticket. But, my friends,
If you believe that the United States
can have financial policy of its own.
suited to its own people, administering
to the needs of those who live here,
then you can only express yourselves
when you act with those who advocate
independent bimetallism at l6 to /
without waiting for the aid or consent
Of any other nation on earth. If the
financier who wants the government
10 issue bonds so that he can buy
bonds has n right to use his vote to
keep the government Issuing bonds all
the time and piling UP debts on the
people, then you who have to pay these
debts, have a right to use your ballots
TO protect yourselves against this un-
just burden. If the banker cannot only
use his vote To advocate and support
the financial doctrine which he wants,
hut attempts to use the vote OF every
American who borrows money at the
banks attempts to use his power as
a money loaner and coerce the men who
patronize him. then you who are ter.
rori2ed under that sort Of system have
a right to use the Australian ballot to
rid this country Of its bondage And
say to you who are employees IL your
employers are so indebted at the banks
that they have not the power to speak
out in their own defense, II their obli-
cations are such that they must keep
quiet lest their throats be cut by the
polite patriotic financiers, then, my
friends. you. as employees. have a right
to step in and rescue your employers
from financial bondage. want you
people to remember that in this con-
test we have arrayed against us all the
combinations of wealth. We have none
of those on our side The coal trust
is against us, and II can raise the price
of your coal and then. when you have
paid that price. the coal trust contrib
utes a portion OF what you paid In or
der to insure the continuation of that
trust. The great banking institutions
which are contributing so liberally to
the republican campaign fund can af-
ford to do so. II they exact from you
enough money In addition to pay for
their contributions and leave a large
profit.
"I want you to understand the i'm
portance Of this campaign. IL Is a
question whether the people have a
right TO govern themselves or whether
these great corporations and syndi-
Gates and trusts own this government
and have a right TO use II and plunder