Birmingham state herald., 1896-09-03
AT SPRINGFIELD.
Cannon Doomed aa 20, 1000 People Crowded
 About the Platform.

Cannon Doomed aa 20, 900 People Crowded
 About the Platform.
 Springfield, O., Sept. 2.-The train bear ing MT. Bryan arrived here at 9:35 a. m. The booming of cannon announced his arrival, and the crush from the step of the car 10 the platform was simply ter rible, 10000 people being present> MT. Bryan spoke as follows:
 Gentlemen and Ladies: For few moments only shall occupy your atten- tion, because large portion Of my voice has been left along the line of travel, where it is still calling sinners to repent ance. Great laughter) l am told that in this city you manufacture more agri- cultural imple ments than are manufac- tured in any other city of the country. l am glad to talk to people who recog- nize the independence of the farmers of this country. have had occasion to talk to some who seem to imagine the harder up they could make the farmers the bet ter off they would be. am glad to talk to you, who recognize that the dollars which you receive are earned by those who cCnver; the natural resources Of this country into money, those who till the soil, and from it's fertility springs forth this nations primary greatness. As matter of fact the farmers and the la boring men are the foundations of soci- ety. (Cheers.)
 "Upon this foundation Is built the com mercial classes, and the fnancier acts as a sort of roof over the whole thing. You can
 Take Off the Root
 and put on another, but cannot destroy the foundation without ruinng the whole building. (Applause) Goldsmith has we'll expressed it when he says,
 Princes and lords may flourish or may A breath can make them as a breath is But the bold peasantry, nations pride, When once destroyed can never De sup
 pled.'
 ''The democratic party, in its platform at Chicago, is pleading the cause of nations peasantry that cannot be de- stroyed until you sap the foundation of our nations greatness. Upon the pros perity of the great producers of wealth, whom we call the masses, as distinguish ed from the classes, depends all the prosperity of this city. If you have gold standard you legislate the value of money up, and you legislate the value of property down. Do you remember when we were young, how we used to get on the teater board, and when one end of it was up the other end was down? It has remained for modern financiers to declare that you can keep both ends of the teeter board up at once. Haughter) Assuming to be stat smep, they disre- gard every law of trade, every law of eco- monies, every law of nature and every law of God There is not law human or divine they respect, because they think they are bigger than the government and greater than the Almighty. Great laughter) The very legislation that in- creasss the purchasing power of dollar simply enables that dollar to buy more of other things. How can dollar be made to buy more of other things? By making more wheat sell for dollar, more corn for a dollar, more of the product of toll exchangea ble for given amount of money. It is a good thing for the man who owns money and buys property, but
 It Is a Mighty Bad Thing
 for the man who has to pay money with the property that he produces. (Ap- plause.) How does the gold standard af- feet you? You make your implements and you sell them to the farmer. Sup pose the farmer finds his taxes don't go down, his interest does not go down. his debts don't go down, but the price of all he sells goes down. What does it mean? It means that he has a less and less amount to expend on agricultural imple- ments and on the support of his family.
 ''If you sell him agricultural imple- ments he promises to pay you, and the legislation destroys his ability to pay. Then you find fault because you have to take your implements back and sell them second hand to somebody else. That IS the effect of legislation. Our opponent is trying to throw upon providence the faults for our conditions. If farmer complains he Is not making much of his potato crop they tell him 1t is due to the potato bug. If he is not making much out of wheat they tell him it is due to the army worm. But let me tell you, the goldbug Is destroying more crops than all of them fGreat laughter.) The farmer is the most helpless victim of circum- stances of all the producers of wealth. If 8. man is engaged in manufacturing and finds the demand Is decreasing he can close his factory and stop the ex- pense of production, but the farmer can't When he plants his crops in the spring he does not know whether there is going to be flood or dfouth. or whether 1t is going to be hot winds or cold hail.
 He Takes His Chances,
 and l assert when he has taken more