The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-10
MUST STAND FOR GOLD
REV. n. Nv. LAwTON breaches A
SERMON ON THE MONEY ISSUE.
Time, He Thinks, When the Pulpit
Should Open Its MOuth-Perils
of Free Silver.

Last night at the Ninth Presbyterian
Church, on the corner Of Capitol avenue
and Michigan street, Rev W. r. Lawton
delivered brief but pointed address to
the members of the Herculean Club, a col
ored Republican organization. and the
church was well filled with an attentive
audience The services were opened with a
rendering of the national hymn, My
Country. tbs of Thee" by the choir, and
a sacred solo by Mrs. Catherine Harper
DR.. Lawton arose and expressed the pleas
ure he felt in being able to address the
members of the organization, and took his
taxi from First Samuel, fourth chapter,
ninth verse: BE strong, and quit your
selves like men, we Philistines. that ye
De not servants unto the Hebrews, as they
have been to you; quit yourselves like men,
and fight
After briefly explaining the text he en-
tired directly into a discussion of the po-
litical issues, saying: There is now
crisis and it consits in the agitation of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver. Any
reader of the newspapers, or a close OBJ
server of politics, cannot fail to know that
party lines have not only been broken.
The great leaders of the Democratic
party have not only failed to espouse.
but are in open rebellion to some of it's
principles. and reading men and business
men might well open their eyes. This Is
time when the pulpit should open it's mouth
and speak out with the courage of it's con-
victions. The newspapers have told what
the Germans, Italians and others think
about the question. but have never seen
where they have told what the colored
mar thinks; but we know that he does
think.
''The purchasing power Of silver dollar
is limited by the credit of the country
and If the governments credit is limited,
great is the danger of the country going
beyond its limit into the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. 1t would drive all the
gold out OF the country and leave for
only deprecated currency. The great in
ducements and great promises made by the
silver men of the country are like a mi
rage; only deception, leading on and on the
people to disappointment. A contracted
currency, deprecated currency would
bring on stagnation in business and bank
rupt the country. The man Of the shovel
the man of the pick, the laborer IN fact
viii feel the disastrous results Of such q
policy perpetrated by the American people.
Every ballot cast or such a financial policy
is worse than a thousand bullets against
the stars and stripes in 1860, for this strikes
against our homes. Men. stand by your
American homes, stand by your American
industries, stand by your American honor
Ihe hundreds of poor, half-fed and half
cad pesgars In our cities, the thousand
smokeless stacks of industries. the silent
wheels and spndles of a thousand factories
appeal TO our feelings of true citizenship
ana true patriotism What use is
union, OF what use is liberty to a
workingman who has no work and n
cheap money? You are obligated and hound
by All FEELINGS of patriotism to OF pose these
dishoneSt principles, and ne who does not
Is not worthy of his citizenship. You must
rot only nave settled convictions. but you
must nave the courage of your convictions.
Inc trainers or the Democratic platform at
Chicago Believed that the free and unlimit-
ed coinage OF silver would be injurious to
the country, but they. did not have the
agitation is a Pop-Demo subterfuge to d.
vert the attention Of the American people
from the real issue. which is the tariff
Silver was never demonetized in this coun-
try when the word is properly used and
the continued coinage of silver shows that
IT could not have been demonetized and
the depression In business is not due to the
decentralization of silver, as the slverites
claim. but you know that it is due to the
inadequacy of the present tariff to meet
the expenses OF the country.
confidence is the great underlined princi-
pie of business. and when confidence is
shaken you must expect depression In
business. What we get from God Is through
confidence I'm Him. Abraham showed his
confidence when he started to offer up his
son. Whenever men have confidence in the
financial poiity OF a country they will VEN
ture into investments. The inadequacy of
silver endangeTs the credit of the coun-
try, and the timid investor Is now afraid
to invest.
I'm closing 1 viii say that moral prin-
ciple exists in q gold standard, while the
free and unlimited coinage of silver Is a
violation OF that great principles: Thou
shalt not steal Young men, you have the
glorious record of an ancestry TO look back
upon. record soldiers for the perpetu-
ity of our country. and now comes a time
OF a great crisis. and let us not be found
wanting here. Let us show the people that
we have studied the matter. and let us
make a record in this campaign that will
show the people that we have studied the
question. Do not be lukewarm or indiffer-
ent, but let US work shoulder to shoulder
IS did fathers before us. A change
is coming and you must bear the RESPONSE
bilities that were born by the old men who
stood shoulder to shoulder through every
campaign. and you must make yourselves
felt and take the place OF these aged men
and stand for gold in the coming cam
naign-'