Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-19
MIR. TELLER's SPEECH.
What the Veteran Republican Leader Sal,
Before He Bolted

Before He Bolted.
st. Louis, June 1S.-Following is what
Mr.. Teller said prior to Withdrawing
from the convention:
Gentlemen of the Convention: 1 will
not attempt to inf1ict upon you a dis
cussion of the great financial question,
/ which is dividing not only the people of
! this country, but of the whole world
ne few moments allowed me will not
able me to do more than state in the
efest manner our objection TO the
-ancial plank proposed for your
.onsideration. am a practical man
AL l recognize the conditions existing
Il ais convention, foreshadowed as they
ma e been by the action of the commit
l.. on resolutions, to whom this PROPOSE
ton was presented and by whom it was
rejected. Loyalty to my own opinion
ccmpels me-, in the face of unusual diff
ficulties, to present this substitute for
your consideration, not with that abiding
4 )pe nor with that courage with which
hsve presented the same in other bodies
with greater measure of success than L
have hoped for here.
: he great and supreme Importance of
this question Is alone my excuse for the
few words have to say to you. l have
dealt with this subject in public capacl
1ty for twenty years. / represent a state
which produces silver, but want to say
to you here now that my advocacy of the
proposition is not in the slightest degree
influenced or controlled by that fact
(Applause) l contend for it because
6eleve there can be no sound financial
system In any country in the world
that does not recognize this prin-
ciple. L contend for it because since
1878, when it was ruthlessly stricken
from our statutes, there has been con-
tinued depreciation of all the products
of human nature and human owners. 1
contend for it because in this year. 1895
the American people are in greater dis
tress than they ever were in their his
tory. 1 contend for it because this, in my
Judgment, is the great weight, the great
incubus which has weighted down the
enterprise and destroyed progress in this
favored land of ours. I contend for it
because believe that the progress of my
country
Is Dependent Upon It.
I contend for it because I believe that
the civilization of the world is to be de-
termined by the rightful or wrongful So
luton of this financial question. 1 am
tolerant of those who differ with me-
act from my judgment, enlightened as
well as have been enabled to enlighten
1t by many years of study and many
years of thought. In my Judgment the
American people in the whole line of
their history have never been called up
on to settle question 80 great to them
as this. The great contest in which many
of you participated whether we should
have two flags or one. was not more i'm
portant to the American people than the
question of proper solution of what
should be the money system of the land.
I have said enough to show you that J
think this Is not question of politics,
but question of principle. 1t Is not a
mere idle thing, but one on which hangs
the happiness, the prosperity, the moral
ity and the Independence of American
labor producers For the first time in
the history of this great country we are
confronted with the danger of financial
system which. in my Judgment will he
destructive to all the great interests of
this land.
We are called upon to give to this pro-