The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-09

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ness the sound of the waves as the, beat
upon the lonely shores of st. Helena.
(Cheers.) Why this change? All, my
friends, it is evident TO every one who
will look at the matter. There is no
private character. however pure or per-
sonal popularity, however great, that can
protect from the avenging wrath of an
indignant people n man who will neither
declare that he is in favor of foisting the
gold standard upon this people or who
is willing to surrender the right of self
government and place legislative control
in the hands of foreign potentates and
powers. (Cheers.)
eve 90 forth confident that we shall
win. Why? Because upon the para
mount issue in this campaign there is
not spot of ground upon which the
enemy will dare to challenge battle
Why? If they tell us the gold standard
is good thing we point to their plat
form and tell them that their platform
pledges the party to get rid of the gold
standard and substitute bimetallism
(Applanse) If the gold standard is a
good thing, why try to get rid of it?
daughter and continued applause.)
IF the gold standard, and / might call
your attention to the fact that some of
the very people who are in this conven-
ton today and who tell YOU that we
ought to declare in favor of international
bimetalism and thereby declare the gold
standard wrong and the principle of BIZ
metallism better, these very people four
months ago were open and avowed adj
vocates of the gold standard and telling
us that we could not legislate two
metals together, even with all the
world. Renewed applause and cheers.)
Il want to suggest this truth: If the
gold standard is good thing we ought to
declare in favor of its retention, not in
favor of abandoning it, and if the gold
standard is a bad thing, why should we
wait until some other nations are willing
to help us to let go? (Applause.) Here
is a line of battle. We care not upon
which issue they force the fight. We
are prepared to meet them on either issue,
one or both.
eff they tell us the gold standard is
the standard of civilization, we reply
that this, the most enlightened of all
nations of the earth, has never declared
for the gold standard and both parties
this year are declaring against it. ZAP
pause0
''If the gold standard is the standard
of civilization, why, my friends, should
we not have it? SO, if they come to meet
us, on that we can present the history of
our nation. More than that, we can tell
them this, that they will search the pages
of history in vain to find single in
stance in which the common people of
any land ever declared themselves in
favor of gold standard. (Applause)
Mr.. Carlisle said in 1878 that this was
a struggle between the idle holders of
idle capital and the struggling masses
who produce wealth and pay the taxes
of the country, and, my friends, it is a
simple question that we shall decide,
Upon which side shall the Democratic
party fight? Upon the side of idle hold
ers of idle capital, or upon the side Of
the struggling masses? That is the
question the party must answer first,
and then it must be answered by each in
dividual hereafter. The sympathies of
the Democratic party as described by the
platform, are on the side of the strug
Cling masses, who have ever been the
foundation of the Democratic party. Gap
plause)
"There are two ideas of government
There are those who believe that if you
just legislate to make the wel-to-do pros
porous, their prosperity will leak through
on those below. The Democratic idea
has been that if you legislate to make
the masses prosperous their prosperity
will find its way up and through every
class and rest upon it. (ApplauseD
You come to us and tell us that the
great cities are in favor of the gold
upon those broad and fertile prairies.
Burn down your cities and leave our
farms and your cities will spring up
again, as if by magic: but destroy our
farms, and grass will grow in the
streets of every city of this country.
loud applause.)
My friends. we shall declare this