Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-19


toral vote of this state. (Applause)
Il am the nominee of three conven-
tions, but l do not appeal to the vote of
any man on the ground that l am nomi-
mated by his party ] have higher claim
to your suffrageS than party ties can give
me. 1 appeal to you as the candidate to
the presidency who believes that the
American people can have financial
policy of their own. If there is man
who respects party regularity he cannot
complain of the manner of my nomina-
ton. The democratic convention which
met at Chicago represented the voters
of the democratic party more truly, more
completely than any convention which
has been held in recent years. That con-
vention was regularly called by the regu-
lar authorities, and delegates were chosen
in every state in the regular manner.
And more than that, the issue Joined be-
tween the friends of free coinage and its
enemies was fought out before the people
themselves, the highest tribunal known
under our form OF government. (Ap-
plause) The voter, not the BOSSES ran
the Chicago convention, and l am proud
10 be the nominee of the convention
which gave expression to the hope. the
aspirations of the common people of the
democratic party. (Cheers.)
But with all this claim to regularity
do not ask single democrat to vote for
my election If in his heart he believes that
my election would injure this country.
10 me a party IS put
r4 Means to an End.
And 1 shall not feel unlxindly to any
democrat who honestly and conscen-
tiously puts his country above his party
and votes against me il he believes that
the policy for which l stand would bring
INJURY to our common country. But, my
friends, | want the man who leaves the
democratic party to find his reason in his
head or his heart and not in his pocket.
Great applause)
How can you tell whether a man is
honest when he tells you that the cleo
ton of the Chicago ticket would injure
his country. l will give you a way to
tell. Any man who thinks that my cleo
ton would injure this country can prove
1T in just one way and that is by voting
for the republican candidate and thus
make sure my defeat.
Don't tell US that your conscience
would permit you to vote the democratic
ticket and then vote for boiling ticket.
"The Bible tells us of the man who
hid his talent in the earth and who was
cond smned because he had neglected to
improve his opportunity. l want to say
to you that the ballot is given to the cit
izen as a sacred trust to be used accord
ing to his judgment and his conscience,
and that no man in the hour of peril has
moral right to throw his vote away.
Why is it that some democrats or some
people who used to be democrats spend
lie ddy tSllluS lOW the elettlOL Ol lue
Chicago ticket would ruin this country
and then refuse to cast their votes for
the only man who can defeat the Chicago
nominee? (Cheers)
Il will tell you why. 1t is because they
have not the courage to bear the odium
of being republicans. Great cheering)
We are engaged in great struggle, one
of the greatest struggles in which the
people of this country were ever engaged
in time of peace; it is struggle be-
tween democracy on the one side and
plutocracy on the other and there Is no
middle ground for any man to stand
upon. Cloud cheeringo They who are
not for us are against us. We would
have more respect for them if they
were honest enough to go where they be-
long. (Cheers)
Now, as / have said, we appeal to no
man to go contrary to his judgment and
his conscience. But l want to warn you
who are in contemplation of deserton
from the democratic party at this time
that the man who in the face of such
an enemy either goes to the rear or is
found in secret conference with the
enemy is traitor, upon whom the brand
shall be placed, and he shall not come
back again. (Cheers)
These Assistant Republicans
whose hearts are willing and whose flesh
is weak Qaughte) may as well under
stand now that the contest with which
we are engaged in is not a contest for
this year alone. l believe we shall win
now But whether we win or not we
have begun warfare against the gold
standard which shall continue until the
gold standard is driven from our shores
back to England. (Cbeers) We have
been opposed to the importation of crimi-
nails and paupers from abroad, and we
shall oppose the importation of a finan-
cial system which Is criminal and which
makes paupers wherever it goes.
1.-THE republican platform adopted at
ST. Louis declares not that the gold stand
ard is good, but that it must be MAIN
tanned. How long? Until the American
people are tired of it? No; they are tired
of it now. Until the people desire to get
rid of 1t? No; they desire to get rid of
1t now. How long? Why, we must
maintain it until foreign nations desire
us to get rid of it and will let us get rid
of it. (Great applause)
"In this city, where Patrick Henry de-
livered his famous speech which aroused
the nation to arms, l am not afraid that
the people will permit foreign financial
control when more than 100 years ago
your ancestors were willing to give their
lives if need be to release the colonies
from forign political control. We are in
favor of the imm ediate restoration of the
free and unlimited coinage of both gold
and silver at the present legal ratio of
16 to l, without waiting for the aid or
consent of any other nation. We are in
favor of 1t because bimetallism is needed
to give the people sufficient volume of
standard money to keep pace with popu-
lation and business The treasury re-
ports show a shrinkage of more than
$50 900 in the currency of the people
within the last two years. The republic
an party does not propose any plan by
which the volume of currency shall be
replenished from time to time as the
people need money. They simply desire
the'people to turn over our financial sys-
tenn to a few syndicates who can profit
by the extremities of the government
extremities which those syndicates have
done more to create than any other
cause. (Cheers)
1--WE apply the law of supply and de-
mand to money. We say the value of a
dollar depends on the number of dollars
and that you can raise the value of dol
lar by making the dollars scarce, and
we charge that our opponents are in ia
vor of making the money scarce because
they are controlled by those who want
money dear. If you are
In Favor of Dear Money
you ought to vote the republican ticket
If you are in favor of aking money the
only thing which it is desirable to own
IL