The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-07-23
The Great Issue Of the Campaign.


= ~ ClLEAh OUTLINE Bf BlS 4 IN
An American System OF Financ
Observation-Disclosures are Made TO
the People.
Mr.. VIM. j. Bryan, tho Democratl
nominee for President, was given
public reception at the city park fl
Centralia, Ill.,, and In response TO call
upon him by tho large crowd he spok,
rs follows:
I'VE are entering upon a memorable
campaign, and the issues are being
drawn for the contest. The two parties
described as the two great parties, the
two leading parties, have already
adopted their platforms and have al
ready named their candidates for Pres
ident and Vice President, and in q
short time the campaign will be opened
fully, and you will be making up your
minds rs to which platform and as tc
which ticket you will support. trust
the issues involved in this campaign
will be clearly understood and carefully
studied. Parties are not mado to be
worshipped; they are merely the in
struments by which we serve our
country. People arc not made for
parties, but tho parties are made for
the people, and the parties can only
claim the support OF the people when
these parties are efficient instruments
in the hands of the people for accom-
plishing good. And those who are
called upon to vote have the right to
consider the platform utterances and
tho policies advocated by the various
parties as we'll us the candidates who
are nominated.
In this campaign believe there will
be less Of personalities and more of
principle than in any campaign which
we nave seen IN recent years. The
people have before them two great
public questions. We must not expect
that any platform will contain all you
desire. No thinking person finds In
any platform an expression of every-
thing which he believes, nor must YOU
expect that any platform will be free
from some objection. We select our
party; we select our platforms; not IN
the hope of finding something which
is absolutely in accord with our opinion,
but we take that platform which for
the time being promises to us the best
Legislation on the most important aues-
tions. And in this campaign it is
decided by all sides that the most
important issue is the money question.
t matters not whether you believe in
the restoration Of silver or in the gold
standard, you must admit that the set
tlement of the money question is of the
llrst and greatest Importance, one that
when settled leaves nothing else to be
considered. On the money question,
the two great parties have taken posi-
tlons directly opposite to each other.
-Four years ago the position taken by
the Republican and Democratic parties
were almost identical. The Republi-
can party said the American people
are in favor Of bi-metallism and the
Democratic party were heading to the
use OF both gold and silver as standard
money for the country and to tho coin
age OF both for money. Thus you see
that both parties declared in favor of
gold and silver as the money of our
country. -Four years have passed since
that platform was written and these
four years have been full Of monentous
happenings, but as this campaign ap-
proaches the great parties lined them
selves up for the fray.
Upon this question the party at ST.
Louis declared for the maintenance of
the gold standard, but that platform
does not say that the gold standard is
II good thing, because that platform
pledges the party to get rid Of the gold
standard, but declared that this change
cannot be made except by international
agreement, until the leading nations Of
the world should help. The Demo-
cratic party met at Chicago and it
adopted the platform which IS in direct
opposition to the platform adopted at
ST. Louis. The ST. Louis Convention
declared for the gold standard until
something clse could be done in tho
near future. But moro than that the re.
neutrality-suspicious. docs not promise any
complete monetary system. The Dom
ocratic party outlined what it desired
to have done, and declared that tho
| for all dcbs, public and private, and
that such legislation should be enacted
as is necessary to the restoration of the
unlimited coinage Of silver and gold at
the present legal ratio Of IL to 1, with
out waiting. for tho aid Of any other
nation. We also declared that the
silver dollar be, legal tender for all
debts, public and private, and that
such legislation should be enacted as
is necessary to prevent for tho future
the decentralization of any legal money.
TAc platform declared that the gov
ernmcnt should exercise the right to
redeem its obligations in other gold
or silver.
| liz lSollo lS uFdW ihU W. h"FS oul
choice in this campaign between an
American financial system for the
American people and an English hnan-
cial system for the English aristocrisy.
IL mistake not the patriotism OF the
people who havo never been appealed
to in vain, there can be but one issue
in this campaign and but one result.
II they ask us what about other ques-
tions wo tell them that SO long as the
right of self.govcrnment Is In danger
thero is no other question. But want
to impress upon your mind two things.
/ want 70 ask two questions. They are
Questions that will be asked over and
over again In this campaign. They are
questions that will be asked with ever
increasing gIemphasis.
| The two questions are these III the
gold standard Is gooG thing, why
should weItry to get rid Of it; and II
tho gold Standard Is q bad thing, why
should we wait until some other ma
tions are Willing to hclp us lot go.