The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-10

boast that he looked like Napoleon.
Ihat man shoulders today when he
thinks that he was nominated on the
| loo"
At the suggestion of the coincidence
between McKinIey'S nomination and
the fate of Napoleon at waterloo the
silver men showed their appreciation
OF the point by a yell and uproar
which for 20 or 80 seconds prevented
the speaker from proceeding. At
length, when things Gained down he
resumed as follows: Not only. that
out as he listens, he can hear with
ever increasing diStnctneSS the sound of
the waves as they beat upon the lone
ly shores of st. Helena. ICheersl Why.
this change? All. my friends, is not
the change evident to any one who will
look at the matter. It is no private
character, however pure no personal
popularity, however great that can
project from the avenging wrath of an
indignant people the man who will
either declare he is in favor of fasten-
ing gold standard upon this people, or
who is willing to surrender the right
OF self government and place legisla-
tive control in the hands of foreign
potentates and powers. CCheersl. We
go forth, confident we shall win Why?
Because upon the paramount issue in
this campaign, there is not a spot of
ground upon which the enemy will dare
to challenge battle. Why2 if they tell
us the gold standard is a good thing,
we point to their platform and tell
them that their platform pledges the
party to get rid of the gold standard
and substitute bi-metalIism, Zap
plause.1
IF the gold standard is a good thing
why try to get rid of it? Laughter and
continued applause]. might call your
attention to the fact that the very
people who are in this convention to-
day and who tell you that we ought to
declare in favor Of international BIZ
| metaIllsm, thereby declare that the
gold standard is wrong, and that the
: principle of bi-metallism is better
THESE very people, four months ago
were open and avowedly advocates of
the gold standard and telling US that
we could not legislate metals together
even with all the world. TRenewed
applause and cheers]. I want to sug-
SeSC THIS truth, that if the gold stand
ard is a good thing we ought to de-
clare in favor Of its retention, and not in
favor of abandoning it; and if the gold
standard is q bad thing, why should
we wait until some other nations are
willing to help US let go. TApplause1
Here is the line of battle We care
not upon which issue they force the
fight. We are prepared to meet them
on either issue, or on both If they
tell US the gold standard is the stand
ard OF civilization, we reply to them
that the most enlightened of all ma
lions of the earth has never declared
! for the sold standard and both par
ties this year are declaring against it.
(Applause) 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 viii search the pages of history
! in vain to find a single instance in
| which the common people of any land
! have ever declared themselves in ia
/ vOr of the gold standard. (Applause.)
They can find where holders of fix
| ed investments have. Mr.. Carlisle said
| in 1873 that this was a struggle between
/ the idle holders of idle capital and the
| struggling masses who produce wealth
] Il
| my friends, it is simply a question up
| on which side shall the Democratic
! party fight, upon the side of the idle
! holders of idle capital, or upon the
| side of the struggling masses? That
! is the question the party must an
| SWer first, and then it must be an
| swered by each individual hereafter.
/ The SympathleS OF the Democratic par
] ty as described by the platform are on
/ the side of the struggling masses who
| have ever been the foundation of the
/ Democratic party (Applause) There
are two ideas of government. There
are those who believe that if you Just
! legislate to make the well to do pros
! porous. that their prosperity will leak
| through on those below. TheDem0cratic
| ic idea has been that if you legislate to
I make the masses prosperous, their
/ prosperity will find its way up and
| through every class and rest upon It.
/ (ApplauSe.)
You come to US and tell US that the
! great cities are in favor of the gold
| standard. 1 tell you that the great cit
| les rest upon these 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 the grass will
! grow in the streets of every city in
| this country. (Applause)
My friends, we shall declare that
! this nation is able to 1egislate for it's
| own people on every question without
/ waiting for the aid or consent of any
| other nation on earth. (Applause.)
And upon that issue we expect to car
! ~ every single state in the UniOA
/ (Applause.) I shall not SANDER the
| free state of MaSSac husetts nor the
| state Of New York by saying that when
/ its citizens are confronted with the
proposition that this nation is not able
to attend to its own business will
! not SANDER either one by saying that
/ the people Of those states will declare
/ our helpless iTnpOtency as a nation to
( attend to our own business. It is the
/ issue of 1776 over again. Our ances-
tors. when three millions, had courage
to declare their independence of every
| other nation upon the earth Shall we,
/ their descendants, when we have grown
to 10 OOO, eco. declare that we are less
my friends, it will never be the judg-
I ment of the people. Therefore, we care
not upon what lines the battle is
/ fought. If they say biTnetalliSTn is good
but we cannot have it until some ma
/ tiOnS help US, reply that instead of
| having gold standard because England
has it, we shall restore birnetallism,
! and then let England have bimetaIIiSm
| because the United States has. CAP
/ plause) If they dare to come out and
good thing, we shall fight them to the
uttermost, having behind us the pro-
ducing masses of those nations and
the world"