The herald., 1896-09-02

tried to speak I have had occasion to
talk where the audience filed the house.
but never before where the audience
filled all out doors. II you all vote as you
now shout, I don't see how there an be
any question about the triumph Of free
silver in the state Of Ohio.
1--WE have entered upon campaign
which means much to the American peo-
pie. If our opponents speak truly when
they describe what will in their judg-
ment be the effect Of free coinage. then
the success of the Chicago ticket would
certainly be a calamity to the country.
If on the other hand we speak the truth
when we describe to you the effects Of
the gold standard, then the maintenance
oft he gold standard. until foreign ma
tions come to our relief, is an evil which
cannot be contemplated by those who
love their country. We have begun an
unceasing warfare Dgainst the gold
standard. The Republican party. with
out declaring the gold standard good
thing. has declared that the gold stand
ard must be maintained. l call your at
tention to the fact that no party in the
history Of this country has ever in
national convention commended the
gold standard. Its effects are so bad
that no party has dared to uphold it.
Here Mr.. Bryan went from the front
of the platform to the side. first excusing
himself to the audience in front as fol
lows: Excuse me for one moment,
and perhaps by making them hear me
on the side will be able to bring order
out Of confusion. If you people here will
be as still as you are now for little
while will come back to you."
Mr.: Bryan then spoke from the side
of the platform, saying:
1 desire to imprNss upon your minds
the fact that the enemy we are fighting
in this campaign, is an enemy which has
never gone into an open battle. The ad-
vocates of the gold standard have never
dared to submit the gold standard TO
the arbitrarment of a ballot. Every step
that has been taken has been taken by
stealth and without the approval of the
American people. When silver was de-
monetized in 1878, the people had not dis
cussed and persons who were members
of congress and who voted upon the
measure have testified that they did not
understand that the bill demonetized
silver When the crime was discovered
and the American people attempted to
restore silver to it's ancient place by the
side of gold, the opponents of free coin
age forced the Bland act upon congress
as a compromise and as soon as the
Bland act went into force the enemies
of free silver proceeded to repeal the
Bland act and left noeiing in its place.
But the silver sentiment grew until 1890,
and that year the opponents of free COIN
age, being afraid of the passage of free
coinage bill, secured another compro-
mise, which was known as the Sherman
law.
In the support Of that measure, Sena-
tor Sherman made speech and in the
course Of that speech he went on to say
that we required more than 42,000,0 900
new money every year to keep pace with
the population and industry and he ad-
vocated that measure on the ground
that it gave to the people more money
and yet, in his recollections, published
only few months ago, you will find that
Senator Sherman there says that he
was in favor of the Sherman law SIM
ply to prevent free coinage, and that he
was willing to vote for its repeal the
day after it was enacted if it could pre-
vent the substitution of free coinage.
There you will find the chief supporter
of the gold standard policy in the Unit
ed States supporting a bill because 1t
gave money to the American people and
then declaring that he would have voted
for the repeal of it the very next day.
(Great applause:) They secured the re-
peal of the Sherman law and they pre-
tended that when they got that out of
the way they could restore silver to its
former place.
There were some who said that the
trend of the Sherman law was to that
end, and that we had to clear the rub
bish away before we could build up q
good system, and there were others who
said that if we stood by free silver we
would drive Europe to bimetallism
But those who made this argument
have proven that they were not sincere,
and that their purpose was to deceive
the American people. (Applause.) In
this campaign every party in its plat
form so far has declared that the prin-
ciple of bimetallism Is better than a
gold ctandard, and yet in spite of theSn
declarations you all know that there is
body of people in the United States
who, under cover of friendliness to BIZ
metallism, are seeking to fasten gold
standard upon the people.
Now if you will be quiet awhile will
talk to the people on the other side and
come back to you later.
You have been very patient. I don't
know whether 1 can keep track of my
speech or not. 1 have been trying to tell
those people something which I would
have told you If they had not been there.
Now we find people who are afraid of a
Hood of silver. There Is nothing that ex-
cites my sympathy more than to find man
who never had enough money in his life
who has not enough to pay his debts and
does not know where the money is to come
from to buy food for the next week. afraid
of deluge of silver. There are some peo-
pie who have an idea that the free and un-
limited coinage of silver would In some way
they know not how-bring ruin to this
country. Did you ever try to figure out
just how much man was going to hurt us
by bringing silver here? If not, suppose
you examine the situation and see whether
you can find any way in which you can be
injured. Let us suppose that you had
free and unlimited coinage of gold and
silver at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1:
thena ny person in the world owning silver
bullion could bring that bullion to our
mints and have it converted into legal ten
der silver dollars, just like the one that you