Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-10-16
VICTOR N. GORE,
OF BENTON HARBOR
....AT ALMA....
Saturday Afternoon, October p.
If THE WEATHER PERMITS AN OUTDOOR
HELD, COMMENCING THREE ocIocK......
Mr. Gore of Nchgan's most brilliant and
chosen temporary chairman of the late Republican State
Conventions held at Grand Rapids.

DluS.
of his family from the time of the Rev
olution TO the present time, showing the
mighty deeds of valor and courage
which they had executed. But the fact
that his grandfather was killed in the
battle of Valley Forge, of which the
histories give no account, is rather
amusing not to say Inconsistent.
That every cent of our bonded indebt-
edness was held in this country, at the
close Of the war was another willful
misstatement, calculated TO mislead the
uniformed And that those bonds
were made payable in lawful money,
not III coin, is entirely contrary TO the
facts and conditions of their issue.
"Coin certificates, gold certificates
and treasury notes are payable to the
common people, but not for public in
debtedness. "The act of July -, 1882,
made the gold certificates legal tender
for all public dues and the act of 1890
did likewise with the treasury notes
and coin certificates.
Chase and the local orators say that
we came on to the gold standard in 1878,
but Bradshaw says it was not until 1898.
How can you reconcile the two state
ments?
"Since the year of 1898, there has
been only S1l 900, 600 in silver coined"
said the speaker. The treasury report
says there has been nearly S23 ,000, 600
in silver coined. Which will you be-
lieve: An orator, who nobody ever
heard of before, or the national govern
ment report?
Here are the facts Of the concurrent
resolution of which the orator made
,uch a point as he thought:
THE Mathews point passed by the
Senate January 20, 1878, and by the
House January 2S, 1878, in the Senate
by a vote of ~ to 20, in the House by a
vote Of 1S9 TO -. Resolved by the
Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring therein) that all the bonds
of the United States issued or authorized
TO be issued under the said act of Con-
gress, hereinbefore recitied are payable,
principle and interest, at the option of
the Government Of the United States.
in silver dollars Of the coinage of the
United States, containing 412la grains
each Of standard silver; and that too re
store TO its coinage such silver coins as a
legal tender in payment of said bonds.
principal and interest is not in violation
of the public faith, nor in derogation of
the rights of the public creditors. "
The creditors of the American Nation
loaned their money on the thoughts of
the Nations pledge to keep gold and
silver at parity. To pay them in sill
yer dollars worth less than gold, would
be to foreswear the pledge and tarnish
national honor.
And last but not least he pictured in
most beautiful colors the prosperity of
the country under the republican rule
of 1873 TO '93, how we were paying off
the national debt and adding TO the ma
tional credit day by day and how after
that date the debt began rapidly to in
crease and the credit of the national
government to fail Yes, this is all true,
we can heartily agree with him.
But the orator seemed 20 forget that
l,n
now and that the custom receipts have
been lowered.
This was by far the most misleading
and sophisticated speech ever delivered
in the village of Alma and the crowd
though large displayed little enthusiasm.
We will have an easy time of it if our
friends do not put in harder
speaker than this. Wind cannot win
votes, it only blows away the rubbish
and prepares the ground for the live and
sound seed
The overflow meeting at which T.. w.
Whitney was supposed to have made
the speech turned out rather surprising
to all. The orator failed 10 appear and
the invincible Dewitt Vought came
upon the stage to rail and curse the re-
publican voters, the hooked nosed
Shylock' 5 as he called them, and the men
of wealth. 1t was a regular populistic
harangue, endeavoring to stir up the
masses against the classes, and cursing
the existing forms Of government.
Such a man as this is the one who
asks for your sulfefage as a representa-
tive to our state legislature.