The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-10-17

acquicsced In by the commercial world
ana tnis nation cannot correct mistake
Of mankind.
Reviews Personal History.
Let mo tell you how have stood on
WIS question Twenty years ago, at Coop
er Union. in the city OF New York, In 1876.
] made a speech upon this subject among
others. and want TO tell you Just what
SAID az that time, and you win see how
much have changed
supposing that silver was demonetized
IN ls'5. denounced II as a fraud on debt
ors. wanted silver rcmonetized, but /
wanted good dollars, and here Is what
said:
I am In favor OF honest money am
In favor OF gold and silver l am in favor OF
paper with gold and silver behind II. be-
neve In silver, because II Is one OF the great
American products. and am In favor OF
anything that Will add 10 the value OF an
American product, but want a silver dol
lar worth gold dollar. even II you have
TO make Il four feet In diameter Laugh
ter and applausel
"You would say my head was level then
"A voice: 1t is level now Laughter
Yes. sir; no government can afford TO be
clipper or coins. A great republic cannot
anord to stamp lie on silver or gold or
paper Honest money for an honest peo-
pie, Issued by an honest nation!
| II have been told that during the war
We had plenty OF money. ] never saw II.
lived years without enriching my eyes
| with the sight OF a dollar-and the green
back, unless you have the gold behind Il.
Is no more a dollar than a bin OF fare IS
2 dinner. You cannot make a paper dol
lar without taking a dollars worth OF
paper We must have paper that repre-
scnts money. ] want Il issued by the gov
i eminent, and I want behind every one OF
these paper dollars either a dollar IN gold
or silver dollar worth 100 cents, so that
every greenback under the flag can lift up
/ It's hands and swear: I know that nv
redeemer liveth. IApplause.l That was
where was 20 years ago. and that Is where
| am tonight For nations and individu-
! ais, ~ all times. everywhere and forever,
honesty is the best policy. [Applausel
Honor Versus Fraud.
Better be an honest bankrupt than n
/ rich thief Poverty can hold In It's hand
tho jewel honor-a jewel that outshnes all
| other gems. a thousand times better be
poor and noble than rich and fraudulent.
! lApplause.l All. but they say-these
statesmen, these gentlemen who give their
attention TO running for Office llaughtcrl-
/ they say gold has been cornered. Wen.
/ let us see. Whenever wheat Ia cornered I'm
| Chicago the price goes up. That IS what
they corner Il for. III GOLD had been cor
ncred the rate OF interest would have stead
| lily risen. And yet. the rate OF interest has
steadily gone down from 1873 to 1896. ZAP
4
| there IS no corner on gold. "a voice IN
! the audience: where has the gold gone?"l
"lho gold Is in this countryside. goo. 600
OF Il. iApplause.l And the gold that Is I'm
this country makes every greenback and
national bank bill and silver dollar good.
| IApplause.l You take that gold away and
you are bad. You understand that. TAP
pausel
Now then. my friends suppose we had
silver money? How would you keep them
bo lraa
tho Nanderbilts. the Rockefellers and the
Astors away from the silver II it IS good,
they viii get II. l1aughter.l II Il Is not
good you don't want H. They have just as
good chance TO corner silver as they ever
had TO corner gold. The silver will be
easier cornered because Il Is only worth
n fraction as much. But, say these gem
tlcmen-you know they love the poor. IA
voice: Free coinage will bring prosper
ity"l
Free coinage will bring prosperity?
don't know. l am not q prophet nor the
son OF a prophet, end perhaps not very
profitable son Ilaughterl, but l can see
into the future as far as any populist.
laughter Now, let us see what kind or
prosperity free courage VIII bring, because
/ want YOU all 10 know that want pros
perlty. Applause That Is my failing.
EToct OF Free silver.
Free coinage OF silver that Is, for the
silver OF the world, would first OF all, bring
as 10 n silver basis our money would be
silver We have 5000 600. 600 In the treasury
in gold. This would instantly go out Of cir
culation. There is only about 81 300, 000.
O0e OF specie currency In the United states.
There would be about $70O,00OOOO left,
part OF that grecnbacks II we come 10 a
silver basis. then the greenbacks are oil 10
DO redeemed In silver. and they would only
ha worth 90 cents on the dollar. All your
nc1ional bank bills, secured by government
bends. would go 60 80 cents on the dollar,
because free silver means the payment Oh
all bonds I'm silver.
And what else? All your glorious silver
dollars would be cnt square I'm two be
worth 80 cents apiece. And how would
that leave us? IL would leave us with only
1885,. COO 900 OF currency, specie and paper,
ana that would be five dollars a head for
all the people OF tho United States, and
this would be done in the name OF pros
pcrity What else would happen Every
man living on an income would have TO i've
on Just half; every soldiers pension would
be cut dead In two; every one. Ana what
else? Every man that had a debt would
try 10 collect Il I'm gold before the law
caught him. Every one. business would
stop. No money. Panic would come, ana
thcn bankruptcy alplost universal. and
that ls what these gentlemen call the pros
perlty OF free coinage. There are millions
OF people I'm the United States who arc
creditors and debtors They want 10 be
paid. and they want 70 pay the men they
owe.
,'Nobody can be helped by free coinage
oxcept tho few people who could pay their
debts III they were willing. Some say that
Il would help the mine-owners. IL would
not. Coming this bullion into dollars
would not Increase its value because you
could coin the bullion or the whole world
and tho supply would be greater than the
demand. Have free coinage tomorrow
and there ~ not a silver mine owner that
would make dollar, not one, by chang
ing Il into American coin. IL would only
bc worth what the bullion Is worth In the
open market
Now, what l want 10 say 10 you tonight
Is. IA this country We want good money.
good, honest money. and there never was
any real prosperity for n nation or an indi-
vldual without honesty. without integrity,
and II is our duty to preserve the rcputa-
ton OF the great republic Applause.
Let us have sense enough 90 vote for our
own interests. We cid not have II In 1892
lI.aughtor.1 / hope We have learned some
a.. a lac "a ,I.,ta