The herald., 1896-09-09


farmers and the laborers-joining with
from the domination of those financial
Influences which have controlled our
legislation and our financial policy. In
the very shadows of Wall street, he
said, would be found as bitter hatred of
these influences as would be found
among the farmers Of Nebraska.
All through the east he had found
farmers who had been Republicans, who
were openly supporting the free coin
age of silver and who were openly assert
ing that they had as much right to at
tend to their busine'H as the New York
banker had to attend to his business
He had not found lukewarm men any
where.
"They have he said, "been earnestly
for us or against US This he was glad
to see, for he considered politics seri-
! Gus business when the people were con-
fronted with such issues as confront the
American people.
Mr.. Bryan then referred to the at
titude Of the Republican party on the
financial question as declared in its plat
form and emphasized in the utterances
oil it's nominees. AS opposed to the policy
of maintaining gold standard until
the leading nations of Europe shall join
in substitution Of a double standard" +"
he said. ''the Democratic, party had de-
clared for the immediate restoration of
the American constitution"
Not only the Democratic had so de-
clared, but the Silver and Populist par
ties had both Joined with the Demo-
cratic party in making this the para
mount issue of the campaign.
He added: II do not know whether
all of you fully realize the intensity of
the struggle in which we are engaged
Our opponents began the campaign by
asserting that the American people were
not able to establish bimetallism and
then, when they found there was re-
volt among the American people from
such a. policy. they commenced a sys-
tenn of coercion and terrorism, insisting
that the masses of the people have not
the right to determine what kind of pol
icy they want. This terrorism and CO.
ercion is manifested in two ways. In the
first place the heads Of great corpora
tions are undertaking to compel their
employees to support the gold standard
My friends. if the heads of these corpor-
atoms assert the right to control the
votes of those who work for them, then
we have presented to the American peo-
pie even greater question than the
silver question If corporation has
the right to control the vote of an en-
ploye on one question it has the right
to control on every question. Those
corporations were not constituted for
any such purpose. They are creatures
Of law. Has the law given unto these
corporations any such powers?
IF a corporation is not intrusted
with the legal right to vote those en-
ployes as it will, then the corporation
that attempts it usurps it's right and
becomes a dangerous public in a free
government. If there are those here
who are opposed to us on the money ques-
ton they dare not approve of the con-
duct OF these corporations that are at
tempting to vote their employees. We
may be the ones to suffer now but
warn you, fellow citizens, that the time
may come when these very corpora
tions will turn themselves against you
and your families with all the accumu-
lated power that your Endorsement Of
their conduct now will give them. Not
only have some of these corporations
attempted to coerce their employees, but
the great money power centered in New
York has been attempting to coerce the
people who do business with it. A paper
q few days ago said of a Montana bank
which had failed, that the reason given
was that the managers of the bank
were advocating free silver and there
fore the New York banks refused to ex-
tend credit any longer and enforced the
collection of a note which they held
which suspended the bank. My friends
do you think you are under a govern
ment of the people? / want to ask you
what You think will be the result if
We get to be government by banks
I'VE had q failure in this city last
winter. a failure which in my judgment
was largely due to the sale of bonds
and to the fact that the bank was draw
ing in money from circulation, from
business, from the channels of trade, to
invest 1t in government bonds. If, my
friends, you have financial policy
which permits few fnanciers to close
up banks at will and swallow up your
deposits and impoverish your people,
want to ask you il 1t is not time for you
to consider whether this cannot be
Stopped"
Referring to the argument that the
people cannot borrow money from
abroad unless their laws are satisfac-
tory to the money owners, the speaker
asserted that the people could never get
out of the clutches of the foreign broker
so long as they allow him to control
their financial system. He declared it
to be his judgment that a proper finan-
cial policy for the past twenty years
would have left the people of the United
States Independent of the foreign money
power. Instead, he believed they were
more dependent today than twenty
years ago
The candidate then said: 'I call your
attention to the fact that the Republi-
can committee of this town has sent let
ters lady school teachers showing them
what their interst in this question is
In calling the attention of the school
teachers to the fact that a gold standard
gives them salary which buys more
and more all the time they neglect to
say that the more salary rises the har-
der it is for the taxpayer to pay that
salary; more than that, they forget to
say that if these crimes go on it will be
necessary to cut down the salaries of