The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-27

money question. Inc repuDllcan pat
form adopted at st. Louis declares that
the gold standard must be maintained in
this nation until other nations shall con-
sent to its abandonment. We believe
that the declaration which commits us to
IA gold standard until other nations come
to our relief is equivalent 80 declara-
ton III favor of Il permanent continue
ton of the gold standard because we do
not believe that other nations will take
pity on us before we take pity upon our
own people. We have then to consider
this question:: Ought The American
people to submit longer to Il gold stand
ard. (Cries of no. The democratic party
has begun war of determination
against the gold standard. We ask no
quarter; we give no quarter. We shall
prosecute our warfare until there is not
an American citizen that darcs to advo-
cate gold standard policy. (Cheers.)
You ask why. We reply the
gold standard is II conspiracy
against the human race and that we
would no more join it than we would
homes and families. (Applause.) | ask
YOU not to take my word for the evils of
the gold standard. | call as witness Il
gentleman whose voice has been heard in
the councils of the democratic party.
ask you if you are inclined to accuse us
of using cXtravagant language to read
and reflect upon the language used by
John &. Carlisle in 1873. In II speech
made in congress, he said: 'Ac-
cording To my opinion the con-
spiracy which seems to have been
formed here and in Europe to destroy by
legislation and otherwise from three-sev
enths TO 0nc-half the metallic money of
the world is the most gigantic crime of
this or any other age. Its contamination
would intimately entail more misery
upon the human race than all the wars,
pestilenccs and famines that ever oc-
CURED in the history of the world
That is the language of John G. Car
Isle. l believe he spoke the truth and
if il was true then it is true today and
will he true, no matter how he may
this question. Truths once uttered will
live, no matter what may become of
those who uttered those truths. Man
can not select truths. That prophecy
was spoken eighteen years ago and eigh-
teen years of fulfillment has enabled us
to believe words which were believed by
all ut the time they were spoken. Our
opponents tell us that the free coinage
of silver is going to disturb business. |
ask our opponents to write down the
worst thing they can possibly think of as
restoration of the free coinage of silver
and when they have written their worst
L would place against the most dismal
prophecy they can utter the words of
John G. Carlisle and tell them that
would take the worst thing | could think
of rather than bring misery greater
than war, pestilence and famine. Zap
plause) Can you imagine the meaning
of these words? No, my friends, the i'm
aginatiOn can not conceive, the tongue
can not describe all that is wrapped up
in those words. Can yau think of all
the wars of the past? When you remem
Der that from the time Cain killed Abel
until now history can be little more than
Il record of warcfare. Can you remem-
Der all those wars and can you add in
one sum all the misery those wars have
caused, and then you can think of the
pesticnces which have visited the earth
and the misery they have brought, and
then can you think of the fNmines that
have afflicted mankind from time to
time. Can you add into one great sum
the misery caused by these three dread
destroyers of the human race and think
of the conspiracy of those who stand be-
hind the gold standard bringing more of
misery than all these. All, my friends,
it is because we believe that prophecy
was true, it is because we believe that
no language can OverState the infinite
distress thart the gold standard means
to the human race: it is believe no power
on earth will prevent the advocates of
free coinage from preaching that gospel
wherever they can find those to hear it.
(Applause)
I'VE believe that the assertion of
American independence will do more to
bring about international bimetalism
than II servilc dependence upon opponents
TO bring it to us. Our opponents say
that all we need is Il restoration of con
tidcnce. Whenever the confidence man
is abroad in Il community the man who
has the least confidence gets off with
the most money Qaughter), and | am
very much afraid the confidence men is
abroad i'll this campaign, preaching,
Have confidence and all will be we'll
My friends, confidence must have base
TO rest upon. Our opponents say that
unless we shape our financial policy to
suit the pleasure of foreign nations they
Will not loan us any money. We reply
that as long as we shape our financial
policy according to their pleasure we will
always be borrowers and never be money
loancrs ourselves. Confidence must rest
upon substantial basis. Suppose that
man i'll our community gives out his
notes until everybody has them and then
lIltS W COLLECT IL HOIt anu UIluS
that he has no property behind his notes.
how can you restore confidence in that
man. how can he inspire confidence in
the community? Just in one way and
that is by putting prosperity behind the
notes that he has out. My friends, how
are You going to restore confidence in the
United States legislating value out of the
property upon which notes rest. You
have tried it and you have found that
bankruptcy has increased year by year
and the only people who are prosperous
are those who own investments payable
in money they are making out of the eX-
tremties of the government
III you want to restore confidence you
must restore prosperity to the great
masses of the people and talk as much
about good property as they have been
talking about good money. Money can
be too good; it can be so good that you
can long for it and pray for it, but can
not get hold of it. Laughter) Remem-
Der that whenever you make money dear
or. whenever you increase its purchasing
power. You have simply driven down the
value of other things, and if those who
own money and who hold contracts pay
able i'll dollars are willing to so legislate
as TO make their property more valuable,
how can they appeal to those who own
property and owe debts to join them in
that sort of legislation? | have assert
ed assert again-that without the aid
of the money-owing classes the gold
STA nla rd woul1 not stand for ono 1ov i'm