The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-10-15
HERO or GETTYSBURG
Gen. Sickles' Opinion of Bryan and
the Chicago Plat
form.
A FAMOUS VETERANS VIEWS.
Able Address Delivered at the Great
Chicago Soldiers Meet
ing.

i'll this great debate? | am an old man,
past 40. Whatever ambition l may
have had is more than satisfied. No
| party has anything to offer me that
! desire or would accept. My race, in
the course of nature. is nearly run. Why
need | take part in such strife?' My
answer to myself is: Il could not help
it. Great applause) | could not look
on indiiferently and see the institutions
and welfare of my country menaced by
Il powerful political organizations and
lift no hand, feeble though it might be-
am here tOnight-nOt for the first time
before a Chicago audience. | was here
in your city in 1864. | came at the re-
quest of the greatest statesman ana the
greatest ruler Lincoln Great APPLAUSE.
| was on my way to the Southwest on
Il duty of some Importance, and the
great martyr asked me if | would find
it inconvenient as 4 Democrat. "a
voice: ''Louder.'D
You must not build such big halls.
uaughter) | cannot measure my lungs
by your Auditorium. | will do the best
| can to be heard, but the deaf people
must come nearer.
The Chicago Platform.
l gave something of vitality and body
to my country on the field of battle, as
your chairman has kindly mentioned.
| Why should | not give what is left of
me now to my country cloud and pro-
longed applause). and for my cOuntrys
force? Why am | here | ask myself
agatha Democrat? uaughter) BY
lineage. by tradition. by father and fore
fathers. from the beginning of the gov
eminent to this hour. Il Democrat? Why
am | here: Certainly not because |
take any particular interest i'll tariff,
which makes my friend Howard so en-
thuSiaStc U.aughter) There are many
differences of opinion between the Re
publican party and myself and between
your illuStriOus candidate for President
and myself. and the tariff is one of
| them. But. | say, if my house is on fire,
should | stop and ask the firemen who
about the tariff? daughter and APP
plauseD Gen. Howard can keep his tar
if notions and salt them down. and |
will salt mine down. uaughter.) CA
voice: Il will 90 you.D But | feel as
your great Douglas, when he wrote to
Lincoln offering his services to save the
Union and flag. Let me and my chill
will settle all political differences after
ward. prolonged applausc.) AS Il
Democrat. of course | read the Chicago
platform with some solicitude | had
read a great many Democratic platforms;
had stood on Il good many of them.
but | was unable to recognize in the last
Chicago platform any trace of the
Democracy | once knew. (ApplauseD
L read about silver from the free-silver
platform. | read about Populism from
the Populistic platform. | read about
anarchy and mob rule-I won't say from
any platform ever framed in this coun-
try. because up to the day of the Chi
100 MI .lJtv
ever dared present for the approval of
the American people the doctrines of
anarchy. reputation and mob rule.
(ApplauSe.)
Not Good Policy for America.
I read. as told you. something about
silver. | did not read any recognized
IDEAS of American finance. \ very good
platform for Mexico. about silver. for
that country is Oh Il frecSlver basis be-
cause it cannot be anything else 1t
would like to be On a gold basis. but it
cannot be. n platform that would be
very we'll for Russia, which is on
free-silver basis. because for many years
it could not do otherwise. but it is struS-
CLING very hard to put itself on a gold
standard platform. A very good plat
form for the East Indies. or for China
But are we to go there to learn finance
for America?
Wy ol' DtHlUtltlN lCItlluS are OK
trcmely indignant in these days that we
should have anything to do with England
III the way of money. but they do not
seem to have any objection at all to
standing on the same basis with China
and Japan and India and countries far
more removed from our civilization than
England. | am 10 great lover of Eng
land because England is not a very good
friend of the United States. Not in
financial matters, because in trade there
is no friendship: interest controls the
world of commerce. and nothing but in
terest can control it. The irritation be-
tween England and America is political;
their trade relations are more intimate
than those of any other two nations of
the world. But Notwithstanding this
fact, we have had more difficulty in set
ting our controversies with England
than with all the rest of the world put
together, and the volume of our diplo-
matte history when written will be oc-
cupied, nine-tenths of them. by the dis
cuSsions that we have had with England
i'll regard to political questions. Never
thCless. | trust better days are coming:
| hope before | die to see treaty signe<
referring for all time and forever every
controversy between the two branches of
the AnglO-SaXOn race to boards of i'm
partial arbitration. Great applause and
cheering) Little, as you see, my po-
lllNdl may 20 OUT 10 CnS-
land, yet | recognize the fact that there
is very much in our institutions, in our
laws, in our ideas and habits and ways
of thought, very much in common. And
our interests, commercial and financial,
are so interviewer. and the laws of trade
and commerce and of destiny have re-
quired it and made it inevitable. that it
cannot be surprising to any intelligent
man that both of these great commercial
nations, the two greatest in the world,
are standing today. as they have hereto
fore stood and will ever stand, upon a
great standard, for their common inter-
est and prosperity. Great applause and
cheering)
Challenge to Mr.. Bryan.
Why should we go to silver countries
to learn finance? Is it in the interest
of the wage-earners? | challenge Mr.
Bryan to show me a country that stands
on silver basis where the workman
receives one-fifth of the wages given to-
day to the American workmen. Cap
plause) The wages in England are
moving every day, upward, upward, up
ward. as they ought to do, approaching
slowly but surely the American stand
ard of wages, which belongs to the dig
nifty and manhood of American mechan-
les and workingmen. (Applause) Is
there any difference in China and Japan,
or Russia, or Mexico, or the Argentine
ne,,ubiic! Not = bit. Not & step for
ward.
In Mexico, in 1S94-and there is no
more difference today than then-I hired
twenty four men for $40 day-the
whole lot of them Qaughter)-and they
worked for me faithfully for nearly a
month, when the emergency passed
which required me to employ them. l
was ashamed to pay workmen such
wages, and it afforded me much gratifi-
cation to offer them a handsome gratu-