The record-union., 1896-08-29


enough money. they put what they
have saved together, and buy a
farm, paying 81 900 down and giving
mortgage for the other $1,000, and
what is the result? Suppose money
rises in value. Suppose you take
notion you want a good dollar, a high
priced dollar, a dollar that keeps get
tlng higher priced every day; suppose
you have dollar that gets to be twice
as good as 1t was when the man gave
the mortgage. 1t means that each dol
lar will buy twice as much. 1t means
that 1t will take twice as much of the
products of the farm to buy the dollar
and pay his debts as it did before.
What IS the result? Why, the result
IS that 1t requires twice as much of the
products Of the farm to pay the interest
and twice as much to pay the taxes,
ana twice as much to pay the debt.
The man finds out that he is not able
TO pay that debt as he agreed to do.
What then? You say, extend the
mortgage. Why. they tell him that the
land has gone down in value now, and
that the farm is not worth enough u
be good security for the 81 900 Then
what? There is one thing, he can turn
the farm over to the man who holds the
mortgage. That he can always do
What is the result? He and his wife
nave lost 1000 they had invested in
the farm. They have lost the labor
they put forth in trying to pay this
mortgage, and then they lose the farm
and start out in life again.
How about the other man who sold
him the farm and got the 81 900 down?
If he loaned that 81, 900 he got security
on his $1,000, and he has the 81 600
within his reach and then he gets his
farm back. 1 ask you If there is anv
difference between the holder of cap
ital and the owner of property in the
appreciation of the dollar. The man
with the money is twice as wen off as
he was before, and the man who tried
10 own property loses all he has, and
has to begin again. You find the men
who hold the notes are the men who are
declaring that the gold standard is the
best system Of money that was ever
invented.
My friends, this is a practical ques-
ton that confronts the farmers of the
United States, and not of the United
States alone, but the farmers of Ire
land, the farmers of England. and the
farmers Of Germany and the farmers
OF every nation in the world that have
the gold standard to-day. 1 assert that
the gold standard could not live for one
day in any nation under the sun with
out the aid of the money-owners and the
money-changers to keep it in existence.
assert that the gold standard has
never received the Endorsement of any
class of people except those who pros
per most, as society is destroyed by a
rising dollar
Nov, I want to say to YOU that NV
denunciation of the gold standard is
sustained by even this which you can
see. Let me give you a proof. If a
man tells you the gold standard is Il
good thing. YOU ask him why it is that
no party in the history of the United
States has ever declared for a gold
standard in its platform. Is it not
strange if the gold standard is a good
thing that no party has ever seen fit to
say SO in platform? And yet that is
true. 1t is true no national party has
ever indorsed a gold standard, and yet
there are people who favor it. Why do
not they have the courage to write q
platform and risk an issue before the
people? But no, they do not do that
They go. to st. Louis and write and
adopt platform which says the Repub-
lican party pledges itself to bimetallism.
which, of course, is a denunciation Of
the gold standard. daughter and ap-
plause) If the gold standard is good
why should we try to get rid of it?
(Applause) If the gold standard is
good, why did the Republican party
pledge itself to help keep a gold stand
ard? But no, it pledged itself to get rid
of the gold standard just as soon as
other nations will help us. daughter
and applause) That is not my language,
my friends. That is the language of the
Republican platform, and that is the
construction placed upon it by the can
dldate who runs upon it in it's accept
ance. He says in his letter that the
American people cannot enter upon BIZ
metallism without the concurrent ac-
tion of other nations Does he say we
shall maintain gold standard for one
year? No. For four years? No. But
the conclusion is that we must maintain
it forever, if other nations say we must.
Applause)
1T is not question Of politics, nv
friends. Whole parties are divided on
this issue. 1t rises above the question of
politics. The Republicans have de-
clared against the right of the people
OF the United States to govern them
selves. They have declared that while
we want to get rid of the gold standard.
we must keep the thing which we do not
want until aliens shall bring us the re-
lief which we should achieve for our
selves. (Applause) In my humble
judgment. the American people are the
only people who have q right to saw
what the American people need in iesis-
lation. They have driven down the
price of your products. They have in
creased the burden of your debts: they
have foreclosed your mortgages: thev
are degrading and lowering the stand
ard of civilization by driving people who
want to work out upon the streets. ana
then idleness, breeds crime and crime
endangers the safety of every citizen"
(Applause)
A voice: How about free trade?''
Mr.. Bryan: 1T is not more taxes the
people want but more money to pay
taxes with. (Applause) If there is any
farmer here who has not taxes enough
to pay | beg him to go to his County
Treasury and pay enough to satisfy his
conscience. and not try to tax all the
| rest of the people. (Applause) The
subject of taxation is ever present with
us. We can change our tariff system
| any time, but we have reached our
crisis in monetary affairs. and we have
got to decide whether the American peo-
pie will run our finances or turn our
Government over to syndicates to take
care of it for rs