Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-07-16
the absolute control of the Republican

the absolute control of the Republican
party. loud cheering.)
But note the change. Mr.. Mckinley
was nominated at st. Louis upon a
platform that declared for the mainte-
nance of the gold standard until it
should be changed into bimetallism by
an international agreement. Mr.. Nc
KinIey was the most popular man
among the Republican party, and
everybody three months ago in the
Republican party prophesied his elec-
ton. How is it to-day? Why, that
man who used to boast that he looked
like Napoleon daughter and cheering),
that man shudders to-day when he
thinks that he was nominated on the
anniversary of the battle of Waterloo.
At the suggestion of coincidence
between McKinley's nomination and
the fate of Napoleon at Waterloo the
silver men showed their appreciation
of the point by yell and an uproar
which for twenty or thirty seconds
prevented tho speaker from proceed
ing. At length, when things calmed
down triae, he resumed as follows:
Not only that, but as he listens he
can hear with ever-increasing dis
tinctness the sound of the waves as
they beat upon the lonely shores of
st. Helena. (Cheers.)
Why this change? All, my friends,
is not the change evident to any one
who will look at the matter? 1t is no
private character, however pure, no
personal popularity, however great,
that can protect from the avenging
wrath of an indignant people the man
who will either declare that he is in
favor of fastening the gold standard
upon this people, or who is willing to
surrender the right of self-govern-
ment, and place legislative control in
the hands of the foreign potentates
and Powers. (Cheers.)
WILL NOT DARE CHALLENGE.
We go North confident that we shall
win. Why? Because upon the para
mount issue in this campaign there is
not spot of ground upon which the
enemy will dare to challenge battle.
Why, if they tell us that the gold
standard is a good thing, we point to
their platform and tell them that their
platform pledges the party to get rid
of a gold standard and substitute
bimetallism. (Applause.) If the gold
standard is a good thing, why try to
get rid of it? daughter and continu-
ed applause.)
If the gold standard-and l might
call your attention to the fact that
some of the very people who are in
this convention to-day, and who tell
you that we ought to declare in favor
of international bimetallism and
thereby declare that the gold stand
ard is wrong, and that the principle
of bimetallism is better, these very
people four months ago were open
and avowed advocates of the gold
standard and telling US that we could
not legislate two metals together,
even with all the world. (Renewed
applause and cheers.) want to sng-
gest this truth, that if the gold stand
ard is a good thing we ought to de-
clare in favor of its retention, and if
the gold standard is a bad thing, why
should we wait until some other ma
tions are willing to help us let 60?
(Applause.)
Here is the line of battle. We care
not upon which issue they force the
fight. We are prepared to meet
them on either issue or on both. III
they tell us that the gold standard is
the standard of civilization, we reply
to that that this, the most enlightened
of all the nations of the earth, has
never declared tor gold standard,
and both the parties this year are de-
claring against. (Applause.) If the
gold standard is the standard of civ
ilization, why, my friends, should we
not have it? SO, if they come to
meet us on that we can present the
history of our nation. More than
that, we can tell them this, that they
will search the pages of history in
vain to find single instance in which
the common people OF any land have
ever declared themselves in favor of
a gold standard. (Applause.)
They can find where the holders of
fixed Investments have. Mr.. Car
Isle said in 1878 that this was a strug-
gle between the idle holders of idle
capital and the struggling masses
who produce the wealth and pay the
taxes Of the country, and, my friends,
it is simply question that we shall
decide upon which side shall the Dem
ocratic party flght-upon the side Of
the idle holders of idle capital, or up
the side of the struggling masses7
That is the question that the party
must answer first, and then it must be
answered by each individual here
after. The sympathies of the Demo-
cratic party as described by the plat
form are on the side of the strug-
CLING masses, who have ever been the
foundation of the Democratic party.
(Applause.1
TWO IDEAS OF GOVERNMENT.
There are two ideas OF government.
There are those who believe that If
you Just iegislate to make the WELL
to-do prosperous that their prosper
ity will leak on those below. The
Democratic idea has been to legislate
to make the masses prosperous
their prosperity viii find its way up
and through every class and rest up
on ii. (Applause.1
You come to Us and tell us that the
great cities are In favor of the gold
standard. tell you that the great
cities rest upon these broad and fer
tile prairies. Burn down your cities
and leave our farms; and your cities
will spring up again as IL by magic.
bat destroy the farms, and the grass