The advocate., 1896-06-24
Topeka, KANSAS, JUNE "A, 1895.

convention will not enable me to more
than state in the briefest possible manner
our objections to the financial plank
proposed for your consideration. / am
practical man, and | recognize the
conditions existing in this convention,
foreshadowed as they were by the action
OF the committee selected by the re p
resentatives assembled from the differ
ent States.
This plank or this proposition was pre-
sented to the whole committee and by it
rejected. Loyalty to my own opinion,
consideration Of the great interest that is
felt in this country, compels me, in the
face of unusual difficulties, to present
this for your consideration, not with
that bounding hope or with that courage
that / have presented this in other
bodies with greater measure Of success
than l can hope for here. The great and
supreme Importance Of this question is
alone my excuse now for the few words
that / shall say to you.
In connection with this subject in q
public capacity have dealt with it now
for twenty years. | represent State
that produces silver, but I want to say
to you here and now that my advocacy
of the proposition is not in the slightest
degree influenced or controlled by that
fact.
contend for it because | believe there
can be no sound financial system in any
country in the world that does not recOg-
nize this principle. contend for it be-
cause since 1873, when it was ruthlessly
stricken from our statutes, there has
been continued depreciation of all the
products of human labor and human
energy. / contend for it, because, in
this year Of 1896, the American people
are in greater distress than they ever
were in their history. | contend for IL
because this is in my judgment, the
great weight, the great incubus, that has
weighed down enterprise and destroyed
progress in this favored land of ours.
| contend for it, because / believe the
progress Of my country is dependent on
it. / contend for it because l believe
the civilization of the world is to be
determined by the rightful or wrongful
solution Of this financial question. | am
tolerant Of those who differ with me- /
act from judgment, enlightened as best
have been able to enlighten it, by
many years Of study and many years Of
thought. In my judgment the American
people, in the whole line Of their history,
have never been called upon to settle
question Of greater Importance to them
than this. The great contest in which
many Of you participated, whether we
should have two flags or one, was not
more important to the American people
than the question Of proper solution Of
what shall be the money system Of this
land.
| have said enough to show you that L
think that this is not question Of policy,
but question Of principle. 1t is not q
mere idle thing, but one on which hangs
the happiness, the prosperity, the
morality and the independence ofAmeri-
can labor and American producers.
Confronted for the first time in the his
tory of this GLORIOUS party Of ours; con-
fronted, say, for the first time with
danger Of sfinancial system that, in my
judgment, will be destructive Of all the
great interests Of this land, we are called
upon to give to this provision Of our
platform our adhesion or rejection.
Mr.. President, / do not desire to say
unkind or unfriendly things, and / will
touch in q moment and only for q
moment upon the reasons why I object
to this provision Of this platform. The
Republican party has never been the
party Of q single standard. It was a
bimetallic party in its origin, in all it's
(oOnttnusd On Page ~