The herald., 1896-08-14
MR.. BRYAN AND THE ISSUE

| otioS
MR.. BRYAN AND THE ISSUE
| Mr.. Bryan's great speech in New York
| on Wednesday night has proved a dfsap-
pointment to his opponents, but has
| filled his followers with peculiar salts
| faction and confidence. As a straight
| forward, simple and logical exposition
| of the great question of the day. Mr.
| Bryan's speech will stand against all
assaults. 1t must be because he dealt
so freely and fully with the paramount
Issue Of the day that an evening paper
| is constrained to tell us ''he very care
fully refrsined from touching many of
the issues of the campaign" IT is true
that Mr. Mckinley has shown DISPOSE
tion to deal with any but the vital issue;
the contrast in Mr. Bryans method must
necessarily strike terror into the Re
publican heart, and they will seek to
veis that terror by the ridiculous impu
tation that Mr.. Bryan was afraid to
touch the less crucial issues. Not only
is this obvious to any fair minded OBJ
server, but Mr.. Bryan particularly en-
phasized the fact that ii was his inten-
tion on this occasion to speak in regard
to the campaign--the field on which all
recognize the coming battle must be
fought-and he definitely promised to
deal with other issues presented by the
platform in his formal letter of accept
ance. The enemy will find that Mr.
Bryan is able to defend the other planks
of the Chicago platform with as much
vigor and success as he has the main
plank, the cause of free silver.
Thrusting aside with proper contempt
the resort of his opponents, 'in the alb
sence of better argument. TO abusive
epithets," Mr.. Bryan dwelt on the key
note of the Chicago platform. the life
blood of Democracy, that every man is
equally entitled to protection by law"
and powerfully maintained that prop
erty rights as we'll as the rights of per-
son, are safe in the hands of the COM
mon people" which, he declared, had
always been 'the bulwark of law and
order" He was not surprised to lind
arrayed against them the beneficiaries
of government favoritism; such, indeed,
he welcomed as the highest endorse
llltuI NIlCH COulQ OS pCSlONtd uPOii
us"
Mr.. Bryan stoutly disclaimed any sug
gestion in the platform of disputing the
authority of the supreme court. The
party" he said, "is simply pledged"
quoting from the platform itself Ito use
all the constitutional power which re-
mains" He offered no apology for the
income tax plank and, defending its
justice, pointed out that it was no un-
tried scheme.
At the outset of his consideration of
the money question Mr.. Bryan demon
strated the insincerity and futility of the
Republican attitude toward bimetal-
lism. The difference between the two
parties in this he clearly defined: The
Republican party is pledged to aid in
securing bimetallism "as soon as the
assistance of foreign nations can be OBJ
tained." whereas the Chicago conven-
ton had declared for Independent ac-
tion by the United States. He reasonably
questioned the good faith of "quadren-
nial agitation" without any-definite ac-
ton.
The test OF honesty in the question was
dealt with al length, and Mr.. Bryan
prophesied that 80 long as the scran-
BILE for gold continues, prices must fall
and general fall in prices Is but an
other definition of hard times" A double
standard will result in the greatest good
to the greatest number, and this was
strongly and skillfully illustrated by the
benefits that must accrue to farmers and
Wage-earners, a considerable majority
of the country. He believed that the
restoration of bimeta.lism will restore
the parity between money and property,
and thus permit an era of prosperity
which will enable the American people
to become lenders of money instead of
perpetual borrowers"
That the debtor should have the option
of paying in gold or silver he emphati-
cally maintained. Indeed" he said,
there can be no such thing as real BIZ
metallism unless the option is exer-
cised by the debtor" and he believed
that the demand thus created by the
preference of the debtor for the cheaper
metal must raise its price and eventual
ly hold the two metals approximately
at the ratio fixed by law.
Mr.. Bryan again challeng 4 the fencing
with the question that the Republicans
prefer. Are our opponents
he asked, willing to outline
a financial system which will
carry out their precepts to a legitimate
conclusion, or will they continue TO
cloak their designs in ambiguous