The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-10-30

icaI Questions of the Moment.
FELLOW CITIZENs-Again we are on the
field of battle where thought contends with
thought-the field of battle where facts are
bullets and our arguments are swords.
Again we appeal to the good sense, to the
conscience, to the patriotism of the Ameri-
San people.
This is our country, and we are response
BILE for the administration. We cannot
throw the responsibility on any monarch or
on any party. This is our country, and we
are responsible for what our country does.
We are responsible for the policy adopted,
and if our country is dishonest the brand
of repudiation will be on every American
brow. We are responsible for our country,
and it is the duty of every American citi-
zen, when about to exercise and use tho
prerogative of king, to examine the ques-
tions presented; it is his duty to arrive at
conclusion without prejudice, without
hatred, and then it is his duty to discharge
that obligation according as he believes is
for the best interests of the people of the
United States.
All 1 wish is to appeal to your good
sense. want to appeal to the reason you
have, not to your prejudices, not to your
hatreds but to your brains to your con-
sciences, to your patriotism, to your wis
dom. / admit that all the parties who dis
agree with me are honest. Large masses
of mankind are always honest-the leaders
not always-but the masses of the people
do what they believe to be right. Conse-
quently there is no argument in abuse,
nothing calculated to convince in calumny.
To be kind, to be candid, is far nobler, far
better and far more American.
We live in democracy, and we admit
that every other human being has the same
right to think, the same right to express
his thoughts the same right to vote that
we have, and 1 want every one who hears
me to vote in exact accord with his sense,
to cast his vote in accordance with his con-
science. want every one to do the best
he can for great republic, and no matter
how he votes, if he is honest, shall find
no fault.
But the great thing is to understand
what you are going to do; the great thing
Is to use the little sense that we have. In
most of us the capital is small, and it
ought to be turned often We ought to
paSNattention, we ought to listen to what
Is said-think. think for ourselves.
Issues of the Campaign. ~
Now, my friends, there are three great
questions in this campaign submitted to
the American people-three great questions
| that we are to decide, and the first is the
, money question, the second Is tho tariff,
and the third whether this is q govern
ment Of law or whether there is an appeal
from the supreme court to mob.
Then we have to make our choice. We
have to choose between men. We have to
choose between parties. =
And first let us take up the money
question, and let us begin at bedrock. 1
am going to give you the ideas and facts
that have influenced me, believing that
what will influence me will influence an
average American citizen. And the first
thing to be right about, il you are Re-
publican, and the first thing to be wrong
about If you are a Democrat is the deflni-
ton OF money What is money! In the
first place, money is tho product of nature.
No man ever made or created money. 1t
Is beyond the power of legislatures and con-
gresses 1t is beyond the power of the hui
man race. Money Is not made; 1t has to be
found.
Now, remember that. Money Is not
something that man can create. 1t Is
something that man must find. 1t Is q
part Of nature. And what else? Money Is
something that does not have to be re-
deemed. Money is the redeemer. Any
thing that has to be bolstered up with the
promise of an individual or nation is not
money. Greenbacks are not money. They
are promises to pay money. a national
bank bill is not money. 1t Is a promise to
pay money. Nothing that government
can print--no matter what picture 1t may
put upon it, no matter what words-"In
God we trusts money. 1t is simply q
promise to pay.
And yet there arc thousands and thou
sands of people who believe that q nation
can create money. A nation can no more
create money by law than it can create corn
and wheat and barley by law, and the
promise to pay money Ia no nearer money
than bill of fare is a dinner.
What Is Dollar?
Now, the next question is, What is dol
lar? There are many statesmen going over
the country, making speeches from the tail
end of trains, and not one of them knows
what dollar Is. Not one of them knows
what money Is. What is a dollar9 I can
tell you.
Twenty three and twenty-two-one-hun-
dredths grains of pure gold make one dol
lar. That is the money today of the United
States. That Is the money today Of the
civilized world. Twenty-three and twenty
two-one-h -hundredths grains of pure gold
make pure and honest dollar. All, but
they say, "Cannot you make dollars out of
silver" / say, eyes, but when you mako
dollar out of silver you have got to put
dollars worth of silver in silver dollar"
If you make money out of something else,
you have got to put dollars worth of
something else into the dollar. 1t takes
dollars worth of paper to mako good pa
per dollar. 1t takes dollars worth of
iron to make an iron dollar, and it takes n
dollars worth of silver to make a silver
dollar.
And let me tell you another thing You
do not add to the value of gold by coming
it any moro than you add to the value of
wheat by measuring 1t, any more than
you add to tho value of coal by weighing
It, Why do you coin gold2 Because every
man cannot take chemist's outfit with
him. He cannot carry crucible and re-
tort scales and acids, and so the govern
ment coins it simply to certify how much
gold there Is in the piece.
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