Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-11-01


Bryan entered Iowa on the Illinois Cen
trail at o'clock this morning and made
his first speech of the day at Mount Pleas
ant at O'clock before he had his break
fast.
The air was cool and crisp and seemed
to give the candidate new vigor for his
last tour across the State. He appeared
in good voice and spoke so distinctly as
to be heard with ease by the large crowd
which had congrcgatcd thus early in the
day.
The audience was enthusiastic and was
evidently in sympathy with the speaker.
Mr.. Bryan's speech at Mount Pleasant
was devoted largely to a discussion on
the usual lines of his latter campaign ef-
forts.
At Fairfield. where he was met by
large crowd, Mr.. Bryan devoted himself
to questions which had been propounded
to him by telegraph
When Mr.. Bryan arrived at Ottumwa,
he was met at the station by a reception
committee who escorted him to the city,
where he remained for more than an hour
addressing the crowds which had gath
cred TO hear him, in several different
places.
At Fairfield, Mr.. Bryan spoke as fol-
lows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:-In going about
from place to place l have but few mo-
ments at each stop and am not able TO
enter into an elaborate discussion of any
question, but l take these occasions to
discuss various phases Of the money ques-
tion. Sometimes I have questions put 10
me. the answers TO which aid in the dis
cussion. So this morning I have
TWO QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.
One Of them is:
Granting for a moment that we have
n right to pay the interest on our bonds
in coin and not in gold, is it not at least
unfair. after having paid continually in
gold. to suddenly switch to silver without
warming and compel the acceptance
thereof when the face value of the bonds
themselves at the present moment and
for years has been the same as their
value i'm gold; in other words, is it fair
for the holder TO suddenly change his gold
bonds or his bonds as good as gold into
mere silver bonds?"
The question goes upon the assumption
that gold and silver will not be maintain
ed as q parity, whereas we insist that
under the free and unlimited coinage Of
silver at 15 to l. we shall maintain the
parity between gold and silver at pres
ent legal ratio and by Offering a demand
for silver which will take all there is on
the market. We will be able TO make a
silver dollar as good as a gold dollar,
Whether melted or coined. here or any
where else I'm the world. That is our con-
tention. Therefore we cannot admit the
position assumed by the question.
The question makes another assumption,
and that is that the administration hav-
ing surrendered to the holder of the obli-
cation the option TO demand his kind OF
coin we shall not assume the right which
the law gives to pay i'm either kind Of
coins. 1t goes upon the theory that be
cause YOU have given a man an unfair
advantage for q long time, you must
continue to give him that advantage and
not assume the right to pay in either kind
Of coin.
When YOU maintain the parity between
gold and silver. it matters not to the
holder of the obligation whether YOU pay
i'm gold or silver. but the very fact that
the debtor exercises the right to pay in
either kind of coin serves to keep the two
metals together.
BIMETALLISM IMPLIES
that the debtor shall choose the coin OF
payment. The bonds issued by the United
States call for coin and the Matthews
resolution. in 1873. declared that this ma
tion had the right TO pay it's coin obi-
cations i'm either gold or silver. and that
resolution has never been rescindcd.
The President of the United States has
no right to change the laws Of the land.
and when he tries to do II the people
have a right TO stand by the law. instead
Of the administration policy.
You will find that Mr.. Carlisle. in dis
cussng this subject before the committee
on appropriations on the DIST Of January,
1885. said that If the executive officers had
in the beginning exercised the right to
pay i'm either coin II would have done no
harm. but it would have worked well, but
his contention was that, having estab-
lished precedent it would be necessary
to follow that precedent instead Of exer-
cising the right to pay in either gold or
silver.
We say that If the administration has
surrendered the rights that the people
have the sooner another administration
resumes those rights the better for the
people who have been injured by the sur
render of the rights
Again. let me say that we have sold
bonds payable in coin and the purchasers
of the bonds have made a difference in
the price they paid. i'm some instances.
because Of our right to pay in silver and
believe that when the men who bought
the bonds made a difference between coin
bonds and gold bonds and charged us for
the risk that they took, they cannot COM
plain If we exercise the right TO pay in
either coin.
And here is another question:
Granting that silver and gold may
reach a parity. what reasons are there
for believing that the wages Of working
men win double as quickly? Have they
ever done so under similar circum-
stances?"
NV friends. the trouble is that
UNDER THE GOLD STANDARD
so many men do not have the opportunity
to earn any kind Of dollars. Bimetallism