The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-10-04
JERRY BEGINS WITH ADAn
And He Winds Up With the Boy
Orator of the Platte.

MT. CHAIRMAN, Lanes ana GenIlc-
men: I was down a. the Santa Fe de-
pot yesterday listening to the generals
making their speeches from the rear
of Millionaire Ayers car. One speaker,
General Sickles. said that Adam was
the first Populist. Voice: 'HurTah for
Adam) God created Adam and said
he was good, and gave him dominion
over all the beasts of the field-and L
suppose that includes the elephant.
Now, Adam was a good Populist. He
didn't believe then as we believe now
in any special privileges, for he says,
if there Is any fruit tree growing I'm this
garden that has any good fruit on 1t
want some of it, too. (AppGause.) And
so he plucked of the tree of knowledge.
and has been educating his children
ever since. And they are with us today,
the sons OF Adam the first Populist, in
vestigating the questions we are now
taking up, the great financial issues be-
fore the people, so as to arrive at a just
and wise conclusion in regard 70 what
is the best for this country. For / take
it that We are more interested in this
country than in any other country on
earth today. Mr.. Long stands here as
the champion of that party that stands
for the existing gold standard alone;
while 1 stand in an humble way as the
champion of the cause of the Popocratic
parv which stands for the free and
unlimited coinage of both gold and sill
yer at the II ito of 10 to l without wait
ing for any other nation on earth. Cap
plause) I understand the general rules
OF debate 70 be that the man who chal-
ienges, that opens the debate, lays down
certain propositions, and dt is the duty
Of the other fellow TO meet them. L
challenged Mr.. Long; 1 had the oopor-
tunity and I laid down certain propo-
sitions, which l viii lay down again to-
day. 1 laid them down in each and
every ore of these debates, and charged
him to meet fairly the statements 1
made. He has not met one of them.
tApplause.) But he has wasted his and
your time in useless endeavor to Sring
into the arena the discussion of the tar
1T question. and by ASKING questions.
Any fool can ask question. GAP
piause.l But it takes a wise man 10
answer them, Now, then, besides lay
ing down again those propositions and
stating them fairly. as intend TO do,
am going to meet all his questions upon
finance. But I said in the beginning,
inasmuch as the American people this
year were discussing this question of
finance, IL was a useless waste of time
to discuss tie tariff, and so l amt going
to do it.
Now, then. ladies and gentlemen, the
whole question hinges upon this propo-
sition: What do you want money for?
Does it make any difference fn regard 10
the amount of money in circulation TO
meet the demands of the people to car
ry on trade and commerce? VIVA. is
an honest dollar. or a good dollar. or
sound dollar? They have so many pet
names Cor IT. I take Ii for granted that
every man comedies that in modern civ
ihzation the necessity exists for money
for the sole and only purpose Of carrying
on trade and commerce and effect ex-
ching You cannot, az .n the oGd
days. carry on business by trade and
barter. You must have the thing you
call money, representing the value OF
all things; so that he that produces IA
surplus OF any thing and can get pos
session Of them has a check upon so
ciety to draw from the general sund
any one Of those commodities he wants.
You can readily see that the wheels OF
commerce and trade would stop at once
If we did not have some means OF e.
fscting our exchanges through some
form Of currency. 1t has become q ne
cesei:y. And 50 our forefsthers wisely
saw what a dangerous power Il would
be to enrruSt that right % a CORPORA
ton TO issue the money and soatrCs its
volume. So they wisely put in our or
ganic law that congress-that Is. the
pople should have power to coin money
and fix the value thereof and OF foreign
coins. And later on the supreme court
decided that congress shall have the
power TO issue full legal tender paper
currency The struggle has gone on
fer nearly a hundred years by corpora
tons and individuals for control OF this
great power. That power 81 their pos
session enables them TO reach down in
TO the pockets OF every producer in
the country, because IL enables them TO
fix the price OF the products CT our toll.
Andrew Jackson's time marked the
high water mark Of the struggle. BY
appealing 20 the great common peouEe
he put the monster under his foot. on.
he did not XIII IT. It has gathered new
force. and IL is rrLaTshailing anew un-
der the leadership @ William McKin-
ley, Grover Cleveland. Carlisle. VIII
son and Mr.. Long. Good leaders?
Yes: and unless you set over against
them the great mass OF common .eo-
PIE when the lines are csea-iv drawn
between the people sad the 1futocracy
their leadership won't save them.