Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-09-10
BRYAN AT HIS BEST.
Scathing Denunciation of the Gold
Standard-"It Carries the Burg
lars Mask and the Assas-
sins Knife"

| CLEVELAND, O., Sept. 1.-The vel.
come given w. j. Bryan in Cleveland
was unprecedented in his campaign
tour from New York to his home in
Nebraska.
From the time he reached the city
until he had said good-by to his last
audience Mr.. Bryan was given one
continuous round of emotional vel.
coming.
1t is claimed that !, 900 people came
from Canton, the home OF Maj. Nc
Kinley. Many other Bryan and Sew
all clubs came from towns In Ohio ano
Pennsylvania. Ten thousand people
had gathered in and about the Lake
Shore station, to wait the arrival OF
the nominees train, and when it ar
rived they shouted with vim that
showed their earnestness.
An open carriage, drawn by four
white horses, was in waiting for Mr..
and Mrs. Bryan, and in this they were
conveyed through streets crowded
with cheering people to the hotel.
A national salute was fired by Bat
tallion A, Ohio National Guard, as the
train came in and fireworks were dis
played all along the route to the hotel.
Mr.Bryan made three speeches-two
in large halls and the third from the
balcony of his hotel. The halls were
packed and the street about the hotel
a perfect jam of humanity.
KNIFE OF THE ASSASSIN.
In his first address Mr.. Bryan was
more aggressive than has been his
custom. "The gold standard, ," he de-
clared, "never fought an open fight
in all its career. 1t carries the mask
of the burglar and the knife of the
assassin. When it was fastened upon
this country in 1878 the American peo-
pie had never discussed it, and no
party had ever gone before the people
urging sllgle measure that leaned
toward gold standard. Every step
has been taken at night and without
the knowledge or consent of the peo-
pie.
"Why did not the Republican Ma
tional Convention denounce the finan-
cial policy of the Democratic party7
Why did it not demand the abandon
ment of the gold standard and the
restoration of the gold and silver
coinage of the Constitution? Because
their convention was dominated by the
same influences that have dominated
the controlling affairs of both great
parties. The financiers of New York
wrote the Republican platform.
THE CLINK OF GOLD.
"The laborers of this country, the
farmers of this country, were looking
and longing for relief, but the Repub-
ican party was deaf to all sounds
save the clinking of gold, and blind to
all colors save the glittering yellow.
tremendous applause.) 1t wrote its
platform. Did it say that the gold
standard was good? In the presence
of the misery that it was wrought,
even the Republican party, with all
its audacity, did not dare to advocate
a gold standard.
THE GOSPEL OF DESPAIR.
"If you can not excite pity in the
minds of that party in this country
which you yourselves have made
great, how can you expect pity from
the nations from whom you have |
wrested an empire? Our opponents
preach the gospel of despair. There |
is no hope, not a promise nor a pros
pect. They ask you to enter upon a |
night Illuminated by no star, to embark |
upon sea whose further shore no
may find, to travel upon a |
desert where the oasis when reached |
only makes disappointment a Thousand
times more keen.
eve have not finished the gold |
standard yet. You think you have
suffered. Our suffering has just begun
il we have a constitution of the gold
standard. We are but upon thresh- |
hold of period of depression which |
is indefinite in duration and can not
be described in intensity.
A GLOOMY PICTURE.
"Wait until these influences, wait |
until these heartless, merciless infiu-
ences have driven silver from here,
and they will turn to other nations. |
Wait until they have driven silver |
from Indiana, and $50, O,00O, 900 people |
reach out after their share of the
worlds supply of gold. Wait until they
have driven silver from China and |
$50, ,0O0, 900 of people will reach out af-
ter their share of the worlds supply |
of gold; wait until they have driven |
Japan to the gold standard ,and Mex
leo and South America, and then you |
will put gold on an auction block,
and every toiler under the sun will
bow to it, and work little harder to |
get little less of the yellow metal. |
And at whose bidding do you destroy |
silver? At the bidding of the farmers
of the world? The farmers have |
never asked for the crucifixion of sill
yer. At the bidding of the iaborers
of the world? The laborers of the |
world have never demanded the death |
of white metal. Who has determined
it? The money changers, whom the
Savior drove out of the temple.