The herald., 1896-07-08


| agreement But the people now do well
know that the conspiracy of European
monarchles, led by Great Britain, has
purposes OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to subserve
| in war upon American silver money,
| and stand in the way of such an agree
| ment With their credit they seek TO
enhance the purchasing power OF the
thousands and millions which are owing
| them all over the world, and which you
! owe them They draw upon the United
(, States of America for their food supplies
| and raw material of wheat, corn, OIL
cotton, iron, lead and other like staples,
| and seek to get 1t for the least money.
Besides this, Great Britain has large
| gold mines in South Africa and South
| America, and by closing the silver mines
| has greatly enhanced their products and
| their values. Recent British aggression
| in Venezuela and in the settlements OF
| South America was moved by desire
| to possess more gold mines, and, by
| monopolizing the metal as far as possi-
| BILE, to assert British commercial su-
premacy over the world No nation
can call itself free and independent that
| is not great enough to establish and
maintain financial system Of its own.
| (Great applause.) To pretend that this,
the foremost richest and most powerful
nation of the world, cannot coin It's own
money without suing for international
agreement at the courts Of European
autocrats who have none but primary
interests to subserve, has for many years
been held out at every presidential elec-
ton. They have made use of such agree
ment and have foled 1t afterwards, and
we never in all our history had an inter-
national agreement upon money syS-
tenn and none of the founders OF this re-
public ever dreamed such an agreement
was essential We have had three in
ternational conferences in order to OBJ
tain it, and to wait longer upon that is to
ignore the interest of our own people
and to degrade our national dignity ana
to advertise to all mankind our impo-
tency and our folly. Concession that
comes from the gold standard men of all
Europe for the restoration of the double
standard is the only solution of our
financial difficulties that we can find in
the outlook before u.s. The declarations
of the English premier and Of the French
minister and of the Russian government,
Recently tAplCSSSu' ShVN IL ~
at all it will succeed against the sinister
power of autocracy which has been useu
against it. International agreement Tor
the restoration of metals to equallty
would be a bond of mankind whlch
would enable us to regulate the value oil
money and bring the two metals upon
a parity. Alexander Hamilton, the great
secretary of the treasury under Wash
ington. understood this question
He framed the first financial act of
this country, which was passed in 1872,
fixing the unity of our currency upon
both metals for the double reason, hrst,
that to exclude one would reduce 1t to
a mere merchandise, and the other that
it would involve the difference between
a scanty and full circulation. Thomas
Jefferson knew this when he endorsed
the work of Hamilton and George WASH
ington knew this when he approved 1t.
Daniel Webster knew this when he de-
clared that silver and gold are legal
standards, and that neither congress
nor any state has a right to establish
any other standard or displace this one.
General Grant knew this when he looked
to silver as q resource of payment. and
publican congress had demonetized it
and he himself had unwittingly sigued
the bill The whole United States now
knows this, and they know also if they
would free themselves they must strike
the blow (Cheers)
The majority of this convention l have
the honor here to represent maintain
that this great American nation,t the nat
ural base of a fixed empire, the greatest
ever established by man, with more ter
ritory and more productive energy than
Great Britain, France. and Germany
combined, without dependence upon
European nations for anything they pro-
duce and with European nations de-
pendent on much that we produce. is
fully capable of restoring this constitu-
tional money system of gold and silver
at an equality with each other.
And as our fathers in 1776 declared
our national independence of all the
world, so today has the great Demo-
cratic party founded by Thomas JEFF
ferson, the author of that declaration,
appeared here in Chicago to declare the
financial independence of the United
States of all other nations, and to ask
all true Americans to assert by their
suffrages at the polls that our country
may be placed where she by right be-
longs, first and foremost as the most
prosperous and happy nation that ever
blessed the life of mankind upon this
globe.
During the progress of Mr.. Daniels
speech, Senator Tillman of South Caro-
lima and Senator Jones of Arkansas
moved around and conferred with the
silver leaders of several of the = lega-
tons. Gov. Altgeld of Illonois, Gov
Stone of Missouri, Senator elect Money
of Mississippi, Senator Blackburn of
Kentucky and others were consulted
| The gold leaders awaited the next move
, pf the silver men with seeming imper-
turbability.
When Mr.. Daniel finished and an
nounced that the convention was ready
! for business, there were loud cries for
Hill. The New York senator sat quietly
eating a sandwich, and showed no dis
position to respond.
Senator Jones of Arkansas announced
that, on behalf of the silver delegates
III the house, and at the request of many
of them, he would move the abortion
of a resolution of thanks to Chairman
Harrity for the impartial manner in
which he has presided over the conven-
tion. 1t was adopted unanimously, as