The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-03
HE ADDRESSES \ LARGE Al
DIENCE on THE MONEY OF 'ES-
TION IN GIRARD.
He CITES PROSPERITY OF MEXICO
70 Show What Free Silver viii Do.
sherman and Cleveland Are Sleep
ing Together and the Country Is
in Imminent Danger.


speech here today by Governor Altgeld.
lie was frequently applauded.
Governor Altgeld said in part:
I'VE are now in the midst of the
greatest crisis that ever confronted this
republic. In 1861 the Union was con-
frontcd with dissolution. which meant
anarchy in respect to government and Il
perpetuation of African slavery. In
1896 we are confronted with the qucS-
ton of perpetually enslaving the white
race We are confronted with the qucs-
ton whether we shall install the English
shylock as Il task-master over all the
generations of Americans that are yet
to come. We are not proposing TO
wrong anybody. We are proposing to
give every man his due. We are not
suggesting experiment, we are demand
ing return to the experience of the
world for thousands of years and we say
this experiment of trying to force the
nations of the earth onto II gold basis for
the benefit of European creditors is
running the American people. We pro-
pose to pay the English creditors in the
same money they gave us-gold and sill
yer: we propose to give them dollars
that shall have the same purchasing
power, that will buy as much property
and as much labor of every kind as the
dollars they gave us. We propose to
pay them, principal and interest. in eX-
actly the same money they gave us and
say their act in getting silver dcmOne-
tizcd and gold made dcarer after they
had succeeded in getting our bonds and
notes, so as to compel us to pay diff
ferent kind of money from which they
gave us-to pay in dollars which cost
twice as much sweat, twice as much
blood-was a fraud and a crime against
civilization. This is not Il partisan. ques-
ton. not a question of republcaniSm or
democracy. John Sherman and Clcve-
land are sleeping together. 1t is Il
question of patriotism. 1t is a ques
ton of maintaining the institutions of
the fathers; for, if the present standard
is to be maintained, if our people must
90 on paying interest and principal in
dollars that require twice as much labor,
twice as much sweat, twice as much
blood to obtain as the dollars which were
in circulation when the debts were
created. then the doom of American
products is sealed. Low prices will be
made perpetual and there will be no
hope for the American farmer. the
American mechanic and the American
laborer. You have heard glib talk
about 50-cent dollars. There is no such
thing as a 50-cent dollar. The silver
dollars spoken of as 5O-cent dollars buy
as much property of every kind as they
did before silver was demGnetized. 1t
is gold that has gone up. The purchas-
ing power of gold has doubled and our
people are obliged to pay their debts,
principal and interest. in dollars which,
as matter of fact. are 200-cent dollars.
Who gets the benefit of this? The Eng
fish money-lenders. 1t is Il mistake to
suppose the local money-lcnder derives
benefit from the conditions which now
exist. We say restore silver to where
it was. Coin it free as you do gold.
Restore it to its legal tender qualities
and Just as soon as this is done and as
soon as silver can be used ut the custom
house to pay taxes and to pay notes at
the bank just as soon as it can be used
to do the same work that gold does. just
that soon the importance of gold will be
lowered, its purchasing power will be
lowered. The Importance of silver will
be raised, its purchasing power will be
| raised until the two metals again circll-
late ut par, just as they did for two
hundred years before silver was de-
| monetizcd.
| mctalism is all right, but we can not
do it alone. We must have Europe to
help us, otherwise gold will go to a pre-,
MUM. Everybody admits that if all
the European states would act together
they could 90 it alone. They could alb
sorb the silver that is annually pro
duced and, in fact, a great deal more
without having gold at premium
| Now, the international trade of the
| United States. under normal conditions
| is greater than that of all Europe put
together. for while some of the European
countries have large populations they are
so extremely poor that they possess very
little purchasing power; consequently. Il
| Europe could 90 1t alone the United
States could still more easily do so. w,
| could absorb more than double thu
amount of silver that would be brough
to our country and it would be like put
ting new blood into the body.
1T is said that a Mexican dollar whicl
is as heavy as ours, is worth only u
cents in gold and we are asked. if this il
so. how will we make our silver dollar
circulate side by side with gold w
will do it by giving our silver dollars
field sufficiently large to absorb all an,
in which they can do the same worl
that gold does. The business of Mexic
is so small that it does not furnish
sufficiently large field to absorb all o
the silver dollars The business o
Mexico is less than that of one of on
states. But Mexico is more prosperou
than it has ever been before in its his
tory. Her farmers are prospecting. he
business men are prospecting, her FAC
tories are all busy and new ones ar
being erected, and there is scarcely Il
die laborer in that republic.
'rhe question is. shall the republica
Institutions be maintained in this couI
ny? Shall IO,OO0,OO0 people surrende
hese institutions and announce to tn
corld that they are incapable of mail
aiming them? Three millions of peopl
century ago announced to the worl
that they could get along withol
Europe. Shall 100000 of peop
now proclaim that we are dependei
, upon the monarchy-ridden and CORFU
tion-eaten European states: ! ask yo
, to support Bryan and humanity again'
! Mckinley and plutocracy. | ask 70
to support the institutions of the father
against the dctation nf foreign shylock
| ask you to sustain II policy which Civ,
: every man his due on the one hand an
, on the other will make it possible fl
, every Industrious and intelligent man
, make living"
, WHEN NATURE
: ! Needs assistance it may he best to rend'
|, it promptly, but one should remember
| use even the most perfect remedies on