Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-09-24
SPEAKS AT ST. LOUIS.
Mr.. Bryan Talks at Three Great Mas
Meetings.

Meetings.
At three great mass meetings held in
ST. Louis Saturday night, September IL.
W. j. Bryan, the democratic and popu-
iistic nominee for president, addressed
thousands of people. At each meeting he
was greeted with prolonged cheers, and
at frequent intervals during his speech
he was interrupted by loud applause.
Our opponents tell us that the money
question is a complicated question and
that only few are able to master IT,
There is no question which can come be-
fore the American people that Is too deep
for the American people themselves. lap
plause.] There is no question which must
be submitted to q particular class or peo-1
pie. The constitution did not suggest that
any class of people was to act for any
other class. If the founders of the consti-
tuition had ever supposed question would
arise like the money question and had
thought it could only be settled by f1nan-
ciers, then our forefathers would have
written in the constitution that, while on
most subjects all the people might vote,
on the money question only the financiers
could vote Applause and 1aughter.]
When the ballot was given to you 1t was
given upon the assumption that you had
tn intelligence and patriotism necessary
to use it right, and believe, my friends,
that you have.
eff 7 were to tell you grown person
could wear the clothes of child you would
that a grown person could live on the food
necessary to sustain life in child you
would call me foolish. and yet they call
these men financiers who assume that the
people growing in population can survive
on a money decreasing in its amount. ZAP
plause.]
Decreased Circulation Charged.
Now, give me your attention, my
friends. In this government publication.
issued by the treasury department July
Ind or of he
of money of all kinds in circulation among
the people for the various years. Let me
call your attention to the amount given
here for the years 1894, 1895 and 1896 In
1894 the amount OF money in circulation.
according to the report, was 81, 66O. 900.
In 1885 the amount of money in circulation
had fallen to 81. 6O1. 900. a decrease in
one year of $50, 000, 900. In 1S96-and the
statements are made on June 30 each year
the amount in circulation had fallen
to 81, SOC 000, 600. What does 1T mean? 1t
means that in two years time, according
to the treasury report, the amount of
money in circulation among the people had
fallen about s150.0o0,000 in amount. ZAP
plause.l In other words, in two years
time there has been decrease of nearly
ten per cent. in the amount of money in
circulation among the people. This, my
friends, is the treasury report. and this
report shows that while the per CAPITA
circulation in 1894 was S24.2S per capita.
in 1886 it had fallen to 21.10, fall of more
than IS per capita.
"If Mr.. Sherman did right in 1890 in say
ing that the people needed new money
every year, then, my friends, / want to
ask you why 1t is that the republican par
ty, in the face of the constant decrease in
the circulation of money, has made no
provision whatever to satisfy the needs of
an increased population. [Applau:;e.l
When talk about these matters our
opponents tell us that we do not under
stand fnanciering. Laughter and ap-
plauseJ My friends. we understand math-
ematics. and a man does not have to I'M
-derstand much about mathematics to know
that nation that requires an increase
in circulation must suffer if instead Of
increase in circulation it has decrease
in circulation. [ADplause.]
Henry Clay Quoted.
''NJow, want to read you what one of
the greatest men in this country said in
regard to the effect of the decrease in
currency. Henry Clay spoke this sub
Ject away back in 40. Let me quote what
he said: OF all conditions of society, that
is most adverse in which there is constant
and rapid dimunition of amount of circu-
lating medium. Debtors become unable
to pay their debts, property falls. the mar
ket is glutted business declines and labor
is thrown out of employment. With such
a state of things the imagination goes
ahead of the reality. Sellers become nu-
merous from the apprehension that their
property, now falling, will fall still lower,
and purchasers scarce from an unwilling
ness to make investments with the hazards
of almost certain loss.
81 have already stated that the coiln-
try is borne down by weight of debt.
If the currency be greatly diminished, as
beyond all example 1t has been, how is
this debt to be extinguished? Property,
the resources the debtor relied upon Cor
its payment, will decline in value, and it
may happen that man who honestly con-
tracted debts on the face of property which
had a value at the time fully adequate
himself
stripped of all his property, and his debt
remains uneXtinguiShed.'
These words state the great principle.
that is true to-day as when he uttered
the words. If we decrease the amount of
money we make dollars dearer and prop
erty cheaper, and IL make property
cheap, without reducing the debt that
hangs over the property, we extinguish the
equity of redemption and summon the
sheriff to take charge of the property
in the interest of the creditor. [Great ap-
plause.l
Il want you to remember that this money
question reaches every man, woman and
child in this broad land. want you to
remember that the humblest individual in
St. Louis has much right to a voice in
its settlement the largest financial mag
nate living IN any other state. His vote
was given to him to protect his interest.
Your votes given to you to protect
your interest. GApplause.1 If you do not
use your votes to protect your interests. as
you understand them, you must not de-
Jude yourself with the idea that some
body else is going to look after you. If
you don't feel interested enough to look