The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-10-10
,orn.n+ar wbo tried to build a house up

carpenter VINO tried 10 DuAlu D. nouSe up
on an invisible foundation And yet
they want to build up the commercial
transactions Of this country upon lit
tie lump of gold, regardless OF the tact
that foreigners hold string to the
gold and can jerk out the foundation OF
our commerce. (Applause). You ask
us how we are going to bring silysfn
back into use. tell you you Cain
not do it by electing people to office who
want it driven out Of use. (Applause)
Money is creature Of law and laws are
made by the people. Our opponents
the friends of the gold standard-have
secured ambiguous platforms in Demo-
cratic conventions and Republican con-
ventions and they have secured nomi-
ness who were safe from having ideas
and thus, having no party except as to
that policy by which they have advanc"
ed their interests, these tinanciers have
set back Of both platforms, and said:
Both good men; both good men,"
This year they only got one good man,
one good man. They went to st. Louis,
and there the men who had been talking
about having two yard sticks adopted
platform declaring for the double
standard; people who said that gold
was the only money for a civilized
country, wrote their platform declaring
for bimetalllsm. Why did they do this?
| Because even the advocates Of the gold
standard were not waiting to go before
the American people on a declaration in
favor Of a single gold standard and
they put in the delusive hope for inter-
national bimetallism, and pledge the
party to maintain the gold standard un-
til they could get 1t, and then the Same
influences went to Chicago and tried to
do the same thing there. The minority
plank IN the Chicago platform was so
much like the Republican plank that
you could not tell the difference be-
tween them with a magnifying glass.
The Republican platform pledged the
Republican party to maintain the gold
standard until they could get Internal
1onal bimetallism and the minority
plank In the Democratic platform op-
posed free coinage for fear it would in
terfere with getting International BIZ
metalism. The majority ruled, and
you have an issue this year between
those who want to continue the gold
standard and those who want to aban-
don it.
II am not running under any false
ideas and don't want anybody to vote
for me under misunderstanding. l
want to tell you, what I told others.
that If you think the gold standard is
absolutely necessary to the welfare of
this country, you make a great mistake
If You vote for me, because if can help
1t, the gold standard won't stay in this
country for one moment. (Applause.)
1t Shall be driven back to Engl: I'd,
where 1t belongs. Our opponents tell
US that our dollar will be cheap one.
we tell them that they never called the
silver dollar cheap one until it was
demonetized. We insist that legislation
can undo what legislation did. We in
sist on the opening of our minis to
demand which the closing Of our mints
destroyed and that the demand for sill
yer will raise the price Of silver bullion
to $l.29 anywhere in the world. CAD.
plause)
But you say it will be as hard to get
a silver dollar as it is now under the
gold standard. You overlook the first
principle that must be understood In
studying the mo ey question. Gold has
gone up because you destroyed its COM
petltor. Restore its competitor and let
silver be used on equal terms, and by
increasing the value Of standard mon
ey you lessen the strain On gold and re-
duce the purchasing power Of an ounce
Of gold throughout the world. Great
applause) The silver dollar and the
gold dollar will be worth the same,
whether in the form Of coin or in the
form Of melted bullion but it will be
easier to get either when you have the
chance to get both than it is now when
you have to fight for one. The prosper
ity OF your great cities depends upon the
prosperity of the farmers and planters
OF this country. Down goes the value
Of cotton when you drive up the value
Of gold. Talk about one dollar that il
god as any dollar in the world! You
want cotton at least brought to be as
good as it used to be before gold got
out Of reach. Rest re prosperity to
your planters and you will restore pros
perity to the cities and to the laboring
men, who will then be employed In
manufacturing things for the farmers,
who will then have the money to buy
| what they need.
I find asI go about a great
mank bankers who support the
gold standard. My friends, I don't
know why banker in Memphis should
be interested in driving down the value
of the farm products Of those who do
business with him, and If you want to
know the explanation OF that cond ton
can give it. will say this, that when
you have found such a man you find
one who has been so busy handling
money as not to have had time to
study the science Of flnanciering.
will tell you the great controlling force
among the bankers Of the West and
South. It Is that they get their news
from New York and instructions from