People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-07-23

upOu luis people, OF WHO is Wiling 70
surrender the right of self-govern-
ment and place the legislative control
in The hands Of foreign potentates and
powers. (CheerS.)
"WegO forth, confident weshall win.
Why? Because upon the paramount
issue 10 the campaign, there is not a
spot Of ground upon which the enemy
will dare challenge battle. Why, il
they tell us the gold standard is a good
thing, we point to their platform and
tell them that their platform pledges
the party to get rid Of the gold stand
ard and substitute bimetallism. (Ap-
plause.)
IF the gold standard is a good thing
why try to get rid of It? Laughter
aud appause.l And l might call your
attention to the fact that some Of the
very people who arein this convention
today, aud who llyOu that we ought
to declare that the gold standard is
wrong, and that principle of bimetal
ism is better. These very people four
months ago we're open and avOwed adj
vOcates Of the geld standard and were
telling US that we could not legislate
two metals together, even with all the
world. Renewed applause and cheers. J
| want t. suggest this truth, that il
the gold standard is good thing we
ought to declare in favor of It's re-
tentiOn aud in favor OF abandoning it;
and if the gold standard is bad thing
why should we wait until some other
nations are willing to help US to let 90.
| (Applause.) Here is the line of battle.
We care not upon which Issue they
force the fight. We are prepared TO
meet them on either issue or on both.
| If they tell US the gold standard is the
standard of civilization, we reply to
them That the nest enlightened of all
nations OF the earth has never declared
for the gold standard and both parties
this year are declaring against it. ZAP
Iplause.) If the gold standard is the
standard of civilization, why my
friends, should We not have it? So if
they come to meet Us o. that we can
present the history "a Our nation.
More than that, we can tell them this
that they will search the pages Of his
tory 10 yail to find a single instance
IN which The coh'GoE people of any
land have ever declared themselves in
favorO of the gold standard. (Applause.l
They can find where holders of fixed
Investments have been. Mr.. Carlisle
said in 1878 that this was a struggle be-
tween the idle holders OF idle capital
aud the struggling masses who pro
duce wealth and pay taxes of the
country and my friends, it is simply a
question that we must decide upon
which side shall the Democratic party
fight. Upon the side of the idle hold
ers of idle capital or upon the side Of
the struggling masses? That is a
question that this party must answer
first and then it must be answered by
each individual hereafter. The SYM
pathies of the Democratic party as
aScribed by the platform are on the
side of the struggling masses who have
ever been the foundation of the Dem
Ocratic party. (Applause.)
There are two ideas Of government. |
There are those who believe that il |
you don't legislate to make fell, to do |
prosperous, that their prosperity will
leak through on those below. The |
Democratic idea has been that il you
legislate to make masses prosperous
their prosperity will find its way up
and through every class and rest upon !
it. (Applause.) You come to US and |
tell US that great cities are in favor OF
the gold standard. I tell you that
great cities rest upon these broad and |
fertile prairies. Burn down your cities
and leave our farms, and your cities
will spring up again, as II by magic.
But destroy our farms and grass will
grow in the streets Of every city in
this country. tApplause.) Ny friends,
We shall declare that this nation
is able to legislate for its own people
on every question, without waiting
for aid or consent Of any other nation
on earth. (Applause,l And upon that
issue we expect to carry every single
state in the Union. (Applause.) /
shall not SANDER the fair state Of
Massachusetts nor the state OF New
York by saying that when its citizens
are confronted with the proposition
that this nation is able to attend to
our own business and l will not sland-
er either one by saying that the peo-
ple of those states will declare our
helpless impOtency as nation TO at
tend to our own business. IL is the |
issue Of l776 over again. Our ances-
tors when but 100000 had the cOur-
age to declare their independence Of