The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-06
rHE ROANOKE TIMES. SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER g. 1896
He MADE FIVE-HINUTE SPEECHES
continued from first page.

hold all the members of the party together
| II your platform means nothing, and peo-
! pie are willing to submit to platforms
| winch may mean anything or nothing ac-
corning to construction; but whenever n
party takes firm position on any great
| question 1T must expect that those who
| do not believe with the party will feel ius-
| titled in leaving the party, provided they
can find somewhere else an expression of
| their ideas l say it must be expected.
| But, my friends, we have reached time
when decided action is necessary. This
money question which to-day overshad-
| ows all other questions has been thrust
upon the American people, not so much
| by the advocates of free coinage as by the
opponents of free coinage. (Applause)
What has brought it to the attention of
the American people? AS soon as the last
campaign closed the monied interests of
this country made combined attack OH
what is known as the Sherman law.
Ihey demanded the repeal of the purchas-
ing clause of the Sherman law and they
based their attack upon the platform of
the Democratic party of 1892: but inste
OF attacking that platform as whole
they picked out Il part of Il sentence and
insisted upon enforcing part of the plat
form while ignoring the rest of the plat
form. (Applause.) The Democratic party
shift. What is makeshift? Why is it
ii temporary expedieht? 1t is used till
some better thing can he secured and the
very plank i'll the platform that declared
III favor of the repeal of the make-shift
asserted that we held to the use OF gold
and silver rs the standard money of the
country, and not that only, but that plat
form added that gold and silver be coined
without discrimination against either
metal, or charge for coming (Applause)
There We're certain qualifying words
which followed, but those qualifying
words did not destroy the declaration of
the Democratic party for the coinage of
gold and silver upon equal terms, and yet
the monied interests of this country COM
bined to attack the Sherman law and, to
secure its repeal and leaving in it's place.
to furnish the money which .sne people
need, nothing They said that the gold
was going abroad and that if they re-
pealed the Shermau law gold would stop
going abroad. After struggle that has
seldom been equalled they succeeded in
repeating The Sherman law without con-
ditloD; and then what: Did gold stop go
ing abroad? No, it Went abroad faster
than before; and then what? Then they
began to issue bonds to get enough gold
to furnish it to those who wanted to send
1t abroad or who wanted TO put it away
In their vaults or wanted to make an eX-
cuse for the issue of more bonds (Ap-
plause) They issued $4,000, 900 dollars
more of bonds, and then the admins
tration entered what was known as the
Rothschilds contract. Ny friends, let me
dwell Just one moment upon that con-
tract. call your attention to the fact
that while the contract was made by a
Democratic administration it was sup
n,to 1 oil f1,.1
Republican party. (Applause.) And
more than that, the Republican party in
convention assembled did not denounce
or criticize that Rothschilds contract.
Why? Because, the men who wrote the
Republican platform have always justified
the Presidents conduct. Now, want to
say to you that in my humble Judgment
that contract was the most infamous one
that was ever entered into by this nation.
(Applause.) That contract ut an enor-
nous price employed certain financiers in
New York and London TO do what? To
look after the Treasury and protect it.
Do you know what it means when You
employ man to protect your treasury?
When you purchase his good will you
confess that if you did not purchase it YOU
would not get it. (Applause.) And when
you buy it mt high price you admit that
his good will is very valuable to YOU
want you to remember, my friends, that
if this nation is dependent upon the good
will of one banking firm in New York and
one banking firm in London, the very
moment you confess it you put it in the
power of those two firms to charge what
ever they please for their good will to-
wards this Government. (Applause.) And
| am not willing to admit that this Gov
eminent exists by suiferance. (Appause.)
| not WILLING admit hut In,
reached an extremity where it becomes
necessary for us to purchase the good will
of any syndicate foreign or domestic
Il am not surprised that members of
that syndicate are opposed To the Demo
| cratic party. (Applause.) | am not sur
prised at all, because the Democratic
party believes that this Cove rnment can
get along without them; and more than
| that, the Democratic party believes that
| If they imagine that they can .injure this
Government and dare to try it. | say the
Democratic party believes that they ought
to be treated like any other conspirator.
| Continued applause) Cicero once said
| to his son: Don't go into the retail bust
ness (Applause) The retail business
is a small and vulgar business. Go into
the wholesale business; that is respect
able business. Laughter.) My friends,
this doctrine seems to be applied to those
| who would injure this Government If n
man attempts to do the Government a
small injury, he is a contemplate man
who ought to be punished; but if he at
| teInpts to do the Government great in.
| jury, he goes into the wholesale business
and it becomes respectable, and the
| Government must do nothing with him.
But there is one question upon which
we must agree and that is, the American
| people acting through their constitution
and their laws are the only power to de
tcrmine what is good for the American