The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-08-18
THE MTWEEKLY OHIO DEOCRAT TUESDAY AUGUST 49, 1896


character, however pure, personal pop
ularlty, however great, that can pro-
tect from the avenglng wrath OF an in
dlgnant people the man who Will neither
declare that he Ia in favor of foistinG
the gold standard upon the people or
who Is willing to surrender the right OF
self govern-ren and place legislative
control in THE hands Of foreign poten-
tates and power. (Cheers).
| We go forth confident that we shall
| win. Why? Because upon the para
mount issue in this campaign there is
not a spot OF ground upon which the
enemy dares to challenge battle. Why,
II they tell us that 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 goll
| standard and substitute bi-metallism.
| (Applause) If the gold standard Is a
good thing why try to get rid of it7
| daughter and continued applause }
And might call your attention to tn =
fact that some of the very people who
are in this convention today and who
tell you that I'VE ought to declare In fa-
yor Of International bi-metallsm. and
thereby declare that the gold standard
Is wrong and that the principle of BIZ
metalllsm is better these very people
four months ago were open and avowed
| advocates of the gold standard and tell
Ing us that we could not legisla ,e two
metals together even with all the world.
Renewed applause and cheers)
1 want to suggest this truth, that II
the gold standard Is a good ghlng we
ough: to declare in favor OF It's reten-
tlon and nor In f1vcr of abandoning
IT. and II the gold standard is bad
thing, why should we wait until some
other nations are willing TO help us to
let go? (Applause). Here Is the line
of battle. We care not upon which is
sue they may force the fight. We are
prepared to meet them on either issue
or on both. If they tell us that the gold
standard is The standard of civilization
we reply to them that this. the most
enlightened of all the nations Of the
earth. has never declared for a gold
standard, and both the parties this year
are declaring against It, (Applause).
If the gold standard Is the standard
of civilization why, my friends. should
we not have 1t? So lf they come to
meet US on that, we can present the
history of our nation, Moro than that
we can tell this-that they will search
the pages of history In vain to find a
single instance In which the common
people OF any land have ever declared
themselves In favor of the gold standard.
tADDluuSc). lHty CdU llUu WHtTt Inc
holders Of fixed inveJtments have. Mr..
Carlisle said In 1878 that this was
struggle between the idle holders of
idle capital and the struggling masses
who produce the wealth. and pay the
taxes of the country, and my friends.
1t Is simply a question that we shall.
decide-upon which side shall the Deta-
ocratlc party fight? Upon the side o:
the Idle holders OF Idle capital, or upon
the side Of the struggling masses?
That Is the question that the party
must answer first, and then 1t must be
answered by each individual hereafter.
The sympathles of tho Democratic
party, as described by the platform,
are on the side of the struggling masses
who have ever been the foundation OF
the Democratic party. (Applausc.)
There are two ideas OF government.
There are those who believe that If
you lust leglslate to make the well-to-
do prosperous, their prosperity VIII
leak through on those below. The
Democratic Idea has been that IL you
legislate TO make the masses prosper
GUS their prosperity VII find Its way
up and through every class and rest
upon 1t. (Applause)
You come to us and tell US that the
great cities are in favor of the gold
standard, 1 tell you that the great
cities rest upon these broad and fertile
prairies. Burn down your cities and
leave our farms and your cites win
spring up again as IL by magic. But de-
stroy our farms and the grass will grow
In the streets of every city in this coun-
try. (Applause)
My friends, we shall declare that this
nation IL able to leg slate for its own
people on every question, without wait
Ing for the aid or consent of any other
nation on earth (applause), and upon
that issue we expect to carry every
single state In the Union (Applause.)
I shall not slander the fair state OF
Massachusetts,, nor the state of New
York, by saying that when is citizens
are confronted with the proposition, IL
this nation able to attend to Its own
buslness?-I will not slander either one
by saying that the people of these states
will declare our helpless impotency as
q nation to attend to our own bus ness
1t is the issue of 1T76 over again. Oul
ancestors, when 100000, had the cour-
age to declare their political indepcnd-
ence of every other nation upon earth
Shall we, their descendants, when we
have grown to 10000 900, declare that we
are less independent than our forefa tn
ers? No my friends Ii will never be the
Judgment of the people Therefore we
care not upon what lines the battle L.
fought. If they say bi-metallism Is good
but we can not have II till some nation
helps us, we reply that Instead of hav-
ing a gold standard because England
has, we shall restore bi metallism, and
then let England have bi-metallism be-
cause the United States has (Applause.)
IT they dare to come out, and In the
open defend the gold standard as a
good thing. we shall fight them TO the
uttermost having behind us the pro-
duclng masses of this nation and the
world. Having behind US the CONNER
elal interests and the laborlng interests
and all the tollng masses. we shall an
swer their demands for q gold standard
by saying to them you shall not press
down upon the brow Of labor this crown
OF thorns. You shall not cruelty man
kind upon cross of gold. Great ap'
plause.)