The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-07-23

IOr the BOlu bIanuuru III Gne plaUIOrm,
and in his recent speeches has accepted
it and became the advocate thereof.
He has shown by his speeches hereto
fore made that he understood the dan
ger of the gold standard and the distress
which would be inflicted upon the Am
erican people by its adoption, and yet
he pledges the people to support and
maintain that system, which he has
heretofore repudiated, if they will make
him president. Whatever may have
been his attitude on the money ques-
ton in the past, he must inevitably
hereafter support the same financial
system that the present democratic ad-
ministration has, and, if elected, must
continue the policy of Mr.. Cleveland in
the sale of bonds in time of peace.
Hence, with the election of Mr.. Nc
Kinley we may look for a continued
increase in the public debt and the sale
of bonds to maintain the gold standard.
CAUSE OF PRESENT FINANCIAL CoNDI-
TIoN.
"That the condition of the country
is not satisfactory all admit. The pro-
ducers of wealth are not receiving fair
compensation for their labor, whether
in field, factory or mine; enterprise
has ceased, values are constantly de-
clining, labor is unemployed, discon-
tent and distress prevail to an extent
never before known in the history of
this country, and no reason can be
found for such an unhappy condition
save in vicious money system. Those
who profess to deplore the present fin
ancial condition and oppose the free
coinage of silver are divided in opinion
as to the cause of the present condition.
Some declare that it is because we have
too much tariff, others that we have not
enough, while the fact exists that every
gold standard country in the world,
whether it has high or low tariff, is
now and has been during recent years
in the throes of financial panic, and
every silver standard country, COM
pared with its former condition, is en-
joying an industrial development and
degree of prosperity hitherto unknown
in it's history. While thus differing in
opinion they unite in asserting that the
gold standard must be maintained un-
til foreign countries shall signify their
willingness that the American people
shall exercise the rights of free men
and create q financial system of their
own. If we overlook the humiliation
and degradation we must feel on ac-
count of such declaration of financial
dependency, we may we'll inquire when
the consent of leading commercial ma
tions will be obtained.
"No one who has read the proceed
ings of the three international monetary
conferences that have already been held
! or who has examined the impracticable
propositions presented at those confer
ences can for moment believe that
any international bimetallic agreement
can ever be made with the consent OF
'all the leading commercial nations Of
the world"
"When will Great Britain, con-
trolled as she is and ever will be by the
creditor classes, who collect vast sums
of money for interest due here and her
citizens, who buy of us annually many
more millions than she sells to us, and
whose interest it is to make the pound
sterling purchase as much of our pro-
ducts as possible, consent that we shall
be financially independent, as we are
supposed to be epolitically independent
When did the creditor class of Great
Britain ever give up or in any way yield
an advantage such as they now possess
through the maintenance Of the gold
standard ? There is no hope for inter
national bimetallism until the United
States shall establish bimetallism fol
itself, and, when that is done, interna
tional bimetallism may be secured with
out the
CONSENT OF GREAT BRITAIN.
The United States, on all other sub
jects of legislation, acts independently
of any other nation on earth, By wha
process of reasoning is its rights, au
thority or ability to legislate upon this
the most important subject with whicl
it has to deal, questioned or denied ?
"With nation equal in wealth ant
power to one-fourth Of the world, it /
cowardly to say that we must ask th
permission of Great Britain to establisl
and maintain financial policy of ou
own. Believing, as we do, that a re
turn to a money system especial,
recognized in the constitution and com
pletely provided for by law from 179
to 1873, affords the only ground of hop
for the betterment of the distresse
condition of all the classes except thos
who live by the increment that none
loaned gives to those who loan it, W
appeal to all classes to rally to the SUI
port of the only candidates whose sue
cess indicates any hope of relief.
''Let the merchant and business ma