The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-11-05
BRYAN AT ELGIN.
Says Agitation Will Continue to Destroy
Confidence if He Is Not Elected.

Elgin, Illinois. Oct. 29.-It was almost
$3.50 a. m. today when Mr.. Bryan reached
the Northwestern depot in Chicago to
start on his tour in the belt of towns in
northern Illinois. A large crowd of peo-
pie had assembled and cheered him and
demanded a speech, but Mr.. Bryan smil-
ingly declined and disappeared within
his car.
The train reached Elgin at 1925. He
was taken to Il platform which had been
erected about 200 feet from the railroad
and there addressed q large and enthu-
siastic audience. Mr.. Bryan was intro
duced by l. n. Adrain, president of the
Bimetallic club of Elgin. Mr.. Bryan
spoke as follows:
Ladies and Gentiemen-We are APP
preaching the end of II campaign which
will be memorable in the history of this
country because, whether you believe
bimetallism, you must agree that no
question can be settled in this country
until the people have finally expressed
themselves on the financial policy, and
more than that, no settlement of the
financial policy can be permanent until
that question is settled right. The poll
ticians have been lodging the money
question for twenty years and the fnan-
ciers have been settling it in their own
unsettled today than it has been in all
that time, and if this election fails to re-
store bimetallism it simply means four
years more of agitation until the people
again have chance to express them
selves. Great applause.)
You hear our opponents talk about
restoring confidence; that all that is nee
essary is just to stop agitation. My
friends, they ought to know that agita-
a.
remains. If the silver question could
have been put down merely by saying
be still, it would have been put down
long ago. If it could have been put
down by commands or threats or by in
timidatiOn it would have been put down
long ago. But | want you to remem-
Der that in spite of all the fnanciers
have done in twenty years to put it
down, it is still up before the American
people. (Applause.) We are accused
of stirring up discomfort. My friends,
because Il physician points to disease,
that does not argue that he creates the
disease. The disease is here and we
simply point it out and you can shut
your eyes to it if you will, but you can
not cure the disease by refusing to see
it. (Applause.)
For years, aye, for centuries, bimetal-
lism was the financial policy of the ma
tons of the world. When did they COM
mence the crusade against silver? Eng
land started it in 1916. but for years she
stood alone as gold standard nation.
After the discovery of gold in this coun-
try and in Australia. after the production
of gold began to increase, there were
three nations of Europe who demonetized
gold for fear money would become too
cheap and the very arguments which
are used today against silver were then
used against gold and we were then told
that to pay in gold was to cheat the
widow and orphan and the depositors in
savings banks. (Applause)
'My friends. this crusade has gone on
nation after nation has been forced to
abandon silver and substitute gold and
if they win in this fight and throw the