The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-08
Rec-iess Assaults Upon the Honor of
the Greatest Men the Country Has
known i'm Generation.
COL. RITTER ON THE CHARGE
OUTLOOK FOR REPUBLICANS IN IN
DIANA BETTER THAN EVER.
Talk with Chairman BabcOck. of the
Congressional Committec-The
Hardy-Micrs Joint Debate.

Colonel Eli f. Ritter in his speech at
Winchester, gave some attention to the
| charge of conspiracy, and added:
1T is charged in the most solemn man
ner and most public way. from platforms
| election of Mr.. Bryan, that conspiracy
formed before the passage of tie first
| congressional act authorizing the issue or
bonds and greenbacks al the beginning of
the war in 1861; by leading bankers ana
against the government and the people;
| that all legislation and proceedings az that
| date, and ever since. concerning our finan-
cial policies. have been dominated and con-
! trollAd by this conspiracy; that this con-
spirslcy and combination has been main
tained and has increased In power ana In
| fiuence up to this day; that IL has COR
| rupted, intimidated and controlled the ac-
| ton of our government for thirty-flve
| yei rs; that every administration sirce Lir.
/ coin, including the two administrations OF
combination; that this comt ntalion has Sc
| cured the mastery over our public affairs.
| all of our most prominent statesmen. both
| Republicans and Democrats. and has de-
! liberately contemplated and caused the
| present crises in financial and business con
| dtions, tc complete its heinous and deviiish
| ends. Under this charge General Grant.
SIS President of the United States. with his
| administration, every Republican President
| since that day, every Republican statesman
| and all Democratic statesmen except
| or actively participating in the most dam
| gerous and desperate conspiracy against the
|
this Nation, not even surpassed by the
| conspiracy of Cataline and his coadjutors
against the Roman governmen mt, If on.
| half of these charges were half true 1t
| would break our coniidt nee in the integrity
| of all public men. If material evidence
| were adduced in supporting these charges
| we ought to arise and drive all these con-
| spirators that are yet living from our
| acter and made v ith such apparent candcf,
| tfat in reading them we are both shocked
| ard alarmed We lock in vain for the ev'-
| these charges.
not presented; neither is amy indication
| given where 1t may be found IN such u
| shape as to be used in support. of the
charges !9Tgges. ser,ors charges are made and
| we are asked to believe them, against the
| most highly honored patriotic and dis
tingushed men, during the most trying
evidence for their support. / stand here
| to call for the proof of any conspiracy or
any combination in legislation, or any sur
render on the part of General Grant on
| the field of battle or In the presidential
chair, or to any combination against this
| government and | call for the proef ct
| any conspiracy combination that has
ct ntrelled the, financial action or legislation
| of any President or Congress during the
Il ask you to read the history. Of the
| United States for, the past thirty-hve
years, its trials and tests, and the prosper
| ity of our people, and when you have SO
| read, answer me, have we been in the
hands of conspirators and traitors against
welfare? My old comrades, ask you
and observation and answer me, have all
| our comrades who have held high office
| after their sacrifices and courage on the
battlefield turned traitor to public trusts?
| / spurn the charge with contempt, De-
cause it is made without any evidence ana ana
| to the contrary and Is an indignlty 10 the
fedlity, intelligence and Integrity or great
| and faithful men, as well to the living as
! to the dead
BRYAN'S FOLLOWING.
1.-The same persons who make these
| charges call our attention to a new prophet
| in politics now flying through the land, who
has been washed from all pollution in the
waters of the Platte. But who are these
familiar faces that i fiocking to his
| standard? We recognize without difficulty
| the guileIess innocent, selfsacrifcing Stew
| art Jones. Teller, PETER, Altgeld, Tiliman,
| Coxey and their like, stretching out their
| clean hands to support the tottcring gov
| ernment-anxious to die for the farmers
| and laboring men. Under what favorable
conditions have these men been recently
| placed that they have developed the char-
acter and wings of political angels so
the United States senate for more than
twenty-five years, and Senator Teller near
| ly as long. These men were all RepuDhc-
ans until they became Populists They are
each millionaire silver-mine owners are
! associated and combined with other silver
| mine owners. Senators Stewart ana Jones
supported all the Republican measures, in
cuding the act of 1873, which they now can
| a crime and they only separated In the
last four years from Republican leader
!
the free-silver comblnatloni tne strohseSI 70, ,s.
and most formidable combination on any
| one question in this Nation. Among their
associates leading In the free-sllver ,,, move
ment in this campaign IS Senator truman,
| of South Carolina, ana afterwards by a
| Populist Legislature to the United states
Senate: His conduct has been so II inusco,
| humiliation to the honorable BODY IN
which he serves and to the t%19 wh9le oP 2e9Re 2ie
| nos has deliberately placed himself on the
side of the mob and lawlessness IN ilil-
| nois. General Coxey, who gained notoriety
| as the commander of an army of tramps
that marched from San Francisco and the
| Pacific ocean through the center OF TINS
| Nation through Indiana, augmented by
| division of tramps. went into camp I'm In
| dIanapolis and were forced to move on by
our police, living off of the country. march
| ing to the Nations capital with the
take action in favor of good roads. This
man with every man that was In ms COM
| mand Is solid for free silver, ana cries
! aIoud against the conspirators. 1t would
be difficult TO make any one Deileve lhat
an eve single to the precious metal they
owl" THEIR MOTIVES
.Jt would be very difficult TO make an In
telligent man believe Tillman. Altgeld, Cox
ey and their like actuated by lofty
/ and patriotic impulses. These are the men,
with hosts of repeaters. who are charging
! colIusfon conspiracy and treachery upon
the honored statesmen of this Nation. 1t
| is also very difficult to resist the impression
/ that these millionaire silver mine owners
are pushing the free-siiver movement and
! have changed their party affiliations for
| any other purpose than increasing their
/ own wealth. The circumstantial evidence
| in the case is strong enough to justify
/ verdict against the leaders in the campaign
| for Bryan that they conspirators
/ against the interests of the people of this
/ Nation for the purpose of their own mer-
4 cenary benefit. Unless they can establish
4 a conspiracy. their whole case rs lost.
They must succeed in this stupendous un-
/ dertaking in showing that the present con-
I dltion of affairs is the result of the awful
work. organized treachery, greed and ma
/ tional dishonor, or there is no call for the
1 radical change which they propose As
! we'll might the farmers charge that Provi-
dence has eonspired against them by per-
mitting the rain and warm TO descend
| and the earth TO respond 10 farmers In
/ Argentina, Russia. far away India, so that
/ those farmers in other countries have been
/ enabled to send their ships loaded with
\ wheat. into the markets of the world "