The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-15

triple infamy of Republican legisla-
tion. The first was aimed not more
at the South than at the great cities of
the East and chief among them. the
great Democracy OF New York, with its
magnificent patronage. That bill got
its death blow in the Senate but there
was not a single Democrat in New
York or New England to vote against
it.
No man, gentlemen, in this high
noon of our country's fraternity can
revive force bills now in this recon
ciled and reunited republic Our op.
ponents themselves have abandoned
them. There is none that can stand
between the union of hearts and
the union of hands that Grant
in his dying vision saw coming on an
gels wings to all the sons of our COM
mon country. When Chicago dressed
Southern graves in flowers she buried
sectionalism under a mountain of fra
GRANGE. When Southern soldiers yes
terday cheered the wounded hero of
the North in Richmond the South an
swered back: Let us have peace !;
peace. union and liberty now and for
ever
LAS the majority Of Democrats is
not sectional neither does it stand for
any privileged or class legislation.
The active business men of this coun-
try, its manufacturers, merchants,
farmers, sons of toll, in counting room
factory, field and mine, know that
contraction of the currency sweeps
away with the silent and resistless
force of gravitation the annual profits
of their enterprise and investments.
They know too that the gold standard
means contraction and the organiza-
ton disaster. What hope is there for
the Democracy unless the views of the
majority here shall be adopted ado not
the people know that it was not silver
legislation but legislation dictated by
the advocates of the gold standard that
has caused and now continues the fin
ancial depression2 Do they not know
that when their demands upon the
Democracy were complied with in 1893
and the Sherman law repealed without
a substitute that the very States of the
East that demanded it turned against
the Democracy who granted it and
swept away their majority in torrent
of ballots2 Had the silver men had
their way then instead Of the gold
what storms of abuse
would here today be empt1ed upon
their heads; but the people, applying
the power of memory and analysis
alike to discover the causes of their ar
rested prosperity, need not 60 to find
them. They do not forget when De
came to power in 1893 it in
herited from its Republican predeces-
sor the tax system and the currency
system of which the Mckinley law
and the Sherman law were the cul-
atrocities. 1t came to power
amidst a panic, which fitly followed
upon their enactment with strikes,
lockouts, riots and civic commontions,
while the scenes of peaceful industry
in Pennsylvania had become military
camps breakfast.
Besides manifold oppressive features
the Mckinley law had thrown away
fifty millions of revenue derived from
sugar under the sceptral plea of a free
breakfast table and had substituted
bounties to sugar planters, thus det
creaing revenue and increasing expen-
diture, thus burning the candleat both
ends and making the people pay at
least for the alleged free.
From the joint operations OF the
Mckinley law and Sherman law an
adverse balance of trade was forced
against us in 1893, surplus OF one
hundred millions of dollars in the
Treasury was converted into deficit
of seventy millions in 1894, and en-
graved bonds prepared bv Republi-
can Secretary to borrow money to sup;
port the government, were the Ill
omens of the programmed ruin that
awaited the incoming Democrats, and
a depleted Treasury. More significant
still, the very authors of the ill-starred
Sherman law makeshift were already
at confession upon the stool OF penl-
tence, and were begging Democratic
help to put out the confagration OF
that they themselves have
kindled.
So far as revenue to support the
government is concerned the Demo
cratic party with but a slender majori-
ty in the Senate was not long provid-
ing it and had not the Supreme Court
of the United States reversed its settled
doctrine of the 100 years, the income
tax, incorporated in the tariff bill,
would long since have abundantly
supplied it.
The Republican party has now re.
nounced the creed of its platform and
of our national pledges and presented
to the country the issue of higher taxes
more bonds and less money. 1t has
proclaimed at last, throwing away the
the British gold standard.
We can only expect should they sue.
ceed, my countrymen, specimen OF
panic and long protracted period of
depression. Do not ask us then to
Join them in any Of their propositions.
Least of all ask US not to join them
upon the money question and fight a
sham battle over a settled tariff, for the
money question is the paramount issue
before the American people and it in
wolves Americanism more than any
economic issue that was ever presented
at Presidential election.
We pray you, no more makeshlfts
and straddles. Vex not the country
with your prophecies of smooth things
to come from the British Republican
propaganda. (Applause.) The fact
that the European nations are going
to the gold standard, renders it all the
more impracticable that we should do
so, for the limited stock of gold in the
world would have longer division and