Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-08


| these opinions did not suit Wall street.
| The Buffalo Sheriff, Grover Cleveland,
| was far more suitable person, Tor ne
! could be relied on at all times and under
| all circumstances to do the bidding OF
| Wall Street and Lombard Street. Indeed.
| he possessed exactly the qualities needed
for the gigantic attempt to repeal the
| Sherman BILL He was brave. determined,
and obstinate to the last degree. He was
slngularly devoid OF those gentle quail
ties which adorn human nature. He was
a man of meagre education, partially
illiterate. whose study OF finance was
confined to New York financial journals.
He was intensely selfish and willing at
any time TO abandon his convictions for
his own personal advancement, as he had
shown in 1888 by attempting to with
draw his opinions on the tariff before
the nominating convention, but was not
permitted to do II. II elected. the Wall
Street people knew that he would throw
all the immense patronage of his great
office I'm favor of the repeal Of the Sher-
man bill, and he did IL. He captured,
singularly as IL may SEEM the entire
Virginia delegation in Congress except
three immortal names that will live in
the Pantheon of history forever-John
w. Daniel. w. a. Jones. and James f.
Epes. Men who had never quailed be-
fore. succumbed 10 his arts. He had to
overcome the scruples of a great intel
lect, man. who. I'm a printed speech,
had said According TO my views OF
the subject, the conspiracy which seems
TO have been formed here and in Europe
TO destroy by legislation and otherwise
from three seventies to one half OF the
money of the world is the most gigantic
crime of this or any other age"
The man who used this famous sentence
had electrified the world by his great
speech i'm Congress in behalf of free sill
yer. He was idolized in Kentucky his
native State. Was it possible to make
this man go back upon his cherished
convictions and attack his own speech
and writings? 1t had to be done. IL
was done. and John G.. Carlisle was made
Secretary Of the Treasury. He became
an apostate for the price OF his apostacy.
He enjoyed a few fieeting years of
triumph. and will perhaps wind up his
days as a professor i'm some of our lite
rary institutions, which seem TO be the
asylums for effete and broken-down poll
ticians.
l cannot repress feeling Of
sorrow that so great a man should have
become the victim OF his own vaulting am
bition. Such is human nature. The
next thing to be done was to create a
bankers panic in 1893; ii was done. and
untold millions were ruthlessly sacrificed,
and IL was laid to the door of the Sher-
man bill. Irredeemable money in the
shape Of clearinghouse certificates, was
issued. and the wall OF woe went up from
a million and more of homes. The fight
went bravely on. 1t was magniflcently
contested by the champions Of the people.
John w. Daniel made a speech in the
United States Senate which, IL seems TO
me, rang around the ramparts of Heaven
itself Henry NJ. Teller. with splendid
courage and magnificent reasoning. stated
truths which no man could gainsay.
Francis NJ. Cockrell made statistical adj
dress which was absolutely appalling in
the strength OF his positions, and which
will forever remain unanswerable. Charles
\. Towne the genius of the Northwest.
made an address which. for compactness
Of logic, was unrivalled. All was in
vain. Human greed and human selfish
ness won the victory over truth and right.
After twenty years of struggle the single
gold standard had won. The people
stood aghast. The purchasing power
of gold was increased 10 per cent. Land
and houses, wages and crops fell with
fearful significance. All business was
crippled and stagnated.
Business-houses that had stood the
shock of many reverses gave way al
most in battalions. The Constitution was
rudely violated, and bonds were issued
in times OF profound peace to the ex-
tent of 100000, and the public debt
increased to that extent not 10 poy any
debts or obligations, but simply TO fur
nsh Wall street with gold for the pur-
pose Of speculation. Men looked at each
Fr..r
would be expected in the survivors OF an
earthquake. For the moment they were
dumfounded. Wall street had invaded
the pulpit, and from many sacred cita-
dels the poison Of gold monometallism
was preached. 1t had a Macedonian
phalanx in the national banks. as re-
morseless as the Turkish Janizaries, who,
more than 400 years ago tore down
the cross at Constantnople and planted
the crescent in its place. 1t hurled the
most vigorous and the most abusive
epithets against the advocates OF free
silver and bimetalism. 1t arrogated 10
itself the false and audacous title of the
Sound Money party" and spread broad
cast the most offensive literature
But there is a tide in the affairs of
men. which, taken at the flood, leads
on 10 fortune"
The tide came; 1t was taken at the
flood Men walked up from their
lethargy, and the first splendid gun was
fred at the Virginia Staunton Conven-
ton. The echo OF that report coming
from the Oldest of the States reverbe-
rated around the world. Timid men
came out from their hiding-places and
spoke with bated breath. Then came
the great epoch, the Chicago convention,
which, in time. will become as immortal
as the Congress which framed the great
Declaration of Independence. The man
of destiny was found i'm William j. Bryan.
With almost inconceivable rapidlty we
marshalled our forces and carried. IN
spite of untiring opposition, one-half OF
the States Of this Union, and we were
defeated only by the corrupt use OF enor-
nous amounts of money. This can never
be done again. All the money on earth
cannot defeat William j. Bryan in 1900.
His star is growing brighter each day.
because he is the representative OF
principle. The people and not the poll
ticians are in the saddle. The present
administration is staggered and dunn
founded. 1t is pledged not to sell bonds
to get more gold, and IL finds that the
single gold standard cannot be maintain
ed without the sale of bonds. Our dread
full poverty caused us last year, even at
the low famine prices TO export $i25.OOO.-
900 more than we imported. and this gave
the gold people temporary relief, but
within two weeks more than SlO,0oO.VO
has gone out with a whirl. The admin
istration has fatered and undertaken TO
straddle the question by appointing
silver commission to confer with Euro
pean Powers. We have at last made an
inroad upon the ranks OF the enemy, and
with an organization as compact as it is