The herald., 1897-07-06

MIN, III ne mas rlgnt 10 vote nlIn
Laughter and applause.] The state
ment of the proposition is a demon
stration of it. If the employer should
not have the right to cast the vote
of the employe, then the employer
should not have the right to tell the
employe how he should cast it.
My friends, public opinion is not
severe enough on crimes against our
government; public opinion is not
severe enough against the people who
set at defiance those principles which
all must acknowledge in the abstract.
You may ask me why it is that men
can stand in high social position, high
political positions; aye, stand high in
the church. and yet bribe and intimi-
date. L tell you it is because the
American people do not arouse them
selves to the responsibility of citizen
ship. [Applause.]
OLD BUT TRUE.
1t has been said that eternal vigilance
is the price of liberty-an old saying,
and yet it is true People will never
have any better government than they
deserve. Sometimes graduating classes
have what is known as a composite
photograph made of the class. The
composite photograph does not present
the likeness of any member of the
class, but it presents a combination of
the features of all the members of the
-
tograph of the people. If a man looks
at composite photograph for which
among others he sat and finds that it is
ugly, he may find that his own fea-
lures have stamped the ugliness upon
the picture; and so, If we look at our
government, that composite photograph
of all the people, and find that it has
ugliness, this day of all the year is the
day when we should look at ourselves
and see if our own political homeliness
has added to make that picture
uglier than it ought to be. [Applause.
This day of all the year is the day
when we should examine ourselves and
see whether as American citizens we
are proving worthy of the blessing left
to us. My friends, we can have just
such government as we desire; just
such government as we deserve. Our
form of government is the best ever
devised by the mind of man. Not be-
cause it is perfect in it's details, not
because no injustice is possible under
it. Our government is best because
the people can make that government
just as good a government as they
themselves deserve to live under. Zap
plause.] 1t is said, my friends. that
the voice of the people is the voice of
Cod but, my friends, the voice of the
people must be made effective; the
voice of the people must be expressed
if it is going to have divine power.
I have heard people say that they
would not mix in politics because they
did not care to be contaminated.
When | find a man who is too good to
take any part in politics, I find a man
who is not good enough to enjoy the
blessings of a free country. [Applause.]
L have known people to warn men
against entering politics. 1 suppose
few young men have ever risen to man
hood without being warned to keep out
- @N1. fx,sA
tics would keep out of us, we might
keep out of politics. but We cannot
keep out of politics because it is a
part of us. If we could avoid RESPONSE
bility and get out of society We might
feel more inclined to do it, but we cam
not. We are here. We must stay
here. Government is here: it must re-
main. Politics may be good or bad; it
will be much such politics as we are fit
for. If we want it good, we have got
to help to make politics good. 1t Is
here; it is here to stay. [Applause.]
1t was Roman matron whose proud
boast was that she was able to rear
strong and courageous sons for the bat
tlefield. We have no battlefield as
known in Roman times. Prowess in
arms is not the only distinction that
can come to the citizen now. Our VIC
tories are to be- victories Of peace; and
in a republic like this, it ought to be
the boast of American mothers that
they can rear strong and courageous
children who can enter politics with
out contamination and take part in
public affairs without corruption. lap
plauSe.1
THE MONEY QUESTION.
Now, my friends, I want to apply to
this one great problem now before the
people the principle which I first laid
was uppermost in your mind, what
public question was fraught with the
most moment to- you, l know that you
would say that above all other ques
tions before the American people to-
day stands the money question, and
upon it's solution just and right de-
pends more than upon any other the
welfare and prosperity of the American
people. [Applause.] Is there any way
in which we can reach a correct opin-
ion upon this subject? Is there any
principle by which we can determine
what financial system is best? I be-
lieve there is. There is one that I am
going to suggest, one that am going
to apply; and 1 want you to under
deep. while I believe that the solution
which 1 advocate is the proper one,
am more anxious to see the principle
applied than I am to see my system
successful. What is the principle? :?
That all men are created equal and
entitled to equal consideration at the
hands of government. What dollar is
best? That dollar which is most just
in it's dealings between man and man.
What financial system is best? That
financial system that gives us the dol
lar that deals most justly as between
man and man.
You hear people talk about honest
dollars. 1t depends much upon the
definition. You cannot make dishon-
est thing honest by calling it honest
nor can you make an honest thing dis
honest by branding it as dishonest;
you cannot make sound system un-
sound by calling it unsound, nor can
you make an unsound system sound
by giving it the name sound.
Let us define the terms which we
use. Let us see if there is a basis from
which we can start. Let us see if
there is a proposition from which our
argument can commence. What is
your definition of an honest dollar?
Upon that definition you have got to
build a financial system, and your sys-
tenn will be good or bad according to
underlies it. What is the old standard
definition of an honest dollar?
A voice. Two hundred cents.
AN HONEST DOLLAR.
Mr.. Bryan. The gentleman says two
hundred cents. Well that is a descrip-
ton; it is not definition. What is the
definition? Because, my friends, there