The San Francisco call., 1897-07-04


great that there is no doubt that they
would have waited until dawn had Mr..
Bryan chosen to have taken lew hours
sleep before going to the meeting. Mr.
Bryan's train, delayed by the breaking
down of the engine at MADEIRA, about
twenty miles north of this city, did not
arrive until O'Clock, and it was necessary
that he should have bath, shave and
dinner before he could address the big
meeting, so that the blazing evening ar
and the silver crescent Of the new moon
had gone down below the brown hills in
the west long before he appeared.
1t was at 9:25 o'clock that the bands OF
music escorting Mr.. Bryan appeared upon
the ground and their coming was greeted
with wild burst of cheers, the people
standing upon the benches and waving
hats and handkerchiefs. At the same
moment the ex-can didate for the Press
dency bounde1 lightly up the steps lead
ing 10 the platform and stood for mo-
ment bowling and smiling upon the peo-
pie. Then he sat down beside George II.
Church, the chairman OF the meeting, and
his face assumed the stern expression
which it wore in the convention at Chr
cago when he hurled defiance into the
pallid sullen faces of David B. Hill OF New
York and the others of the New YORK
delegation.
Mr.. Church introduced Mr.. Bryan, and
lhe cheering was so prolonged that he 1elt
Obliged to raise his left hand. His first
reuuest of his hearers was that the men and
women standing on the benches should be
seated and give those behind them an op-
portunity OF seeing and hearing better.
He began by plimenting the city OF
Fresno Tor having attached Its name to
common article of household use-1ameiy,
the Fresno raisin-put times were so hard,
he added, that the people could not afford
icln n ~
Then he proceeded to quote from Thomas
Jefferson that the art OF government was
the art of being honest.
No question would arise in all the ages
that we're TO come that would be too deep
for the American people to grapple with
and successfully solve. With reference TO
the charge of dem agogism Lincoln's say
ing was cited that "The Lord must have
loved the common people, because he
made so manv of them" We we're al
common people, and dld not differ much
in physical and mental Qualues; but
sometimes abuses arose that tended 10
place the common masses and tae few un-
common people farther apart. Because
some wanted to reform these abuses they
ad been called anarchists and socialists.
He paid no attention to those names.
1t was not what people said OF one, but
what one was that should determine what
they should say of one. The true princi-
pie of govern ment was found in the
Declaration of Independence, and it read
that all men were created free and equal.
He continued:
Show me an abuse of government and VIII
show you law that denies equality before
the law. There are some who imagine that
when we speak of equality before the law we
mean to undermine society-to take from
those who have TO give to those who have not.
1t means that wherever the Government
touches the citizen all must stand upon the
level plane; that there shall be no difference
between high and low, rich and poor, in re-
gard TO the Governments treatment Of them.
Ii il be true that all men are created equal,
then it must be true that no citizen has ma
tural right to injure any other citizen. But
government far too often enables one citizen
TO iujure another. Favoritism is the curse OF
our Govern ment; partial and special prlyi-
leges are the things which should be removed
from the Government
You will find that the people are willing to
stand anything, provided that they are
treated alike, while they viii not indorse any
thing wni.e one citizen is favored more than
another. l shall suggest the application OF
the principle III one direction. is there any
principle which governs the assessment of
taxrs? Each citizen should pay taxes In pro-
portion to the .nefts derived By him. Let
me show you what is the effect of unjust tax
laws: Suppose one man pays $40 to the sup
port OF hi> Government when he should pay
only 50, and another man pays 20 when he
ought 10 pay $40 the effect of your law is
simply 10 take 50 out OF one mans pocket and
put 1t into the pocket of another
1t is larceny in principle. II the law is
placed upon tn ose whose burden is heavy and
taken off those whose burden is light cannot
see any distinction between the man who robs
his neig b Dor by that law and the man who
70 lbs another upon the public highway by
force. hope to live to see the day when the
wealth of this country, instead OF enjoying
special privileges and escaping taxation, will
be made to bear its share in contributing 10
the support of the Government
Mr.. Bryan attacked the internal revenue
syste III of taxation. The rich man did not
consume tobacco and liquor IN proper
ton TO his wealth equally with the poor
man. In fact the poor man consumed
more food because he was always looking
TO put something into his stomach, W hile
the rich man was always looking for
stomach TO put his foo into. The man
with an income OF 500, 900 did not use 100
times as much clothing as man with an
income of only $1,000.
Mr.. Bryan denounced the internal rev.
enue system, and contenIed that i.s bur-
dens bore unequally and unfairly upon
the poor and was light upon the wealthy.
Taxes were unequal, because the people
who were overburdened did not apply any
attention to their rights, and because
those whose burdens were light were ever
present clamoring for more exem ptions.
1t was the fault of the people Them selves.
though it ground them into the dust, in
stead of asserting their rights. Y oices-
That's what's the matter.
You ask me what dollar is best? My answer
is that 1t is that dollar, no matter what it is
made Of that deals justly between man and
man. You and must hope that The final set
tlement of this questio is that which will
give US the best dollar that can be obtained
under present conditions We advocate BIZ
metallism for TWO reasons: First, bime tai ism
is better than monometalism. We know what
theory it is that underlies bimetallism, and
we will prove il by following out that theory.
Mr.. Bryan quoted from French au-
thority TO the effect that river that was
fed from two sources changed less in vol
ume than it would if it had but one feeder.
Gold and silver were the money from
which all thing flowed. When all the
liver and all the gold constituted the
money of the country the ratio between
them would change less than if it were of
gold or silver alone.
The debtor should have the option of SAYING
in what kind of money debt should be laid.
The debtor is no better than the creditor, and
the way to determine between them is 10 con-
suit the interests of society, for society is
brig ter and better than either the debtor or
the creditor. The creditor is selfish, and If he
has the option he will demand gold, if it be
trite more valuable than silver, while the
debtor will choose silver if he can buy sixteen
ounces of II cheaper than he can buy one