The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-06
Prohibition Leader Raises q
Number of Laughs
BY HIS WITTY SHOTS
to All Those Who
Have Heard Him.
Discusses the Money Question
in a Way
That Evidently PIeases
Colorado People.

Colorado People
Denver. Dec. 6-John p. st. John.
ex-governor of Kansas. famous as
leader of the PrOhibitiOnists, in q
speech at Coliseum hall Saturday night
declared that he Will vote for Bryan
on a Democratic ticket in 1900 if he has
the chance This declaration was re-
ceivad by the audience with enthusiast
ic applause. One of the men who had
charge of the meeting, in speaking Of
Mr.. St. John, said; L have no au-
thority to make the assertion. but be
lieve l am right, in saying that he vot-
ed just as you and did, for William j.
Bryan"
Mr. st. John, in opening his speech,
said:
I want to make a correction in the
statement made by AIr Sprague- He
said 1 voted for William J. Bryan
That was not true. I helped to put a
ticket in the field and 1 worked for it,
but I say to you now, that / nave
reached the conclusion that il IS as I'M
portant to provide home for the de-
cent and sober man as it is to pun the
drunkard out of the gutter and if 1
live, and have the chance, I VIII vote
for William J. Bryan in 1900. cap
plause) II one had told me a few years
ago that 1 would ever vote for a Dem
ocratic ticket 1 should have sad ne
didn't know what he was talking about.
But the Bryan Democracy IS & new
born Democracy. (Applauss) ANA
il it doesn't rule it right the common
people win desert it
Taking up the silver issue MI 81
John said
'ss5-grsat a man as Edward Atkinson
of BOst0n-the greatest man on earth
in his own estiInation-wrote 2 letter 70
the Toledo Blade two years ago to m
struct US poor western fools on the
money question He said that 10 20
meant the coinage of 10 silver collars 10
one gold dollar " hile there IS no
campaign in progress, this meeting IS
entirely appropriate, for eternal vigi-
lance is the price Of liberty. All the
trusts and monopohsts want is to be
What is money? Strange as it
NAV seem there are thousands Of peo-
ple who do not know what money is.
Let US understand that gold IS not money
That silver is not money. That paper
is not money. But that gold, silver
and paper are simply the commodities
upon which the government stamps its
whenever the devn wants to rob the
people he always invents some catch
word. We hear the phrase fiat money
There never was any other kind OF
money. Then there is that favorlte
gOld-bug argument that you can't make
something out of nothing. God said
let there be light, and there was light
The government says let certain things
be stamped money ana IL IS money.
Abraham Lincoln said let tne slaves
be free, and the slaves We're free It
wasn't the parchment that made them
free but the thought in the mind Of
that great and iberty-loving man In
1896 Mark Hanna said, let MckinleE be
president, and he was president Qaugh-
ter). but 1 don't intimate for a single
second that he thereby created some
thing out of nothing.
we hear that there are more silver
dollars than ever before Yes, that IS
true. Suppose the government should
pass a law that no one should preach
the gospel except red-headed preachers
The consequence would be that every
church would have a red-headed
preacher and don't you see the salaries
of red-headed preachers would go upE
Somebody hears you grumble and says.
What are you kicking about, there are
as many preachers in the land as
there ever We're Yes, but the law
won't allow us to use them. Gold is the
red-headed preacher. There is dis
crimination in it's favor. Just as the
only legal tender preacher. Methodist,
Baptist. Presby Catholic, is the
red-headed preacher, so gold is given
monopoly.
Again we hear that If we passed a
free silver law it would flood the cOun-
try with pauper labor. Mark Hanna
made that statement a short time ago.
and imagine can see the tears tflch-
ling down his checks at the thought Of
cheap labor (Laughter)
Another one says; We can't do IT.
If there is anything that arouses nay
Indignation it is to hear a big. broad
shouldered man whimpering about. ocr
not being able to mind our own busi-
ness Pardon ne for criticising one
Of your Colorado senators. a voice.
Give it to himi') He goes Junketing
in foreign countries and hunbly pre-
sents himself before Queen Victoria,
sniveling and blubbering. Your maj
esty.' says he, won't you please let US
slide on our own cellar door" (Laugh-
ter)
yes. but another says: Prosperity
has come Dingley bill-that's what's
done it. The Dingley bill made short
crop Of wheat everywhere except in
this country and raised the price OF
wheat Yes, it is respector of persons.
The Dtngley bul-it reaches out and
raises the price of wheat every where.
in Canada too. (Langhter-)
God bless Colorado! Colorado is the
greatest gold country on earth; and
Vet her people are almost solid for free
silver-and Why2 Because they have
humanity Now let me say the Ding
ley bill throws no protection arount
the mineral products Of Colorado, puts
them on a free trade basis It's the
most infamous measure for fleeing tFc
masses and enrich ng the few that W
ever enacted"
In conclusion the speaker said.
God intended that this government
should be free and believe that VIII
liam Jennings Bryan is the man ap-
pointed by God to lead this people out