Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-08-13
BRYAN ON THE COAST.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SAN
FRANCISCO SPEECH.
Lucid and Powerful Arguments In Favor
of Observation-Disclosures Aroused Great
Enthusiasm In California; Clinch-
ing Illustration.

Notwithstanding the great number OF
speeches Mr.. Bryan has made and the
Republican assertions that he simply
repeats himself, he continues to sup
ply new material. In his recent ad-
dress in San Francisco he said:
eve want 16 to l because we own
property and owe debts, and we don't
want to decrease the value of our prop
erty and increase the value of our
debts by changing the ratio of 16 to l.
BY opening our minis we can raise the
value of silver. When India closed her
mints it drove down the value of silver
in this country and thereby decreased
the value of our products. Thus by
the legislation of England the value
OF our silver product was affected.
Yet they tell us that legislation cannot
do anything for silver. We has his
tory, we have experience to justify us
in the opinion that the opening of our
minis would raise the price Of silver"
He said the government would not
be criticized for deepening the harbor
of San Francisco, even though thereby
the value Of real estate in the city
would be increased. For the same
reason he thought there should be no
objection to the free coinage Of silver
because the silver mine owners would
be benefited by it.
"De la VIOLA has said that II river
is fed from two sources 1t will be more
uniform in volume than II fed from
one source, his explanation being that
when one feeder is swollen the other
may be low and vice versa. Therefore
the volume of water In the river will
change less than if it is fed from one
source, and must change with the
change in one feeder. This illustrates
bimetallism. In bimetallism the vol
ume of money is derived from two
sources-the gold mines and the silver
mines. In the beginning Of the CEN
fury we were producing SO of silver to
81 of gold. Fifty years later the world
produced So Of gold to 81 Of silver
Then silver increased, and within the
last two years gold has increased in
production. But if the volume of mon
ey is fed from two sources that volume
is less changeable and the value OF the
dollar is less fuctuating than If the
volume of money is fed from one
source, whether it be gold or silver.
On this point, however, l want to re-
mind you that it is necessary that the
debtor shall have the option in order
to maintain bimetallism."
He riddles the absurdity OF sending
commissioners to induce foreign ma
lions to accede to an international
agreement for free coinage, by thus
outlining the line of argument such
commissioners would be compelled to
adopt, if they work in good faith:
"The American people want BIZ
metallism. The American people are
tired of the gold standard and want to
get rid of it. The American people
have suffered from falling prices, and
while they have suffered from falling
prices, you, the financiers who hold
the notes and mortgages, have profited
by the rise in the value Of the dollar.
We want you to join with us in restor-
ing bimetallism. We want you to help
us to stop the advantage you have
been getting, and to stop the laws
from which we have been suffering,
but before you give your answer we
want to tell you that If you refuse to
join us, we will stand by you as long
as the world lasts
isn't that the substance Of it? Isn't
that what the platform says when 1t
declares that we must maintain the
gold standard until they join with us?
It is giving them notice in advance
that we will stand in with them il
they refuse to listen to our petition"
1t would, we know, be a positive
advantage to our commerce and bust
ness for the gold standard nations to
keep on that basis, if the United States
had free coinage of silver; for SO long
as they did so, this country would cap
ture the commerce with all silver
standard nations, seeing they could
buy our manufactures, etc., with silver,
but would have to pay the premium on
gold in dealing with Europe. Follow
ing is another brief extract, which
contains volume of truths:
"a land Of landlord and tenant, my
friends, is not the land in which
free government grows. A land Of
home owners is the land where such
a government grows and prospers. l
want you to study conditions and then
try to find the cause, because every bad
condition has its cause. Do not lay 1t
to the Almighty. Do not say it Is un-
fortunate. 1t is not his fault. 1t is
not misfortune 1t is vicious lesisla
ton that has done more than anything
else to make the last twenty years a
period in which wealth accumulated
in the hands of the few with more
rapidity than ever before in the his
tory of the world"
Bryan's reception from all classes,
regardless of politics, was hearty and
enthusiastic, and his speeches were
splendidly reported by the Examiner.
Californians, Republicans as well as