The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-24

Secretary Gage was hatteringly received
when he rose to speak to the toast Cur
rency Reform; Now or When?" The secre-
tary read his speech from manuscript. He
said:
''Mr. President and Gentlemen-I must
confess to some surprise at the youthful
appearance OF this company. My honored
friend, chairman of the committee on ar
engagements, informed me with a perfect
gravity of manner that l would here meet
met annually together to celebrate the
grea tnesS of their beloved city, and to plan
together for it's future growth 1t is evil
dent that his statement, involving the idea
of such personal longevity, was not to be
taken in a literal sense. Your grand
fathers. your fathers, and you in proper
order of succession, were all required to
establish this history Of common interest
in the progress of a great city's-a great
I'm your grandfathers' time the first toast
Of the evening was, no doubt, the health
and happiness Of King George but your
fathers threw down that cup when they had
once tasted the inspiring draught of indie
pendence for the colonies. You, the sue
cessors of both, in this intense and throb-
Nation now great with the deStinteS OF
900 of men and women and children.
The fathers of the Republic toiled, suffered,
and triumphed. We honor their labors, we
vonerate their memories. We rejoice in the
rich inheritance they transmitted to us, but
we must not forget the responsibilities
which the great inheritance carries with it.
That was not an unnatural complaint which
a man once made who formerly poor, had
become suddenly rich through a legacy
from deceased brother, when he declared
that the cares, anxietieS and trouble of his
new estate were so many and so great that
sometimes he almost wished his brother
hadn't died.
THE PROBLEM OF THE DAY.
"Our fathers had grave problems to solve.
Our own are equally serious. They are even
more complex. The fidelity shown by the
fathers should fifty example our fidelity.
That is the price through which the good
we enjoy may be honorably possessed,
added to and passed on to those who follow
us. We are met just now with one of those
problems which must be bravely faced and
wisely solved. 1t is a question fundamental
in material sense. to the welfare Of every
member Of the mighty group which consti-
tutes our national life. 1t touches the hum
Die and dependent more closely than 1t does
the strong and powerful, although In it's
final determination the far-reaching desti-
mics Of all are involved For four years it's
injurious shadow has depressed industry
and enterprise. Thanks to the wise instincts
of our people. and to their declaratory voice
uttered in November last, assurances have
come to lift doubts, to Danish fears, to brace
hope and to lend courage.
This happy reaction in enterprise now
witnessed-the stimulation to industry
which has followed this new assurance. is
a confirmatOry evidence of the blighting in
f1uence of that fierce propaganda for free
silver and semi-repudation that met its lust
rebuke from the freeman's ballot in iSSs,
1t is said that to every man there comes
at least once in his lifetime the opening
door of opportunity 1t is his ical hour.
If he be unready. if he hesit, when ne
ought to enter, if. in short, his ability and
the opportunity be not conjoined, Fortune
holds him thereafter unworthy of her favors
and bestoWs them on another. Something
like this we do perceive in the history OF
men. 1t is equally discernible in the life of
CT of or a xvac not lac,
philosopher than poet when he declared
that:
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to for
Omitted. all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shadows and in miseries'
Speaking broadly, 1 believe that the
shape and destiny Of our national life as II
may be affected by financial legislation is
to be determined within the next four years.
Four years is period SO short in peo-
pies history as to bar all idea of futurity
and to require in substitution the more i'm
mediate omnipresent now The forces and
energies which found victorious expression
in the last election are as significant now
as they were then. Are we intelligent and
courageous enough to take the action their
present warrant justifies. and secure the
future against the dangers which have been
for the present overcome?
ULTRA-CONSERvATIS
ut is said that under present conditions 1t
is impossible that obstructionists can hinder
and defeat the popular will; that agitation
on so delicate a subject as the money stand
ard is disturbing; that we have the best
of guarantees that for four years the pres
ent status will be maintained; that the re-
vval Of business will be best assured by
the policy of inaction. Covered in one sent
ence all this Is summed up in the much
abused maxim Let we'll enough alone The
maxim well applied is indeed wise one
but the wisdom of it lies in the application
of it, When ultTa-conservatism applies 1t TO
justify a condition which is bad enough
instead of well enough 1t is fatally mis-
applied. That the condition OF our cur
rency and banking system is bad enough
is certified TO by the deliberate judgment Of
the great body OF economic students and
by general consensus Of opinion among
business men.
1T certainly is not well enough with a
banking system utterly inelastic and CORE
spondingly irresponsible TO the domestic re-
ouirements of trade and industry to which.