The Banner-Democrat., 1898-03-26
/. Changed him.

y
Macon, Ga, last week, and to re-.
fute the charges of the gold bug
papers that his speeches do not con-
vert any one, we quote portion OF
an editorial taken from the ''N ews'
of that city, in which the editor oil
that paper admits that the powerful
arguments used by Mr.. Bryan has
compelled him to say;
cit is putting it mildly to say
that Mr.. Bryan's speech, delivered
in this city to an audience of tive or
six thousand people last night, sur
prised, even amazed his most ardent
admirers and most devoted adher-
ents OF bimetallsm.
sIt did more; 1t convinced, con-
verted more people who were oppos
ed to the free silver theory than any
argument, oral OF written, ever pre-
sented to them before. And, after
all, the best way to judge of
speech is by the result-the effect
produced upon those TO whom it is
addressed.
1--WE believe we do not exagger.
ate the effect OF Mr.. Bryan's effort
in Macon when we say it has con-
verted nearly every man who was
open to conviction. Mind, we do
not say. 1t converted every gold
standardist who heard IT, for there
were many such--even though they
will not admit it-who, for some
reason or another, are not open TO
conviction.
ssSpeaking for ourselves, and we
think we also speak for several hun
dred others, we were not of Mr..
Bryan's way of thinking on the fin.
ancial problem. We accepted, ;
but could not Endorse the Chicago
platform. For the sake of party
regularity, and for the sake of other
interests, and other principles which
democracy involves, We preferred TO
swallow the free silver plank rather
than jump overheard, to be picked
up by craft manned by crew as
sociaiion with whom is worse than
subm ission-yea, debasing and un-
bearable to one for whom democracy
has done so much, and to whom re-
lpublicanism has done its worst a
southern born white man.
ssFor these and other reasons, We
preferred to accept the Chicago
platform, free silver plank and all.
Twelve months of republican rule
had helped to reconcile us even
more 10 that platform, but We were
still unable to honestly believe IN its
free silver plank--we were simply
on the. mourners' bench. And it
has been our observations that there
were thousands of other democrats
in our fix. We went to hear Bryan,
willing to be, bit not expecting to
be converted. We came away with
the scales removed from our eyes
completely converted, and happy in
our conversion. And from conver-
sation with scores of other demo-
Gratis who were in our fix, we find
that their conversion was as COM
plete as our own.
"Mr. Bryan's visit to Macon has
demonstrated, beyond the shadow
of doubt, that bimetallism is the
surest, swift solution of the present
problems, and that this conviction
will grow the more this great cham
pion of equal rights for all and
special privileges for none, 'expcunds
to them the true principles Of that
doctrine.
cit has been our privilege to hear
some of the ablest arguments ever
uttered in opposition to Mr.. Bryan's
theory of finance, but we fail to re-
call any objection that Mr.. Bryan
did not fully answer and completely
annihilaie last night.
"Speaking for ourselves, we are
glad that we have been convinced,
and like the man, we imagine who
has found the light of religious
faith, we want everyone else to be-
come convinced to see the light.
Democracy, with its free silver
theories, has been to us heretofore
merely a necessity. 1t is now a
conviction.