The herald., 1898-02-13

in all the history of the world, and had
| iEgratiated itself into the controlling forces
| of both of the great political parties of the
| country. and whether Cleveland was in or
a Republican administration was in made
! little difference. These great influences
| raised their money with most marvellous
| impartiality, saw that the right men were
nominated. and then contributed with the
! same impartiality TO both campaign funds
and cared not rap which man was elected
| (applause), knowing that whatever presi-
| dent sat in the White House and whatever
administration should preside in the de-
partments, they themselves would de-
| termine the Interpretation of the statutes
of the United States: that they by the mere
than sovereign right Of usurpation of au
| thority could write into the statutes of the
United States what pleased them and
| suited their interests.
| The people We're some time in realizing
| this situation, but the convention at Chi
cago in the year 1896 was a demonstration
of the fact that the people of the United
States were coming again to their own
1t was the first convention in thirty years
in the republic in which the machine was
| more than useless, in which politics, as
it had been practiced for a quarter of a
century, was silent; where the politician
was like Othello, with his occupation gone
and where the voice of the American pco-
| pie reached out and over and beyond petty
| contests of selfish politicians and picked
upon its own divinely appointed instru-
ment and raised him up. Great applause }
SILVER'S FEARLESS CHAMPION
When he was named he entered fearless
| ly upon the discharge of his great duties,
and from that hour till this it has never
| lain in the mouth of any critic to show
| where that splendid, fearless leader has
made one single mistake or fallen short
of one single duty. Applause) Nay, I de-
votedly and sincerely believe that it was
| no mere figure of speech which was used
! by the chairman of the evening when he
intimated the divine appointment of that
leadership. God works out his purposes
in mysterious ways The wisdom of man
| is brought to naught. The little plans that
we make are brushed aside by the wing
! of fate. There were those of US at Chicago
devoted to this great cause laboring for the
nomination of some other men, in whose
nomination we thought we saw practically
the only salvation of this cause. and vet
when the choice had been made-spon-
taneously, as it seemed-by those dele
gates acting under the inspiration of that
great occasion, there was not a single
man among us who did not know and
say: "The best has been done; the best
has been done" (Applause).
Mr.. Bryan undertook that great duty.
Inc campaign was lOuSnt. lnere mas
never been a parallel to it in the history
of this or any other country. Upon the
one side there were arrayed absolutely all.
without exception of the powerful and OPP
pressive interests of society. The great
political party that in 1896 had proven
recreant to its high duty as the exponent
and champion of bimetallsm in the United
States had made a complete and sys-
tematic inversion of itself.
A PARTY OF CHANGES
If you will examine the platforms of 1884,
1883 and 1892 of the great Republican party
YOU will find not only declarations in favor
of bmetallism, but you will find denuncia-
tion, determined, distinct, emphatic, of
trusts, monopoles and combinations to af-
feet the condition of trade among the citi-
Zens of the United States. When you
come to the platform of 1896 you find the
declaration of 1892 in favor of bimetallism
changed to declaration in favor of the
maintenance Of the existing gold stand
ara and the utterances of 1884, 1888 and
lS92, leVeled against the combinations Of
capital in restraint Of trade are, with most
marvellous Inconsistency, absolutely miss
ing from the platform of 1896. This was
no accident. 1t was the utmost fitness and
propriety. The single gold standard is the
greatest trust and monopoly In all this
world, and comprises all others. 1t has
produced a condition out of which the
trust has sprung as a natural and inevita.