The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-01
GEN. wALLAcE's SPEECH.
He Ably Discusses the Future of the
Republican Party.

Republican Party.
| Mr.. Graham then introduced General Lew
Wallace, who was received with applause
as he arose to speak General Wallace ex-
pressed his great pleasure at being present,
and his qualification at seeing such a large
turnout of the Republicans of the Ninth
district Il am moi less pleased he con-
tinued, "to see so many representative men
present, and their presence gives assurance
that the camphres of the Republican party
are burning and will grow brighter as the
battle approaches. / am informed that the
subject assigned TO me is The Future of
the Republican Party The subject is very
greatly to my satisfaction. The days of
prophecy have long gone by, but we have
methods of approaching the oracles with
some degree of satisfaction. Every man
has a character distinct from that of every
other man. So it is with political parties
Each has a distinct character drawn from
three sources, and we may discover this
character by three lines of Inquiry: First
what is its history; second, what it's
principles; third, who 4,e its great men or
| leaders?
Il can imagine nothing more conclusive
as to how man shall cast his vote than
! the character of the political party, unless
it be it's profession of principles. Applying
this method, it seems very proper to inquire
what is the character of the two political
| parties most likely to be the chief contest
ants in the coming campaign. / ask per-
mission to devote few minutes to that
! question, with view to ascertaining the
natural tendencies and dispositions Of the
two political parties
First, what is the character of the Bryan
Democracy? The term is not used in sar-
casm. 1t used to be the Jeffersonian De-
mocracy, and there should be no offence
! If RrUaa DnOonopanx no civ
| to his supporters; or il there is offense, it
| lies in the difference between Jefferson and
| Bryan. daughter and applause) What is
the history of the Bryan Democracy? 1t is
| very difficult to say that it has a history.
| Oaughter) 1t is but little more than one
year old; it has fought but one battle and
was defeated 1t has furnished no demon
| stration of its capacity for administrative
government. 1t has accomplished but one
achievement. 1t went into the Chicago con-
vention, strangled the Jeffersonian Democ-
racy and stole it's name, whether or not
| under circumstances that were commenda-
| bic depends upon how We regard the JEFF
| fersonian Democracy, the victim. If man
meets another upon the highway, robs him.
| chokes him to death, and walks off with
| his coat 1t is question of how much re-
| spect we still owe to the garment in which
! he is clothed. (Applause.)
What the principles of the BRYAN
Democracy? To be sure. it has q platform
well garnished with planks, but it is cir
! cumStance not to be forgotten that in the
past campaign it's newspapers and speakers
discussed but one principle, the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at 16 to l. The
head of the party made no pretense of dis
cussing any other principle. With him it
was free and unlimited coinage of silver
from first to last: Whether that fact COM
mended the candidate or can be considered
a demonstration of character worthy of the
support and confidence of the people, de-
the ancient Democracy, the victim of the
robbery. What would have been the effect on
our country had that principle obtained?
The first and unquestionable effect, mas
much as it would have meant a sudden fall
| of our standard of value from a gold to
| silver basis, would have been a general and
| sweeping panic, the like of which is not in
the history of the United States All the
| gold, being the more valuable metal would
| have been driven out by the cheaper money
| Our greenbacks. which depend for their
! value upon the gold reserve fund there be-
| ing no gold, would have been of no more
| account than the paper they were stamped
| upon. The effect would have been not only
| to stop the wheels of industry and the flow
of commerce, but 1t would have reached all
the property of the country The man who
is the owner OF a farm valued at So coo
ing with a shrinkage in proportion to the
shrinkage of the value of silver and 81 500
would be the value of his farm. So with the
ership of horses cattle. sheep or personal
! property of whatever kind. With these re-
marks desire to ask you to decide for
yourselves whether this principle con-
tributes or amounts to d certificate of good
character for the party holding it, and thus
| proceed to my third question.
THE PARTY > ONE GREAT MAN.
''Who are the great men of the Bryan
Democracy? Singularly enough, as the
party has but one principle, so it has but
one great man, William Jennings Bryan
G.aughter.) do not want to belittle Mr.
Bryan. His conduct of his campaign in
1896 was an extraordinary affair. Without
friendly committee, and without funds ex-
cept as he was able to levy tribute upon
his friends and supporters as he Travelled
over the country, he managed to throw the
great Republican party into CONSERVATION
and fear He unsuccessful. Fortunate
ly. he was defeated and the Republican
party trumphed. Mr. Bryan however. is
a man of resources. Very recently. still a
candidate for the presidential nomination
he concluded to go abroad. He shaved and
put on q clean shirt-a very unusual DrO-
ceeding for him in his campaign-and went
to Mexico. His object was to undertake to
discover the secret of the happiness of the
people of q country upon silver basis
He is to be congratulated upon coming out
alive. His escape from the dangers of tor
tilas. frijoles and pulque mark him as a
traveller greater even than Ulysses He has
been singularly quiet upon the results of
his travels. Presumably he met with some
disappointment. Mexico is a silver coun-
try, but sngularly enough she pays the
interest on her bonds and the bonds them
! " Trc.. a., raN ~. Es,w. ~.