Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-04-21
URGES TRIPLE ALLIANCE.
Mr.. Bryan Praises Its Leaders kseHoRe
the Bimetnllic Clubs at In
dianapOlis.

dianapOIts.
At the second annual convention OF
the League of Bimetallic Clubs in In
dianapolis on the sth, William j. Bryan
was greeted with great enthusiasm by
an audience of some 5000 persons, in
GLIDING many republican business men.
He said:
''Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Fellow-Citizens: I want to congratulate
the delegates and others here in attendance
upon the success of the committee in charge
In bringing to your city a representative
silver republican of the northwest, a repre-
sentative democrat from the east ana
representative populist of the middle states.
They have thus brought together those
who are fighting side by side for the ac-
complishment of a great reform.
'I want instead of discussing any Ques-
ton, to point your attention to one great
truth that has been making itself manlfest
before the American people during the last
two years, and that is that an idea Is
greater than any person, that an idea IS
the controlling thing in man and in society.
You have seen in the last two years
an idea take possession of men, ana that
Idea has turned them about and led them
whittier so ever 1t would. You nave seen
the idea reVolutionize party.
You have seen an idea separate friend
from friend, father from son, neighoor
from neighbor.
You have seen men dominated by an
idea going out to face opposition, yes, even
ostracism, and you have before you TINS
afternoon and had yesterday an evidence
Of what an idea can do.
yesterday you listened to George Fred
Williams. of Massachusetts Yes: you 40
well to cheer his name. We are in the haolt
of looking back to the age of martys ana
we have been in the habit of praising those
who had the moral courage to race oestn
in defense of their convictions.
But my friends, there are things hard
er to face than death; there are things
that test a mans courage as much as
death-socia1 ostracism, the hostlllty OF
friends, the enmity of ole associates -
sometimes harder to bear thah oe@e"
itself
II remember when was in the st. Louis
convention the republican convention
watching the proceedings, l picked up =
morning paper and read that George FREQ
Williams had made silver speech at Port
land, Me.
"I read it over a second time. wondered
IL that could be the George Fred Williams
whom / knew in congress, and VINO hao
often read me out OF the democratic party
on account of my views on the silver QueS-
ton But 1t said George Fred Williams OF
Massachusetts, and even then knew there
was but one George Fred Williams, and so
l called telegraph boy and sent him a dis
patch.
an emotional man. / am not. am eau
tious man, and my cautions, even In that
hour of rejoicing, led me to be careful about
my telegram. l said: Have just read your
Portland speech. If correctly reported, GOD
bless you When 1 got to Chicago found
him there, and found that his conversion
was like the conversion of Saul OF Tarsus.
And so George Fred Williams came to
the Chicago convention with the glory OF
a new convert shining in his face, and the
zeal of a new convert in his heart, and he
went forth to do battle in New England.
And, my friends, when we have written
upon the scroll of fame the names or those
who rescued 100000 of people from
a foreign financial policy, George Fred VIII
liams' name will occupy conspicuous
place.
II am glad that you had a chance to hear
him: 1 am glad that he had chance to
come here and talk to the people of Indiana
and the surrounding states, because want
you to see what a man can do when he deg
icates to a great cause great ability, great
eloquence and great learning.
And l am glad that you had a chance
to-day to hear that silver republican from
the northwest. became acquainted with
him some years ago. Just as was leaV-
ing Washington he was entering congress.
He was elected as a republican from the
district in which Duluth is situated, and he
came down before his term began, to get
acquainted with the ways of Washington.
and 1 had a chance to meet him.
"I talked with him, ard found that he
was a bimetafIist, and my heart went out
for him, because l knew what a terribly
hard time he was going to have.
"I knew that If he tried to be a bimet-
aIlist. and still keep in fellowship with
the republican party, he had hard and
rocky road before him.
"As 1 read what he said I could see the
growth of idea, and was not surprised
that when the time came for the holding or
the national convention he had reached
La
than his party ties. I saw him at ST. Louis,
standing by the side of Teller Cannon, Bots
and Pettigrew, when they walked out of the
convention, rather than bow
down to the golden image which the re-
publican party had set up.
Il knew then that he refused to go back
and serve this golden calf, even though |
promised nomination If he would do so. |
And 1 saw him go out and begin to battle. |
l saw him severng the ties that had held |
him to his political associates; 1 saw him |
go through the campaign of 1896, and when |
defeat came, and he went down with us, I |
saw him rise the next day after and declare |
that they could not do that again.
Il saw him take up the work, and have |
seen him travel from state to state, and |
have heard from the meetings at which he
has spoken. picked up paper the other |
day published in Oregon, and l found that |
it had no other answer to make to his ar
guments than that they were too foolish to
give any consideration to, and then I knew
that he had been making out there the same |
arguments that l had heard him make else
where, though clothed from time to time
n new language and adorned with new IL
When I saw in that paper that they |
we're too foolish to answer, / knew that
hat paper had fallen back upon the only
sound ground that a goldbug ever took in
debate.
You see when argument is too foolish
% answer you don't have to try to answer
t; and you know there is no rule in law or
n morals that is so we'll understood by
soldbug as the rule that God does not re-
luire the impossible of a man, and there
ore they never attempt to answer the ar
yuments made in favor of bimetaHfsm.
so, as Mr.. Towne has gone among his
I'D acquaintance he has heard the argu-
nent which all of you have heard, some
hing like this: Are you for silver? Yes
What, your Yes What, man like your
Yes Well, 1 declare
II am glad, my friends, that you have
,een permitted to hear this great question
publican. / feel proud of the silver repub-
ny ancestors were democrats, and the only
hing in which my son has the advantage
,ver me- politically, is that he is one gem
.ration older than / am as a democrat, be.
ause his mother and all her ancestors were
democrats"