The record-union., 1898-01-09
William J. Bryan, the Champion Of Free
Silver, the Guest of Honor.
He Arraigns the Secretary Of the
Treasury for His Views on the
Financial Question, Contending
That His Currency Plan Would
Give the National Banks Full
Control Of the Paper Money of
the Nation.

Gratis, quite a number of them from
Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin, celebrated
Jackson Day by a banquet at the Ire
mont House this evening. The Hon. W.
]. Bryan was the principal guest. He
arrived from Lincoln this morning, be-
| ing met at the depot by National Com
| mitteeman Graham and others selected
to welcome him. For an hour or so prior
| to the feast Mr.. Bryan held a recep-
| ton in the hotel parlors, and shook
| hands with large number of callers.
Nearly 500 were seated at the banquet.
| Mayor Harrison presided, and acted as
| POSTMASTER.
MIR. Bryan was received with cheers
when introduced, and spoke in part as
follows:
1T is especially fitting that at this
| time the American people should recall
the name of Andrew Jackson, and gath
er inspiration and encouragement from
| his public career. We are engaged to-
day in contest very similar to that in
which he played SO conspicuous and
| honorable part. During his term Of
office the national banks attempted to
overawe the representatives. of the peo-
| pie and control the Government. He
grappled with it and overthrow it. Ar
rayed against him We're the very classes
which have forced continuance of the
| gold standard in the United States, in
| spite Of the almost unanimous protest
| of the people. 1t seems that every gen.
/ grafton presents a combat between the
| producers OF wealth and the money
ehnSers. The latter, conducting their
campaign in secrecy, fasten themselves
upon the body polite and prey upon in
| dustry, until their hold is broken by
an awakened and indignant public.
| TIE present Secretary of the Treas
ury, Mr.. Gage, is eminently fitted to
| be the instrument Of the financiers in
| their efforts to complete the scheme
| commenced twenty-four years ago, and
continued without interruption until
the present day. He possesses a sub
| lime faith in the superiority of money
| over man, and supreme contempt for
| the rights, the interests and the opin-
| ions of the people at large. He knows
that the gold standard was adopted in
the United States without any party
ever asking for it; he knows that for
twenty-three years after it's adoption
no party ever dared to commend it; he
knew that in the campaign of 1896 the
party composed of boiling Democrats
was the only party which dared to de-
clare the gold standard blessing: he
knows that at the polls 90 per cent. of
the voters registered their opposition to
a single gold standard differing only as
| to the means of securing bimetallism
! he knows that the President, to whose
party he owes his position, sent a COM
mission to Europe to beg other nations
to help us get rid of the gold standard
| he knows that the Senate and House.
| with scarcely a dissenting voice, ap-
propriated 100000 of the peoples
money to pay the expenses of the COM
mission, while it was seeking relief from
! the gold standard; he knows that
France, by joining In the demand for the
/ International bimetallism, condemned
/ the gold standard; he knows that the
! farmers, the laborers and to a large ex-
tent the manufacturers of England, de-
sire international bimetallism; he knows
that the maintenance of the gold stan
dard means unmerited advantage to the
money-owning and the bond holding
classes-is undeserved punishment to
the vast majority of the people of this
country and of the civilized world. And
yet, in spite of his knowledge Of all
these facts, he is deliberately planning
to fasten the gold standard permanent
ly upon the people of the United States.
Not content with advocating a policy
which places the destinies of 10000 900
of free men in the hands of foreign
firanciers, and permits a few London
bankers to control our standard money,
he now proposes to give to the national
banks full and complete control of the
paper money of the nation.
In November. 1896. six and a half
million of electors voted against the re-
tirement of the greenbacks, and seven
millions supported a platf form which was
silent upon the subject The Republican
candidate for President in his letter of
acceptance pledged the Republican
party to keep in circulation land as good
as gold ali the silver and paper moneys
now included in the currency of the
country, while only one party advocated
the retirement of the greenbacks. and
that party polled less than / per cent.
of the total vote.
Mr.. Gage knows these facts. and vet
in spite of that knowledge. he is seek
ing to organize a money trust more
dangerous not only TO the industries.
but to the liberties of the people. than
all the other trusts combined. At such
a time and under such circumstances
the memory of the hero of New Orleans
ought to be invoked in every State.
county and hamlet to arouse the people
TO a sense of their danger
Twelve months have elapsed since
we celebrated this day a year ago. and
every month has borne witness to the
failure of Republican policies to bring
relief to the people. Just after the pas
sage of the Dingley bill our opponents
were boisterous in their announcement
that prosperity had returned. The Re-
publicans were given full swing. They
framed just such a law as their hearts
desired and their brains devised, and
what IS the result? Read the daily pa
pers, and you viii find the items of
news arranged under two heads-the
formation of trusts and the reduction
of wages.
"A few days ago I picked up a copy
of the st. Louis "Globe-Dtmocrat." and
found under the innocent and unpreten-
tious headlines: 'Weavers and Spin