The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-11

tary Gage
Chicago. January s.-A host of demo-
Gratis, quite number of them from Iowa,
Indiana and Wisconsin, celebrated Jack
son Day by a banduet at the fremont
house this evening. Hon. William ].
Bryan was the principal guest. He
reached Chicago from Lincoln this morn
ing. being met at the depot by National
Committeeman Gahdn and others select
, ed 10 welcome him.
For an hour OF so prior to the feast,
Mr.. Bryan held reception in the hotel
parlors and shook hands with large
number of callers. Nearly 500 were seat
ed at the banquet. Mayor Harrison pre-
sided and acted as toas tmaster
Mr.. 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 gather
inspiration and encouragement from his
public career. We are engaged in a con-
test very similar TO that in which he
played so conspicuous and honorable a
part. During his term of office, the Ma
tonal Bank attempted to overawe the
representatives of the people and control
the government. He grappled with II and
overrhrew ii. Arrayed against him were
the very classes which have forced a con-
tinuance of the gold standard in the
United States in spite of the almost
unanimous protest of the people-the
same classes which are now trying to
cOerce the government into surrender of
the sovereign right to control the money
of the country. 1t seems that every gen.
Grafton presents d combat between the
producers of wealth and the money
changers.
The present secretary of the treasury,
Mr. Gage, is eminently fit to be the in
strument of the financiers in their effort
to complete the scheme commenced
twenty-four years ago and continued
xxrffh tY1fn rrI1ya i'm =
day. He possesses a sublime faith in the
superiority of money over man and a
supreme contempt for the rights, the in
terests and the opinions Of the people at
large. He knows that the gold standard
was adopted in the United States with
out any patty ever asking for it. He
knows that for twenty-three years after
its adoption no party ever dared to COM
mend it; he knows that in the campaign
of 1896 the party composed of bolting
democrats was the only party which
dared to declare the gold standard a
blessing; he knows that at the polls SO
per cent. of the voters registered their
opposition to a single gold standard, diff
fering only as to means of securing BIZ
metallism he knows that the president
to whose partiality he owes his position,
sent commission to Europe to beg other
nations ITO help US get rid Of the gold
standard: he knows that the senate and
house with scarcely a dissenting voice,
appropriated 100000 of the people S
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 interna-
tional bimetalliSn, condemns the gold
standard; he knows that the farmers, the
laborers, and, to a large extent, the
manufacturers of England desire inter-
national bimetallism; he knows that the
maintenance Of the gold standard means
unmerited advantage to the money own
ing and the bond holding classes and
undeserved punishment to the vast ma
| jority of the people of this country and
of the civilized world, and yet, in spite
of this knowledge of all these facts, he
is deliberately planning to fasten the
gold standard permanently upon the peo-
pie 0f the United States. Not content
with advocating policy, which places
the destinies of 100000 of free men in
the hands of the foreign financiers,
which permits a few London bankers to
control our standard of money, he now
proposes to give to the national banks
| full and complete control of the paper
| money of the nation. In Novembe
| 1896, 6 500, 900 of electors voted against the
| retirement of the greenbacks, and 1000
| 600 supported a platform which was
| silent upon the subject. The republican
| candidate for president, in his letter OF
| acceptance, pledged the republican par
| ty to keep in circulation (and as good as
| golO all the silver and paper monies
now included in the currency of the
| country, while only one party advocated
| the retirement of the greenbacks and
| that party poled less than 1 per cent
of the total vote.
''Mr. Gage knows these fact and yet
| in spite of that knowledge he is seeking
! to organize money trust more danger
| Gus, not only to the industries, but te
| the liberties Of the people, than all the
/ other trusts combined"
| Mr.. Bryan then spoke of the reduction
| of wages in New England cotton mills
| This. he claimed, was an indication O.
the failure of republican policies to bring
| relief to the people.