The Irish standard., 1898-01-15
were talking about? They said the Ameri-


had been having for 10 years5 No, favor
the thing that they had before they got
the gold standard (Applause)-favorcd BIZ
metalism Tho Democrats declared in
their convention in favor Of the use OF
gold and silver as the standard money of
the country and for the coinage, not of
gold alone, but for the coinage of both
| gold and silver. and that too without any
discrimination against either metal or the
charge for mintage. The Republican and
the Democratic platforms merely went to
| the manner Of restoring bimetallism, and
didn't take from the force OF the declara-
ton in favor of the double standard as
| against the single gold standard. Now the
| Populist party not only declared for BIZ
mct;,llism, but named the ratio OF l6 to J..
naming of the ratio. although the
advocates of hmctalism had for
20 years been voting in favor
| of the free and unlimited coinage of gold
| and silver at tho legal ratio OF 1G to l
| without waiting for the aid or consent of
| any other nation on earth. applause and
| lauyhter) so that IN 1892 the Democrats,
the Republicans and the Populists de-
/ clurcd i'll favor OF the double standard,
| which we didn't have, as against the
| single gold standard, which We did
| nave.
| MR. BRYAN EXPRESSES SURPRISE.
Now. isn't it strange that after 10 years
| of experience under the gold standard all
| ii necessary to declare in favor of Dimetal-
lism as against that gold standard? But
know there are some people who think that
in these latter days we learn more
In Il few days, or in Il few weeks. or in u
/ few years. than YOU could learn in life
| time before and so there may be some who
| think that from 1892 to 1896 the people had
i time TO find out whether the gold standard
! was Il good thing Well now. my friends,
In lS96 the American people didn't declare
for the gold standard. In 1876 the Demo-
Gratis met at Chicago and declared against
the gold standard and i'll favor of Dmetal-
lism. and named the means by which b!met-
alliSm could be restoreu-frce and unlimited
coinage at the ratio of 16 to J. and that.
too, without waiting for other nations; and
the Popu!ists adopted platform almost
identical in words, identical in substance,
on that subject. and the National Silver
party did the same thing. And at the cleo
ton six millions and Il half Of people de-
carcd by their ballot that they had tried
the gold standard. that they didn't like it,
| and that they wanted immediate bmetal-
liSm without waiting for other nations to
help us to get bimetalIsm. Applause)
But YOU tell me that seven millions voted
the Republican ticket. l declare that the
Republican party didn't declare that the
| gold standard was II blessing to the Ameri-
can people. The Republican party, III Its
platform. declared that it would do what 1t
could to secure international bmctallsm
must DO maintained until the leading ma
lions of Europe would cooperate in re-
storing bmetallism. In other words. the
Republican party condemned the gold
standard and declared that 1t was not a
good thing for this country. by promising
to get rid of 1t. think it is only fair to
say that the Republican party would not
have pledged Itself to try to get rid of the
gold standard If 1t really thought it was Il
blessing to the American. unless 1t wanted
p{SS tl,1 II rl,t
the gold standard was too good for them
and ought to be removed for their punish
ment. CApplause.) AT the polls six millions
and a half voted for independent bimetal-
lism. and seven millions voted for ticket
pledged to international bimetalism-thir-
teen millions and half voted against the
gold standard and in favor of the double
standard. differing only In the means Of Sc
curing the double standard: but, my
friends, the case Is even stronger than
that. You might have said. or might say,
that there We're people who believed in the
gold standard, but who voted with the
Republicans because there was 10 oppor-
tunty to express their admiration for the
gold standard
! am going to take away that argument
from you. The Republicans, the advocates
of the gold standard, had Il chance to re-
cord themselves III favor of the gold stand
ard. There was II platform which declared
| tho gold standard to be good, and a ticket
was nominated on that platform, and every
man who believed that the gold standard
WAS n good thing had Il chance to go to
the polls and register his desire. and they
so tumbed over enc another to get chance
To declare that the gold standard was a
good thing that they almost poled one per
| cent of the vote OF the United States.
applause and aughtcD. The boiling Dem
ocratic party was the only party that ever
| in the history of the United States declared
tho gold standard to be q blessing that IS,
! did 1t In national conventon--the only party
| that In all our national history has ever
advocated the gold standard upon its
merits
l don't like to take from them any of he
little credit that they may claim, but l
want to suggest to you that even the bolt
ing Democrats didn't find out what n
good thing the gold standard was until
after they had left the Chicago convcn-
ton. In the Chicago convention the men
who afterwards formed the indianapolis
convention signed Il minority report and in
that minority report they were pleading
for international blmctallism. They were
saying that every effort should be directed
towards securing international bimetallism,
and they opposed the free coinage for fear
1t would prevent international bimctullis,n
Now. my friends l Will leave 1t to you to
decide whether the men who declared for
the gold standard ut indianapolis were In
favor OF the gold standard at Chicago or
not. IL they were in favor of the gold stand
ard at Chicago then they deliberately tried
to practice il fraud on the rest OF the con-
vention when they said they were In favor
| of international bimetallism and said they
were afraid that the free coinage would
prevent it.
OFFERS THEM A CHOICE.
So, you can tako your choice; you can
either decide that they were for intcrna
tional bimctnlllsm at Indianapolis, or they
We're opposed to the gold standard ut Chi
chgo. or you can decide that they werc
for the gold standard at Chicago. bu,
wore practicng deception upon their bretl,-
rem Now. my friends that is the history
OF inc political parties. Why. there Is no
center to the gold standard sentiment in
this country II YOU take the votes cast for
IN" boiling Democratic ticket because
they only carried ono precinct in tho
United States. uaughterD The only marty
That ever declared tho gold standard to he
II blessing carried Just one precinct In
all the Union. and that was in western
Kansas. and there wCrc only six votes In
tho precinct. and they only go! three out
or the SIX. Cloud applause and lauyhter)
But. my friends. | am not going to stop
hero. crics of "No. go on.") | want to
say harder things than that against the
gold standard. Cries OF Tilt 'em aauin)
You can say what YOU want to against
the gold standurd--it Is the one thing IN
American politics that you can kick with
out fear of anybody standing up to de-
fond-it Is the yellow dog-it is nobody's
dog. applause and laughtcr.)
Some might say that tho Republican
party adopted Its platform just to catch
votes: but am not going to allow YOU to
get out on that kind of an nrltlmcnt