The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-01-21
Mr.. BRYAN TALKS.

and gone. He is most pleasant gen.
tleman to meet. He is eloquent in
speech, ingenious in his phrases, and
has unbounded ability to woi VOL. - -r the
paBssions and prejudices of the people.
He was accorded that hearing, which the
Americanpeople always accord to their
prominent men. 1t was good 'nathred
> crowd that greeted him. The Popo.
Gratis, good natured and quiet, because
their leader>was with them. The Re-
; puDllcans, good natured because their
pnnclples had had been endorsed by the
people and prosperity spreading itself
in every direction. A large part of the
audience larger part in fact, was
attracted not because of the argument
they expected to hear, for his words
were familiar to all who read the news
papers, being simply rehash of the
speeches he has made for the past few
months, and large portion rehash OF
his 1896 talks. They were attracted
out of curiosity to see the mana live
.ex-presidential candidate. Had the
hall been twice as large it doubtless
would have been packed.
A fine orator, with a fine voice fully
at his command, Mr.. Bryan presents
the specious reasoning of old. He lis
not travelling for his health, but for
revenue only. He disclaims that pros
perity is returning. He does not want
it to return, for that would greatly in
terfere with his plans for the future,
which are to get the fusion nomina-
stion for the presidency in 1900, If he
can keep his calamity Cry before the
public, and keep in motion through his
followers an agitation that will disturb
the full measure of confidence from
settling over the land then his ambition
will be fulfilled and the object for
which he labors within the possibility,
he thinks, of his securing.
As usual, he talked for bimetallism
and decried monometallism and advo-
Gated policy that would not only lead
at once to silver monometallism, but to
all the evils of fat money system, be-
cause 1T would fasten upon the nation
"a deprecated money. In his view, as
usual, the gold standard is at the bot
tom of all the trouble in this country,
mans ability counted for nothing, if he
is unsuccessful, it is because of the gold
standard, and not because of lack of
Judgment, ability on his part, or of mis-
takes he may have made. More falla-
rcious reasoning could not be INDUCED
in. Yet that is the foundation of all
his reasoning.
Mr.. Bryan further claimed no one ex-
.cept few gold Democrats, wanted the
gold standard; that over Is, 600, 900 peo-
pile few. months ago voted against it.
Such statement may please Mr.. Bry-
an and give him chance to play on
words for an additional length of time
before the public, to the satisfaction of
his own vanity. But he we'll knows
that such statement is not true. The
Republican party in it's national con-
7vention declared for the gold standard
and that iG should be maintained, and a
majority of the American voters, who
went to the polls, endorsed the declara-
ton and pledge of the party. The
American people are not fools by any
means, though Mr.. Bryan has been en-
deavoring ever since the Chicago con-
vention to pull the wool over their eyes.
He was also much exercised because
the Republicans favored international
agreement on the silver question, and
because the Mckinley administration is
doing what it can to fulfill that pledge.
Evidently Mr.. Bryan is bound not to
tbe pleased with anything thetRepublic-
ANS do and would do, and would have
.raved US badly had nothing been done.
But it should be remem bered that the
international agreement the Republic
ans have been working for is one under
which the 100-eent dollar will be main
tanned, and not the Ascent silver dollar
for which he is arguing thefree coin
age of.
Referring to the work that is being
done in the interest of currency and
banking reform, before congress. Mr..
Bryan maintained that the Republicans
were simply striving to carry out what
a few bankers are debating for their
own personal interests A more false
and demagogic statement was never
made upon public platform. The Nc
.Kinley administration nor the Repub-
lican party have not as yet declared
against the greenback or made any
move to retire, and if they are retired
they inntend to put in their
place "a system, freed from the
dangers which attend the green
back, and which will at all
times give the country plenty of money
worth at all times 100 cents on the dol
lar. And no proposition has yet been
agreed upon that will fasten upon the
country large issue of bonds, in fact,
1.