The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1898-06-08
HONEST DOLLARS.
nY MILLIAM ]. BRYAN.

pie asking 1t. without their Know
ing it. and without congress know
ing it, but for twenty-three years
experiment under the gold stand
ard was so disastrous that no party
sc any name dared to approve oil
,.smoi.itization in national con-
vention or in national platform,
d .red to declare that the gold stan
dard was a blessing to the Ameri-
can people.
Twenty-three years ago we had
the gold standard, before any party
of any name ever wrote in nat
ional platform that 1t was bless
ing to the American people.
Sometimes you find advocates
of the gold standard who are shoe
ked that any man can believe in
free coinage. suppose there is
scarcely an advocate of silver who
has not been met with that surpri-
sed look:
"What. you-you-you in favor
of free silver? Well. I'm surprised
that man of your intelligence
should be in favor of free silverP'
And you say: "Why not? Why
not?'' "Well, we'll, we'll not dis
cuss it,
And yet the man who defends
the gold standard is defending the
thing that after twenty-three years
of experience could only muster
$4,000 voters in the United States
who liked it. Only one party in
the history of this nation ever de-
clared in national convention for
a gold standard, and that was the
party known as the national demo-
cratic party. 1t polled 10000
votes-many of them by mistake.
1 say many of them by mistake,
because in some of the states they
were enabled to get upon the ballot
with nothing to distinguish be-
tween their democratic party and
the regular democratic party.
1 know that in Nebraska good
many of the votes they received
we're by mistake; and this last year
when we could get them upon a
ballot all by themselves. under an
emblem, they polled less than one
half the votes that they polled
when they could take advant ,ge of
the democratic name
Take the political history of this
country, and what do you find?
Why. you find that in 1896, after
we had had the gold standard for a
little more than twenty-three years,
the democratic party declared ag-
ainst the gold standard and in favor
of independent bimetallism, and
stated exactly what they wanted,
and how they expected TO get it
free and unlimited coinage Is to l,
without waiting for the aid or con-
sent of any other nation.
You may oppose the doctrine if
you want to, but that was one dem
ocratic platform that could not be
construed both ways in different
parts of the country.
The populists met and they adj
opted a platform which upon the
silver question was identical in
idea and almost Identical in words.
And these parties joining together
on this declaration positive and
emphatic against the gold standard
and in favor of the free and unlim-
tied coinage of silver at 16 to l.
without waiting for other nations.
polled 6, 100000 votes in the Uni
ted States-people who had tried
the gold standard for twenty-three
years and wanted to get rid of it as
quickly as possible.
But you say there were 100000
who voted against that platform.
1t is true. Seven millions were re-
corded in favor of platform that
pledged the republican party to put
forth every effort to secure an
abandonment of the gold standard
by national agreement.
There were 100000 voters for
independent observation-disclosures
for international bimetallism-99
per cent. against the gold standard
and in favor of the double standard,
differing only as to the means of
securing it, and less than 1 per ct.
in favor of the gold standard by
mistake.