Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-02-03
NTAINLEY'S SPEECH.
The President q Guest at the Manu-.
facturers' Banquet
his VIEWS on The MONEY QUESTION
The Financial Plank Of the st. Louis Fiat.
form Binding Up0n Republicans-iov-
eminent Restricted In Its Power
to Promote Industry.

New YORK, Jan. 2S.--The third an
nual banquet Of the National Associa-
ton of Manufacturers of the United
States, which took place last night at
the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, was one OF
the largest and most elaborate affairs
Of the kind ever given in this city.
One thousand guests were seated at
the tables. At 1880 o'clock Warner
Miller raped for order. The chief
end of the organization, he declared,
was to extend the commerce of the
United States abroad "This associa-
tion," he said, would advocate an
other department in the cabinet, name
ly, secretary Of commerce.
The widest enthusiasm prevailed
when President Mckinley was intro
duced. His speech, in part, was as
follows:
Mr. Toastmaster, Members Of the National
Association OF Manufacturers and Guests. For
The cordial character Of this greeting return
my thanks The genuineness Of your welcome
Is full compensation for having left Washing
ton at an unusually busy season in order to par
ticipate in this interesting meeting.
National policies can encourage industry and
commerce, but it remains for the people to
project and carry them on II these policies
stimulate Industrial development and energy,
the people can be safely trusted to do the rest
The government, however, is restricted In its
power to promote industry. It can aid COM
merce, but not create it. 1t can widen and
deepen It's rivers improve Its harbors and de-
velop Its great national waterways; but the
ships to sail and the trafflc to carry, the people
must supply The government can raise
revenues by taxation in such way as will dis
oriminate in favor Of domestic enterprises, but
II cannot establish them 1t can make COM
merclal treaties, opening to our manufacturers
nnd agriculturists the ports Of other nations
1t can enter into reciprocal arrangements TO
exchange our products with those Of other
countries 1t can do all these things, and ought
to do them, but with all this accomplished the
result will still be Intellectual unless supple
mented by energy, enterprise and industry Of
the people
There Is another duty resting upon the mo-
tlonal government ito coin money and regulate
the value thereof" This duty requires that
our government shall regulate the value OF ita
money by the highest standards Of commercial
honesty and national honor The money OF the
United States Is and must forever be unQues-
toned and unassailable. II doubts remain they
must be removed. II weak places are discov-
cred, they must be strengthened. Nothing
should ever tempt us-nothing ever Will tempt
us-to scale down the sacred debt OF the nation
througha legal technicality. Whatever may
be the language Of the contract, the United
States will discharge all Of Its obligations in
the currency recognized as the best throughout
the civilized world at the timo OF payment
Nor will we ever consent that the wages OF 10.
Dor or Its frugal savings shall be scaled down
by permitting payment in dollars Of less value
than the dollars accepted al the best In every
enlightened nation Of the earth
The difficulties in the path of a satisfactory
reform are 1t must be admitted neither few in
number nor slight in degree but progress can
not fail to be made with a fair and thorough
trial An honest attempt will be the best proof
Of sincerity OF purpose. Discussion cannot
hurt, 1t will only help the cause Let us have
full and free discussion. We are the last to
avoid or evade it. Intelligent discussion will
strengthen the Indifferent and encourage the
friends Of stable system Of finance.
Half heartedness never won u battle. Ma
lions and parties without abiding principles
and stern resolution to force them, even il it
costs continuous struggle to do so, and tenn
p0rary sacrifice, are never in the highest de-
gree successful leaders in the progress Of man
kind. For us to attempt nothing in the face Of
me present falaoies and the constant effort to
spread them is to lose valuable ground already
won and practically to weaken the forces Of
sound money for their battles Of the future.
The financial plank Of the St Louis platform
is still as commanding upon republicans and
those who served with them in the last cam
paign as on the day it was adopted and promul-
gated Happily. the tariff part Of the platform
has already been engrafted into public statute.
But that other plank not already builded into
our constitution is of binding force upon all Of
us What is it9
1.-THE republican party is unreservedly for
sound money. 1t caused the enactment OF the
law providing for the resumption Of specie pay
ments in 1879; since then every dollar has been
as good as gold.
"We are unalterably opposed to every meas
ure calculated to debase our currency or impair
the credit Of our country. We are therefore
opposed to the free coinage Of silver, except by
international agreement with the leading COM
merclal nations of the world which we pledge
ourselves to promote and until such an agree
ment can be obtained the existing gold stand
ard must be preserved All our silver and pa
per currency must be maintained at parity with
gold and we favor all measures designed to
maintain inviolably the obligations Of the
United States, and all our money, whether
coin or paper OF the present standard, the
standard Of the most enlightened nations Of the
earth"
This Is In reality o command from the people
who gave the administration to the party now
in power and who are still anxlously waiting
for the execution Of their free and omnipoent
will by those Of us who hold commissions from
that supreme tribunal
Senator Frye, Charles Emory Smith
and Henry L. Rowland also made ad.
dresses.