The San Francisco call., 1899-09-07

under the banner of Independent bimetal-
! liSm and not one of them was bought ana
not one of them was intimidated. Gap
plause and cheersD You tell me that the
Republicans outvoted us and tell you
seven millions Of votes, but for what dla
those seven millions vote? why, you
say they voted the Republican ticket. d,
But that ticket ran upon platform, and
what did that platform say? That plat
form pledged the Republican party to do
what it could to get rid of the gold stand
! ard by international agreement, and when
the vote was counted thirteen millions and
a half of people had voted for and pledged
themselves to double standard as
against the gold standard. and only one
hundred and thirty4two thousand-less
than one per cent of the voters of the
United States-had supported the only
standard as a good thing in the United
States. (Applause.)
Getting Rid of a Blessing.
Now, the first thing the Republican
President did was to send a commission
OF three distinguished men all the way to
You tell me that the gold standard is a
blessing? 1 cannot believe it. because
have so much confidence in the judgment
of President Mckinley that / don't think
he would send three men all the way to
Europe TO get rid of a good thing. CAP
plause and laughterD And even if | was
VIKING 10 UOuDI the JuuS IneUI Ol luS les
ident l am not injudicious enough to
bring an indictment against the whole
Republican Congress, because kepuD-
liCan Congress appropriated 100000 to pay
the expenses of the commission While II
was in Europe trying to get rid of the gold
standard; and l know that Republican
congressman are so careful OF the peo-
pies money that they would not vote to
use $l00OO0 Of it trying to get rid OF
blessing.
The commission went to Europe and it
ENrQT % ny fgI IL.
France sent an ambassador to act with
our Commissioners and tried TO prevail on
the English Government to help US OUT OF
the hole that the gold standard had put US
into. When our Commissioners went 10
England they found sentiment there.
They found that the labor organizations
of England had joined in a petition to the
English Government asking that Govern
ment to assist in the restoration or pls
metallsm. Why did the laboring men or
England join in that petition? Because
the gold standard has been curse to the
laboring men of England. (Applause.l
And while our commission was there
an English commission appointed 10 IN.
vestigate and report on the condition OF
agriculture reported by vote OF l0 to !
that the gold standard was the Ghlef
cause of agricultural depression in Eng
land, and pointed to bmetallism as the
only hope of the English farmer. Why
do the farmers of England cry out against
the gold standard? Because II has peen
a curse to them. But you tell me that
the English Government refuses 70 Join
with US That is true. But why? Be
cause on the 22d day of September 1877,
the bankers of London met at the Clear
ing House, closed the doors, pledged
themselves to secrecy and drafted a res
Olution declaring that the gold standard
was all right; and the bankers OF Lon
don. meeting in secret, controlled the
action Nof the British Government, and
the English Government controlled the
action of Europe, and Europe througgh
the Republican party is controlling the
financial policy of the United States.
(CheerS.)
Money Question Not Dead.
You tell me that the money question is
dead l tell you that 1t requires more
than a handful of English bankers TO kill
a question in which 10,000O 600 of people are
interested. You Republicans called me
hard names in '96. You called me a dem
agogue and disturber of the peace. Aye,
you cannot think of a name so hard that
by using it you prevent me doing what
| can to take this Government out of the
hands of English bankers and putting it
in the hands of Americans. (CheerS.)
Our people were willing to go to war
with Spain in order TO relieve Cuba from
foreign domination. Are they not willing
to vote to relieve the United States of a
domination more hateful than was Spain S
domination in Cuba?
Bimetallism Still Desirable.
But they say that things have happened
since the election. Well, my friends, if
things have happened since the election to
make the gold standard satisfactory It is
strange that the authorities at Washing
ton have not found out about 1t. If you
will read the testimony given lately before
an English commission you Will find in
that testimony, now published and open to
all, a letter written by John Hay, Secre-
tary OF State. on the 25th day of last No
vember. to director of the Bank of Eng
land. That letter was written by Mr.. Hay
more than two years after the last Presi-
Dental election. 1t was written more than
~.xlyE hn los ono -ct fa.1
election, and yet that letter says that
the President and the majority of his
Cabinet still believe in the great desira-
bility of an international agreement for
the restoration of silver. Still be-
lieve that bimetallism is de-
sirable.' Every argument in favor of in
against the gold standard, and if the gold
standard is satisfactory, why doesn't the
President announce to the people of the
Old World that we no longer want inter-
national bimetallism; that we want the
gold standard? Just as long as a man
argues in favor of international bimetaI-
lism he confesses that the gold standard
is not satisfactory But they say that
we have had discovery of gold in the
KlOndike. Republicans, you are awful
hard up for a vindication Of your conduct
in 1896 to have to point to something that
happened after the election that you did
not expect, in order to prove that you
were wise in what you did before that
thing happened. But did this discovery
Not at all. What was the advantage of
the discovery Of more gold? Why. you
say, it gave us more money. All! You
don't dare admit that, because if the dis
covery of more gold gives us more money
and more money gives US better times,
then you admit the quantitative theory OF
money. That is what you denied in 1895.
You said it did not make any difference
how much or how little just so it was all
good-quality and not the quantity
You tell me that we had a famine in
Europe and that we exported bread
stuffs ct a high price. and that brought
in much money. What good did that do?
Why, you say, 1T gives us more money
and better times" You dare not admit
it. because if the importation of more
money from Europe gives US a larger
circulation and better times you admit
that the quantitatIve theory is correct and
if you once admit that the quantitative
theory of money is correct-that more
money means better times-then we pro-
pose that instead Of waiting for the dis
coveTy of unexpected gold, instead of
waiting for a famine abroad to give us
more money, we propose that you open
the mints of the nation and allow your
own SILVER to pour into them and be
money, and therefore have more money
applause and cheers.)
But of all people the people of San
Francisco have the least reason to deny
the qUantitative theory of money. Your
gold bugs. your bankers and financiers
told the people in 1895 that it did not mat
ter whether you had much money or