The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-16

CContirlued from First Pagel
lation and nowhere is it more apparent
than in matters of taxation. The Repub-
lican party is not trying to restore justice
in taxation. The war has shown that when
this government deals with an individual
it's power is unlimited, but when it's deals
with property its power is limited. It can
draft the citizen, but it cannot touch the
dollar In the hour Of peril the nation can
take the son from the mother and the
husband from his wife and stand them in
front of the enemy's gun, but it dare not
lay its finger upon the wealth of the rich
and make them contribute their share
Mr. Bryan discussed the question of bi-
metanism at length, repeating well-known
arguments, and said: 4 have been asked
khy 1 am not willing to drop the money
question. I reply: Because the money
question won't drop US know not what
others may desire or what they may be
willing to do, but L am not willing that
our declaration against the gold stand
ard shall be dropped as long as handful
Of English financiers can determine the
financial policy Of seventy millions of
American people. Some say that if we
will not drop the money question We
ought TO drop the ratio of 16 to !. When
you find a man opposed to 10 to ]. m
quire and you will find that he was never
in favor OF it, and then inquire again
and you will find that there is no other
ratio that he is in favor Of. We denounced
international bimetallism as delnsion
and a snare in 1895. 1t has been proved
to be so since 1896. We declared for the
ratio of Is TO l in 1926, and no party has
1-safi n
l6 to l. Until some other party pro-
poses some other ratio and tries to secure
at some other ratio, there is
no reason why We should discuss ratio
with them. The ratio of Is to l was de-
cided upon, not at the Chicago convention,
but at the primaries which elected dele
gates to attend the Chicago convention
The ratio of 16 to 1 had been submitted
to the people and th0cc who wanted it in
1896 are in favor of it now. And they
know why they are in favor of it. The
ratio of 10 TO l is the ratio a which our
gold and silver coins now circulate. we
simply ask reinstatement of the law that
was on the statute books-where it was
before the act of decentralization was Sc
cretly passed When people ask US TO
drop our fight on the money question and
fight the trusts, we remember that the
Republican party IS today preparing to or
ganize a trust more potent for evil than
all the industrial trusts combined There
is bill now before congress, reported by
the Republican commission, that turns
over to the national banks the absolute
control of the paper money Of this coun-
try It provides for the retirement of
the greenbacks by an issue Of bonds draw
ing 2Ia per cent; it provides that banks
shall be permitted to issue up to the
par value bonds and with the one per
cent tax on circulation, and this shall
be reduced to small fraction Of one
per cent. Here is your evidence of good
policy. They want to issue
bonds in place of greenbacks and tax the
people to pay the interest on the bonds,
and then they refuse the tax that banks
now pay on the circulation that they have. |
Why pile up the taxes on the people and
lower the taxes on the banks?"
In conclusion Mr.. Bryan declared |
against the increase of the standing army, |
denouncing it as an unnecessary burden |
upon the people. He urged that the Porto |
Ricons should be given their choice be- /
tween annexation and republic of their |
own A reference to the United States as |
a bully for striking down the Filipino ma I
tives created the greatest enthusiasm Of /
the night There was a mighty demon |
country that had inspired the Filipino |
with love of liberty. THE American gov /
eminent OF the Filipinos is a despotism,' |
he declared, and this was loudly applaud |
ed. 1t was not surprising, he said. that |
4 country that should send to England for I
4 financial policy, as il had two years |
ago. should now send there for a colonial |
policy. This was received with wild ap- |
olause.
When he intimated that he wanted to
stop he was told TO go on, and many re-
Iuested him to talk more on imperial
sm. When he said: we may fail in
900" there were tumultuous cries of mo,
lever"
When he concluded another hurricane
If applause broke forth. Men and women
acted wildly Men again threw up their
lats and women waved their clOaks and
and shouted and jumped /
10 and down. Mr.. Bryan spoke one hour
md nine minutes He was in as good
-oice when he finished as when he be-
gan When he had finished there was a
great rush to him on the platform. He
vas almost suffoCated in the crush. Il
,equired five policemen 10 force q way
through the crowd for him. He shook
hands on all sides. He had q few min
ltes' reception in the inside room. where
ne shook hands with a number of per-
sons, and then with great difficulty he
vent downstairs. There was a very large
,rowd here and Colonel Bryan had to
make a short speech 10 the gathering.
He was enthusiastically cheered as he
got into a carriage, which started for the
Hotel Bartholdi.
OF the dinner Mr.. Bryan said: This is
he greatest dinner I ever attended. I
hink il is the greatest ever held in the
United States. The hearts Of the United
states are all right"