Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-16

dare not lay its finger upon the wealth
of the rich and make them contribute
their share. tremendous cheering).
The income tax IS stronger than it
was, and it is placed upon the should
ers of the poor. who have to carry the
burden. but in the Democratic party
you can say there is one man who is
willing to pay his share. Cloud ap-
plause.)
a LEADING QUESTION.
My friends, why should not people
be willing to bear their share of the
burdens of government? II in time of
war your country needs you, you are
willing to give your lifes blood, why
deny the nation its just due in time
oe peace?
1t has been the history of the world
that those who can make much have
been unwilling to bear their share of
the burdens of government. and have
sought TO use the instruments Of gov
eminent for private gain. to take from
those who can make less than they
can.
The Democratic party is n protector
of the rich and the poor, and that par
ty which makes the rich bear their
share of the burden is better friend
of the rich man than the party that
takes his money and sells exemption.
(ADplause)
REFERENCE TO THE DEAD.
There is another plank In the plat
| ton. The Republican party and the
Gold Democrats have been burying
the money question so often that I feel
l ought to apologize for speaking of the
dead before so large an audience.
daughter and cheers.)
The Democratic platform denounced
the gold standard. called 1t un-Amcri-
can and pledged the party to destroy
ii at once and substitute in its place
independent bimetallism at the ratio OF
N 11n frnlA CT. A..rf
American in 1896 ii is un-American
now. and If the gold standard was bad
in 1896 YOU were convinced that it was
bad in 1897, because Mr.. Mckinley sent
three distinguished commissioners to
Europe to get rid of the gold stand
ard
THE CAUSE OF FAILURE.
And why did they not succeed? 1t
was because they asked of the fnan-
ciers of the old world n favor that they
would not grant. Why did we oppose
the gold standard? because it has raised
the purchasing power of the dollar and
lowered the price of the products OF la
Dor. When our commissioners went
abroad they went to suDDlicate from
persons who had profited and how alb
surd to eXnect them to join In doing
away with a thing out of which they
had made money.
AN ABSURD PLANK.
My friends | want to suggest to YOU
that the Republican promises of inter-
national bimetallism coupled with the
pledge that the gold standard would
be maintained until other nations come
to our relief. was the most absurd
plank that any party ever put into n
platform If the Republican party had
delegated it's representatives, to pre-
sent this subject to the financiers OF
Europe along the line of that senselesa
platform the spokesman OF the COM
mission would have had to make a
speech about like this:
AN INVITATION
Gentlemen, we have had the gold
standard for % years, and do not like
IT; the American people have tried il
and suffered from it. and they have
sent lis over here to ask you to help
us to get rid of it; they recognize that
you have made money while they have
lost and therefore. we ask you TO toin
us in restoring the state by which we
won't lose so much and by which you
won't make SO much" daughter and
loud applause).
But then candor would have COM
PEELED the spokesman TO have added an
other sentence He would have said:
But while we suffered Il good deal. VIC
can suffer more if necessary While we
have had IA hard time. we have not
reached the limit of endurance; and if
you people would rather go on plumber
ing us indefinitely we will stand by you
while the world lasts"
That is the Republican platform.
That is what ii saEs-that while still
trying to get along on national bimetal-
ism. yet if we get the leading CONNER
cial nations of Europe to Join with us
we Will maintain this thing which they
want.
A DIFFERENT PLAN.
My friends. our plan was different.
We would not have sent a man over to
HNR pRERGE'G