Willmar tribune., 1899-02-22
WILLIAM ]. BRYAN.
de Meets the Democracy of Mime
sofa at Banquet.
The Chicago Platform Will Not be
Repudiated.
DE IS Opposed to Imperialism and
the Colonial Idea,


were were present as its guests the idol Of the
1e1nngs MHTf9rn RpSam RRemocraey in 1885, Wiiam M
whose recent election the men who We're
factor
..GSS Coy. Gths Lind responded briefly to the toast
was thus introduced:
centisdsryya Col Bryan said; Mr.: Toastmaster and
to be among you at this time. I want to
thank the committee for extending 10 me.
through Mr.. Barton. an invitation to be
thank you still more cordially for hav-
ing changed the date of the banquet in
order l that might be here.
My friends, why was it that the Dem
ocratic 1SHr party aroused an enthusiasm in
1896 that it had not aroused before? 1t
was because the Democratic party stood
ocracy was SO defined that people could
tell what Democracy meant. For several
y years we had been writing platforms on
fore you read the platform which plat
form you were reading FROM the audience
was, was apt to be confused; Haughter) Re
publicans and Democrats had declared in
the same language. almost. on the money
question, which was recognized by the
financial element as the dominant ques-
ton. whether the rest of the people rec
ognized it or not. And in 1896 the party
and the s people, rallied @ to e the Demeeratic eerI
party because they felt that at last it
had separated the Democrats from those
who were not Democrats.
The Democratic party is opposed to
trusts. 1t is in favor of the doctrine of
Jefferson JEFF and Ja!ckSSon-equal rights to all
plauseo That is Democracy. 1t is the
Fundamental m* principle of Democracy.
we are only opposed to the Sugar trust
unless it gives us enough of campaign
fund to make us quiet the subject
,nf %h0%
opposed to the Standard Oil trust-unless
1t will endow university 1t does not
mean that we are opposed to a particular
trust. 1t means that we are opposed to
all trusts.
I have never said anything as harsh
against the trusts as Mr.. Cleveland did.
All the gold Democrats denounced the
administration, what effort did the gold
ha aer4 Kea to eXtng1sh ftn the
they had the power? Because the leading
gold Democrats are connected with all
trusts, my friends, it would be no fight
at all. They say we will get Republica MS
cans have their chance to fight the trusts
now.
Why, my friends; there is bill before
tary Gage, in an interview, think, said
through. What does it mean? It means
BILE in gold-it says SO in the plain, un-
varnished bill. to make all the debts of
the nation payable in gold. Now they are
payable in either. gold or silver and they
expect to strike down one of the standard
moneys and make all debts payable in
the other. And what does it mean? Why,
it means to decrease that with which you
can pay the debt and leave the debt as
large as it ever was Say that we can
ignore it? Why: If they had stopped fight
ing. they might have some reason to ask
us to stop. but don't you think it is rather
go on?
And. not satisfied with making gold the
only standard money, they tell us they
are going to retire the greenbacks and
banks: and that bill that was introduced
the other day and Is now before congress
allows national banks to issue up to the
yaue Of the bonds and then repeas
sudden contraction of the currency They
repeal repeal it, and they would leave the
hands Of the national banks Banks of +" this his
country. They would constitute paper
money IT. tFuSt st. ana every dollar of paper
these banks acting in concert. But if YOU
ever dare to do thing that they. don't
va Man t. d6ne they would tel you if you
and bring on a panic.
Talk about trusts? I say to you, my
friends, that all the, trusts that have been
trust whether you consider it the money
trust that there now is and that they
want to make permanent by this bill, or
to create by this bill.
co%yv Why We ecSsS hssr people talk Edd as if this
Think of it! This country decided to
adopt the gold standard? When? Why.
hsory Of The tnat rom all the
beginning of our national history down
to 1899. there never was party of any
on for IN eoS %Sn
Of it! We had the double standard for
eighty years. and no. party ever de-
they have had the gold standard for
commended it in national convention
the gold standard! Why, in 1895 we % didn't mt t
indorse the gold standard. The Republi-
can party ar in dS 1895 didnt say the gold
in 1896 pledged itself to do what it could
to get rid Of the gold standard and es-
if anybody doubted that the American
people were in favor. of bimetallism be-
a half voted for independent bimetallism
and seven millions voted for international
voted for the double standard as against
the gold standard. !
And the gold Democratic party was the
of the nation. that declared that the gold
precinct in the United States, and there
they only got three of out of the six.
daughter and applause.)
Now ti that oo,1n is matter ter. of history: And
Kinley sent his commission to Europe to
ask Europe to help us-do what? Keep
the gold standard? No. to help us get
rid of it. Appropriated hundred thou
sand dollars, by unanimous vote of con-
gress, to pay the expenses of commits
sion that went through Europe crying
Help! Help! Help US out of the hole
that the gold standard has put US into!'
Why did the Republican party send a
commission to Europe to get rid of the
gold standard If 1t was good? And
when the commission came back and re-
ported that they couldn't get bimetaIism
over there these Republicans said: That
settles it. we have got to have the gold
standard"
My friends, the American people have
not voted on that proposition yet 1t
was just the Republican leaders that said
that. The American people have not yet
gone into a campaign where the issue
was "bimetallism" on one hand. and the
'gold Standard on the other You may
criticise me If you want to. my friends. for
standing by bimetallism under these con-
ditions. But want to tell you that there
IS not a nation on earth where the gold
standard could be sustained upon its
merits without the backing of the finan-
T. cial element and the intimidation and