Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-04-27
THE DOLLAR DINNER.
William ]. Bryan at the New York
Jefferson Banquet.
Declares for the Chicago Platform
Without Change-MonOpOlya and
MiIitarism Republican
Evils.

Oh 1nOI1aS JEFFERSON ) DlTInOdy, OdIur
day evening, April IS, was the scene
of an enthusiastic reception to the
champion of free silver, William Jen'
nings Bryan, who was the leading guest
of the occasion. Mr.. Bryan spoke upon
democratic differences and divisions
over the Chicago platform as follows:
81 am glad 70 have this opportunity tc
join with Chicago platform democrats in
| celebrating the birthday of Thomas JEFF
ferson. l need offer no apology for COM
! ing to New York. Indeed, would be un-
grateful If I did not appreciate the loyalty
of 5000 voters who in this state supported
| tie ticket nominated in Chicago. While my
| opponent carried the state. our ticket re-
, ceived more votes in the state of New York
| than it did in any other state, and you who
| supported the ticket walked through the
| furnace when the fires of criticism were
| seven times hotter than they have been
| before during the present generation.
On the Price Per Plate.
1.-THE discussion of the price per plate
! has obScured, to some extent, the more i'm
portaHt differences between this banquet
! and the one given last Tuesday night at
| the Metropolitan opera house. A demo-
/ crat has the right to pay much as he
pleaSes for a dinner. The amount paid
merely determines whether the rank and
file OF the party. or only the leaders, shall
/ meet around the board. The political char
acter of a banquet. however, is determined
not by it's cost, but by the sentiments
which are woven into its post-prandial or
/ atory.
Those who accepted the party creed as
set forth in the last national platform
have a right to meet and renew their vows
to Jefferson and encourage each other in
! the effort to apply the principles of Jeffer-
son to present conditions, to the end that
justice in government and equality before
the law may be restored to the people
Your presence here does not indicate hos
tlity toward those who left the party in
1896. party is an association formed for
the purpose of giving force and effect to
the political principles held in common.
When vital differences in principles arise
sepsration is not only necessary, but de-
sirable
THE members of the republican party
cannot complain because certain republic
ans left the party rather than accept the
St. Louis platform. Neither can members
of the democratic party complain because
gold democrats left the democratic party
rather than accept the Chicago platform.
The silver republicans organized party
and gave it q name which distinguished it
from the regular republican party, and
silver republicans, true 10 their organiza-
ton, are not attempting to control the pol
icy or write the platform of the republic
party.
''They openly joined with the democrats
ers in the Chicago platform is open to-
day as il was then. The gold democrats
organized separate and distinct party, but
instead of calling themselves gold demo-
Gratis they described themselves as ma
tfonal democrats, and in Nebraska and
some other states had their electors placed
upon the ticket as democrats with nothing
to distinguish them from the electors who
represented the regular democratic party.
Political Bfgamists.
EITHER Chicago platform democrats
must abandon their convictions or the dem
ocrats who deserted the party must aban-
don the views they entertained in 1886.
man cannot be a political bgamist. He
cannot be welded to the name of one party,
6nd The principles of another party. All
that we contend for is that those who de-
serted in 1886 shall divorce themselves
either from our party name or from the po-
itical principles of opposing parties. Dem
ocrats are not dismayed when they hear
The Chicago platform denounced this year
by those who denounced it in 1896.
1T was satisfactory then to those who
supported 1t, ana it is equally satisfactory
TO tlrem now. 1t was inspiration to
those who believed in equality of the law
and menace to those only who used the
instrumentalities of government for prl-
Vate gain. II was written by the voters
and it cannot be unwritten until the voters
speak again to their chosen representatives.
In fact, events have indicated that plat
form. rather than condemned it.
THE Chicago platform denounced the
gold standard as un-American and anti
American. 1t pledged the party to do
what it could do to secure a restoration of
the double standard The president ad-
mitted our contention as being just when
he sent a commission TO Europe to secure
interna tional aid in abandoning the gold
standard. We did not believe in 1896 that
international imetallism was possible |
Events have shown that it is a delusion
THE republican platform pledged the |
party to maintain the gold standard until |
relief could be secured from abroad. What |
could be more absurd than to expect aid |
from foreign financiers when we remembe" |
that the purpose and effect of the gold |
standard has been to increase the purchas-
ing power of the dollar and to enable Lon |
don financiers to control the standard mon
ey of the world. The democratic par |
ty cannot abandon its demand for in |
dependent bimetallism unless it is will |
ing to turn the control of the finances |
of the United States over TO foreign finan- |
ciers A nation strong enough to help |
the people of Cuba to secure independence |
is strong enough to demand, secure and |
financial policy of its own.
Sixteen to One Ratio.
THE Chicago platform named a ratio |
of sixteen to one as the only ratio by which |
could be restored. What party
has arisen since to suggest another rem
edy? Those who objected to sixteen to
one are making no efforts to secure bimet-
alism at any other ratio. They are de-
not constructive, in their efforts: |
they oppose without proposing. Bimetal-
lism cannot be restored until a ratio is
fixed, and those who oppose bimetallism I'M
Ger any conditions will not be permitted to
the platform and render the
party an adjunct to the republican party
in its effort to make the gold standard
permanent through deceptive promises.
THE Chicago platform denounced the |
scheme then being developed to retire the
greenbacks and substitute a national bank
That scheme is now fully devel-
oped. The proposition to give to the ma
tional banks a monopoly of the paper
money of the country is supported by many
who complain against the industrial trusts
Is it insincerity cowardice which leads
them to attack the small trusts and make
peace with the money trusts? If the re-
publicans succeed in passing the bill now
before congress the greenbacks will be re-
tired by issue of bonds drawing 212 per
cent. interest, and the national banks will
be permitted to issue bank notes to the
par value of the bonds, and will have the
present tax of one per cent. on ctrcula-
ion reduced to a small fraction of one per
cent.
In other words, the people will be taxed
q little more to pay the interest the /
bonds, and the banks will be taxed less upon
their circulation and allowed to issue more |
notes. Under the new law a bank with
Ca pital of 100000 can invest its CO pitai in
bonds. and then upon the bonds being |
deposited issue 100000 in bank notes to
lake the place of the money invested in the
bonds. Thus the bank will be permitted
20 draw interest upon the bonds and at the
came time use the money covered by the
bonds a privilege denied to every other |
class in the community.
''Te democratic party will continue its
attack upon the principle of monopoly |
wherever IL appears, whether in the stand |
ard money trust, the paper money trust, or
he industrial trust Instead of making its
plank narrow enough to suit |
those who are alarmed at the soap trust,
but obliviouS of the dangers of a money
rms WI a " O. |