Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-05-03


bimctallism at the ratio of 10 to l. We be.
lievc we can maintain the pnrty, but Won
nave a good many Investments over there,
ana If You have any doubt about our doing
IL You had better join us, because IL anybody
suffers 1t Will he Nou-not u.s." (Long laugh
ter and applausr)
Now, my friends. an argument like that
would have some effect: yes. and us an
argument that 1t would have effect, | recall
TO your minds an item that crossed the ocean
while our commission was over there. 1t
ran like this: That. while there was n good
deal of sentiment over there. yet the tinan-
cial interests were solidly opposed to making
any concession to himctallism, and that
there vas only one argument we had that
had any weight with them, and that was, IL
they did not do something to help restore
intcrnational blmc'allism, free silver would
win in the United States. and restore lmet.
all'sm by independent action. and that Brit.
lsh investments would suffer" And 1t wns
said In this dispatch that that argument was
being made by one of the commissioners l
could not but applaud the common sense of
l,can PLATFORM and got on to common
sense platform, and appealed to them by an
argument they would understand
English Bankers Influence.
But, my friends. why haven't we interna.
tiona hlmetallism: Is 1t because there is no
sentiment In Europe? On the contrary, there
Is sentiment there. and the sentiment Is so
strong that the French government Joined
with us In sending an ambassador to En-
gland. And In England the sentiment was
so strong that petition was sent to the
English government, signed by the leading
labor organizations of England, asking for
international blmetallism-so strong that
report was presented while our commission
was there Il report signed by ten out of
fourteen members of a commission appoint.
ed to investigate the condition of ayrIcul-
ture, and the ten out of the fourteen de.
cnred that the gold standard was dcstruct-
tt..a to yfpt,
bimetallism as the only relief for the En-
glish farmer. (Applausc.) But why, INV
friends. did the English government refuse
to listen to the laborcrs and the farmers?
hecanse on the I'D day of September, 1897,
the bankers of London met at the clearing
house, behind closed doors, and, pledged to
secrecy, declared that the gold standard was
all right. The English bankers, 80 few in
house, determine the policy of England and
England determined the policy of Europe,
ana Europe Will determine the policy of the
United States as long as the Republican par.
ty is in power.
I have been asked why am not willing to
drop the money question. replied: BE
cause the money question won't drop U.S."
know nor what others may desire or what
they may be willing to do, but l am not
willing TINT our declaration against the gold
standard shall be dropped as long as n hand
ful of English fnanciers can determine the
financial policy Of 7O.OOOOOO American pco-
pie. Aud some say that IL we will not drop
the money question we ought to drop the
ratio of 16 to 1. When you find man OPP
posed to 16 to 1, inquire 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 de-
nounced International blmetallsm MS de-
fusion and snare In 1896. 1t has been
proved to be so since 1896 We declared for
the ratio of 16 to ! in 1896, and no party has
risen to advocate any other ratio but 16 to 1.
9th
er ratio and tries to secure bmetalllsm at
some other ratio, there Is no reason why we
should discuss ratio with them. The ratio
of IL to was decided upon, not at the Chi
cago convention. but at the primaries which
elected delegates to attend the Chicago con
ventlon The ratio of 10 to l had been sub
mltted to the people. and those who wanted
1t In 1890 are in favor of 1t now. And they
know why they are In favor of it. The ratio
of III to Is the ratio Mt which our gold and
silver coins now circulate. We simply ask
Reinstatement of the law that was on the
statute books-where 1t was before the net
simply want to renew by law what was done
by law. They struck silver down by law.
We raise 1t up by law; they close the mints
by law; we open them by law. (Applause.)
ieges by law; we expect to give competitor
by law, the old competitor we had.
My friends. you will hear people say that
they don't object to silver II we will only
commercial ratio. 1t is only when gold
man commences to talk money that he for
gets all that he knows of other subjects.
When people ask us to drop our fight on the
member that the Republican party is to-day
preparing to organize n trust more potent
for evil than all the industrial trusts COM
bined. There is bill now before Congress,
reported by the Republican committee, that
turns over to the national banks the absolute
control of the paper money of this country.
1t provides for the retirement of the green
backs by an issue of bonds drawing 2h per
cent; 1t provides that banks shall be per-
mltted to Issue up to the par value of the
bonds and that the per cent. tax on circu-
lation shall be reduced to n small fraction of
l per cent. Here Is your evidence of good
Republican policy. They want to Issue bonds
In place OF greenbucks, and tax the people to
pay the Interest on the bonds, and then they
reduce the tax that the banks now pay on
the circulation that they have. Why pile up
the taxes on the people, and lower the taxes
on the banks? What does 1t mean? Why, II
that law goes into effect and 21a per cent.
bonds are at par, then national bank with
n capital of 100000 can Invest 1t In bonds.
deposit the bonds with the treasury. and
draw upon the bonds 800. 900 In bank notes;
so that the amount the bank gets back Is
just equal to the amount the bank paid for
the bonds. So that 1t has not a single dollar
invested. and yet 1t goes on drawing ~ per
cent. interest II year on nothing. 1t Is a
small proposition in mathematics. and vet
the banks will tell you they want this done
for the public good.
imperialism.
There Is another object that Is not In
cluded In the Chicago platform, and is yet
included In the principle 1t sets forth. The
standing army of 100000 men. We have had
no national convention since that time. But
Democrats do not have to have Il national
convention to learn that the Democratic
party is opposed to milltarism in the United
States. Seventy thousand more soldiers
needed than In 1915. Why? For interna-
tional protectlonf Why? What has hap-
pened since 1896? Except the Republican
administration? Does Republican admins
tratlon make more soldiers necessary? When
prosperity comes and confidence is restored,
is 1t necessary to have soldiers to point 1t
out with bayoncts? But they tell us that
we need them for outside service. Where?
In Cuba? oh, no, not permanently, because
the President has promised the Cubans that
our occupation Is only temporary, therefore.
he would not need soldiers permanently in
Cuba. Nor are they needed In Porto Rico.
My own opinion has been that the people of
Porto Rico should be permitted to choose for
themselves between annexation and n repub-
lie of their own But so far they have ex-
pressed no desire for Il republic and seem to
desire annexation. So that there does not
there.
Where do we need n large Increase in the
army! In the Philippines: Why my friends,
the President In his Boston speech said that
the question was to be settled by the Amer
lean people. and until the American people
settled 1t how do you know 1t will need TO-
600 soldiers there permanently? But IL wt
do. according to their argument, need 10000
soldiers there permanently, then ask You,
my friends, what Is the expense going to be.
1t is estimated that 1t costs $1,000 soldier
to keep the army In the United States and
$1,000 Il soldier to keep the army outside the
United States. Seventy thousand soldiers
would mean over IL hundred millions IL year
Who pays the money? The Filplnos? Why,
my friends. If we make the Fllipinos pay the
expense of our army. we will have to tax
them several times as much as Spain over
taxed them.
Called II Country IA Bully.
Mr.. Bryan's reference to the United
States us bully for striking down the
Filipino natives created the greatest en-
thusasm of the night. There was II DEM
onstration when he said that it was this
country that had inspired the Filipino
with love of liberty. The American gov
eminent of the Filipnos is despotlsm.
he declared, and this was applauded. 1t
was not surprising, he said, that country
that should send to England for u finan-
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