Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-14


ferson Club. of Milwaukee, observed
the natal day of the founder of Democ-
racy by banquet at the Plankinton
House tonight, ATTENDED by over 400
guests.
Col. VIM. J. Bryan, of Nebraska, was
the guest of honor and delivered the
principal address, Delegations OF DEM
ocrats were in attendance from many
towns throughout the State and nearly
all the~Democrats from the State legls-
lature were present.
Col. Bryan was escorted on an early
train from Chicago by a large delega-
ton from that city and Mayor Harrison
came later, also with large number
of escorts.
The banquet hall was beautifully
decorated with the national colors and
back of the guests of honor above a
mantel was hung large portrait IN
oil of the third president.
Col Bryan spoke on Democracy"
He said in part:
WE are HOW ACdI CAOu65ll W lhO LIZA Y
campaign to be able to form some idea
of the lines along which the contest
will be fought, and | am taking no risk
when | say that those who in 1896 gave
their allegiance to the Chicago plat
form are as united to-day in the deter
mination that no step taken IN 1896
shall be retraced. That platform ap-
piled to the conditions then existing,
the principles which had been demo-
cratic from the beginning OF the gov
eminent. Suggestions that we aDan-
don the money question some times
come from those who deserted the
party in 1896, but those suggestions are
not supported by evidence tending to
show that the position in 1896 was
wrong, but was predicted upon the the
DRY that the issue upon which the party
once lost can never be revived, and
what seems most strange, this argu-
ment is made by those who have fol-
lowed a different course in the past.
In 1888 Mr.. Cleveland was defeated
on the tariff issue, and yet the tariff
was made the main issue in 1892 and
Mr.. Cleveland was elected. In 1892 Mr..
Harrison was defeated largely on ac-
count of the Mckinley bill, and four
years later the author of the bill was
nominated upon a platform reaffirming
the belief in protection and was sue
cessful. Thus, it is seen that in two
instances recently a losing issue in one
campaign became winning issue In
the campaign following.
''The test ought to be not whether
the issue has been presented before, but
whether the position taken is right.
If the gold standard was unmerited in
1896 it is unmerited now. If its main
tenance was detriment to the inter-
ests of the people of this country then
it is detriment now. If, in 1896 it
was so hurtful that the Republicans
promised to put forth their best efforts
to substitute international bi-metal-
lism for it, and after the election was
still so hurtful that the President sent
a commission to Europe to secure for
eign aid in abandoning it, what has
happened since then to make the
American people accept it as bless
ing? If an increased discovery of
gold in Alaska has been of any adj
vantage to the United States, it is but
another evidence that the quantitatiye
theory of money is correct. If a large
balance of trade in favor of the United
States gives any relief because of the
money thus brought into the country,
1t is an additional argument in favor OF
cumulative theory of money.
"BimetalliStS have cOntended that
times will be made better by the re-
turn of the double standard and by
the increased supply of standard mon
ey thus furnished for the business of
the country.
while it is unnecessary to discuss
the question of ratio until some other
ratio is proposed it may not be out
Of place to suggest that sixteen to one,
being the ratio at which the present
gold and silver coin circulate, is the
natural ratio at which the minis should
be opened. To increase the ratio by
increasing the size of the silver dollar
would necessitate the recoinage OF our
present silver dollars into less num-
Der of dollars and the increase of the
ratio made throughout the world would
result in a large decrease in the vol
ume of standard money and since the
value of dollar depends on the num-
Der of dollars such change would
necessarily increase the purchasing
power of a dollar and increase the bur-
den of debts. 1t would be equivalent
to a transfer by legislation of vast
amount of wealth from the producing
classes to the money owning classes.
THE attempt of the Republican party
to retire the greenbacks and substitute
for them national bank notes will give
to that question greater prominence
than it enjoyed in 1896. The national
bank note is good only because the
national government stands as an en-
dorser of the bank. If the value of the
bank note is dependent upon the gov
eminent, how can it be any better than
the governments own paper, and why
should the government pay national
banks bonus to induce them to issue
bank notes which are in no respects
superior and in some respects inferior
to the greenbacks issued by the gov
eminent and for which the people pay
no bonus?
The trusts are now absorbing an in
creasing share Of public attention be-
cause Of their rapid growth during the
last two years. The public are begin
ming to see what the principle OF mo-
nopolY really means, and yet The prine
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