The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-10

diation, and came devilish near electing
George B. Mcclellan in 1864 on platform
charging him with usurpation OF power not
warranted by the Constitution. 1 remem-
Der how we excoriated Lincoln for liberat-
ing the slaves held in the South by Demo-
Gratis by means of an unconstitutional
proclamation of emancipation, and FOR
arming negroes 10 fight white people. While
all this was going on l had Lincoln down
on the list as a black Republican niger
lover, a usurper and a bloody tyrant, and
i never hesitated to say so. in the presence
of Democrats only. l had him classed with
such men as Morton, Dick Yates, Sumner
and Thad Stevens. and never dreamed that
he was playing false to the Republican
party. and l am not thoroughly convinced
now that he was. 1 had always conceded
that Lincoln was great, wise and good
man, but wrong on the question of slavery
and states rights. and until see Mr.. Bry-
an and have a confidential talk with him
/ shall hold TO that opinion still"
Major Biff said he was not prepared to
say how far Mr.. Bryan's quotations from
Lincoln's speeches applied to the para
lieve that the Republican party had
progressed on the silver question. THE
Republicans left the standard silver dol
lar out ;. OF the coina .. law of 1873. that's
coin 1t again In 1873 and kept turning ii
out at the mint to oblige the silver miners
out West until they had piled up enough
OF II 10 last the country three hundred
years at the rate ii was being used, and
finally had to abandon its coinage alto
gether to avoid the utter ruin of our Amer
lean monetary system. They found that
the more silver they coined the cheaper IL
got. 1t was this fact that drove the Re-
publicans TO the suspension of the coinage
Of silver dollars more than anything else
and as 1t was a national necessity i do
not see why they should be accorded any
special credit for progress towards a sys-
tenn OF sound currency. If the price of
silver bullion had kept up to s1.29 an ounce
L Will venture TO say there would have
been no silver 16-to-1 agitation and the Re-
publican party would not have been i'm a
position to claim that its sagacious states
manship prevented a panic and general
financial ruin. The fact is and there IS
no denying it, that the Republican party
has been pushed along by the irresistible
current of events, and il has simply had
sense enough to keep ahead of the current
That's all there is to it. The Democratic
party might have done the same thing if il
had struck the current in time and got
there first. Before the civil war we led the
current ourselves, but since that eventful
period 1t seems that we are not In front
of 1T but in it.
Mr.. Bryan's signed editorials are bound
to make favorable impression on class
They are more particularly intended TO
reach class of people unacquainted with
the political history of the country. / want
to urge upon every member of the Hickory
Elm Club the necessity of keeping a sharp
lookout for all editorials signed with the
capital initials w. ]. b. You will get
statements of facts and conclusions thereon
from these editorials that you cannot get
anywhere else on earth. w. s. III.