The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-19

There is every reason to fear that the
business men OF the country are not as
thoroughly aroused to the menace to bust
ness interests involved in the possible cleo
ton of Mr.. Bryan as they were in 1896.
There are a great many business men who
ordinarily take little interest In politics
and who are only induced to do so by some
great emergency in the shape of a national
or financial crisis. Four years ago a crisis
of this kind was presented in the promi-
hence given to the free silver issue and
the certainty that the election OK Mr.. Bryan
would precipitate inconceivable disaster in
the business world. The open advocacy
of is TO i almost to the exclusion of
every other issue emphasized the danger
1t involved and reused a class of voters
who ordinarily do not take much interest
in politics. Undoubtedly the free silver
craze reached its height in 1896, and the
menace IL involved TO business was cor
respondingly clear. Now strenuous efforts
are being made TO keep 1t in the back
ground and TO prevent business men from
seeing the danger as clearly as they did
four years ago. In addition to this some
think thai the enactment Of the gold
standard law has put an end to the free
silver menace, and that, even If elected,
Mr.. Bryan cannot do much harm in that
direction. They forget that IL he is elected
the lower house of Congress is sure to be
Democratic and that an agitation will be-
gin at once for the repeal of that law.
The Kansas City platform denounces the
Jaw, thereby virtually demanding it's re-
peal, and MI. Bryan has said that If elected
he will call Congress together at once to
tlke action on that and other matters.
The truth is the menace to business in
the possible election of Mr.. Bryan is just
as great now as Ii was four years ago-in
fact, greater, by as much as the industrial
prosperity of the country at present ex-
! ceeds that prior to Mr.. McKinley's cleo
ton. Mr.. Bryan is the candidate of three
parties, each one of which demands free
silver. The Kansas City platform demands
IAN American financial system made by the
American people for themselves, which
| snail restore anu uldlutdi1 a
price level and, as part of such system.
the immediate restoration ef the free and
infinite coinage of silver and gold at the
present legal ratio of is to 1, without wait
ing for the consent of any other nation"
Mr.. Bryan, in his last letter of acceptance.
Just published, gives his personal indorse-
ment to this feature of the platform. which.
as everybody knows, is his chief hobby.
IL elected Mr.. Bryan will try to impose his
will upon Congress just as he did impose it
that he is honest and sincere in his adj
vocacy of free silver is to furnish the
strongest possible reason why business men
should vote against him for business rea-
sons. If he is elected agitation of the
money question will begin the day of his
Inauguration and will continue increasingly
until the god STANDARD law is repealed.
if it can be accomplished during his adj
ministration. The effect of such an agita-
ton upon business. upon confidence. upon
prosperity, upon ~workingmen and all who
have employment only when capital is not
timid would be disastrous beyond concep-
ton. The connection between industrial
prosperity and sound currency is so init
mate that the former is jeopardized not
merely by unsound finance, but by the
mere threat of unsound finance. In short,
there is every reason why the business
men of the country should be as thoroughly
aroused to the menace TO business inter
ests involved in Mr.. Bryan's election now
as they were four years ago.