The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-11
NO LONGER
A DEMOCRAT
Continued from First page.

son when he stopped the coinage of sill
I yer in 1905; that this was the theory OF
Benton when, by the legislation OF 1884
ne and Andrew Jackson, and the Demo-
il cratic party after them, brought back
gold into circulation in this country,
where it has remained ever since
found that the new Democratic manage
ment at Chicago had completely ignored
these precedents and the time-hono7ed
theory and practice Of the Democratic
party and had attempted to subvert the
operation of an economical law which no
legislation on earth can subvert; that is.
that the relative price of gold and silver
bullion in the markets of the world must
necessarily regulate the ratio at which
those metals shall be coined, and that
they had undertaken, by asserting the
duty of coinage at 16 ito 1 to turn back
| the operation of all natural causes and
to force them into the channels which
| they sought for and to make the legal
ratio control the value of the bullion
and to undertake to risk the welfare Of
this country by compelling it to bear
the strain of coming ali the silver in the
world at ratio of Is to l of gold, while
| IN the markets of the world it took thir-
| ty-two pounds of silver to buy one
| pound OF gold. And I thought that the
| reasoning upon which it was sought to
| be done fell far short of its logical con-
| clusion, for I believed that If the power
| of the government was adequate to lift
| up the value of the silver bullion from
80 of gold to 16 Of mrsilvenhrdluununn
30 to 1 of gold to 16 to 1 of gold, it was
adequate to establish the ratio at an
equality sothat the owner Of pound
Of silver might claim that his silver
pound should be taken for the same
value as pound in gold, and I found, as
! believe, that if those who framed the
Chicago platform were right and that by
legislation they could lift up the value
of silver bullion, and that having lifted
it up sixteen pounds, that is from go to
IS, they might also just as well go on
and lift it up sixteen pounds more and
legislate so as to make one pound of
silver worth one pound of gold.
And I have come to the further con-
clusion that if they could do this thing,
they might just as we'll legislate fat
money to an unlimited extent and put it
in the hands Of all citizens, so as to make
an easier way TO pay debts. And that we
might have also a national ownership of
railroads. with free passes to the party in
power, especially Populists and the new
Democracy. And that another great re-
form along the same line might very
reasonably be a national law limiting the
hours of labor, in order to give time for
plenty of fun and more holidays And |
that another fine reform would be to es-
tablish a control over the judiciary, so |
that when the judges did not do what the |
wanted them to do, some meth |
cd might be provided of automatic re-
buke.
The fact of the matter is, that 1 came
to the conclusion that the people with
whom I had been affiliated throughout
my life, whose leadership 1 had followed
in confidence, had been relegated to the
rear, and had been left without a party
and that Richard Olney, George Gray
Senator German, Grover Cleveland, John
G. Carlisle and William L. Wilson had
been dropped out Of sight, and that had
entrusting myself to a leader
ship unknown, unproven and quite young
and inexperienced.
1T was perfectly apparent at the time
Of which 1 speak, the latter part of 1898,
that a great change had come over the
condition of the country; that the
prophecies of evil made by the new lead
ers of the Democracy, who had got into
The saddle at Chicago on the issue of 16
o 1-prophecies which were to take effect
f they and their theory were not sue
,essful-had been completely disappoint-
"a. II is more apparent now Immedi-
ltely after the result Of the election of
S96 became known. confidence was re-
stored to the country, capital began to be
set free for use in manufactures, mining,
and all the varied industries of
he country, and the time which has
Elapsed since that date has been the
most prosperous era Of the country. Those
# US who are young have never seen
-nything like the prosperity and energy
fthe country as it has been during the
asst three years, neither have the older
nen of us witnessed anything like it. 1t ]
: but partially susceptible to description |
" figures but there are figures which
Indicate something Of its vast extent {
During one hundred years preceding the t
lection of William Mckinley the net bal '
nee of trade in favor of the United {
states, including the whole Of that period
to 100000 600. Since the admin
stration of President Mckinley began, ]
including a period Of but three years, the ]
ct balance CT trade in favor of the )
United States, representing the excess in
he total amount Of produce, wheat. corn, {
obaceo, cotton. manufactures, products :
f mines and so forth. over the total I
mount of imports of goods and produce I
l.
as amounted TO H,1OO00O000; that is,
UGH has been the marvellous activity and r
industry and prosperity Of the country ,
uring the last three years, that the total :
alance of exports over the total balance
T imports during that period has peen !
We times as great as the excess CT ex- )
orts over imports was during the whole :