The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-05
PERIL FROM BRYANISM.
Senator Allison Points Out the Dangers
That Would Follow His Election

st. Louis Globe-Democrat Senator
Allison, is another of the country s
leading citizens who sounds the alarm
regarding the disaster which Bryan s
election would bring to the United
States The Iowa statesman shows
that a drift of partisan sentiment
which would elect Bryan would be
sure to carry with it Braynite house,
and would reduce the honest money
majority in the senate to small figures
and perhaps sweep it away entirely.
| This Judgment is so reasonable that
everybody will be impressed by it. In
almost every instance the house of re-
representatives. agrees in politics with
the president who is elected at the
same time Generally the party
which wins president and house
makes gain in the senate The fact
that Cleveland made free silver sem
ate, in 1898, repealed the silver pur-
chase clause of the act of 1890 shows
the power that president can WELD
by the use of the patronage of his
Office. Howling free coiners like Voor-
hees were made gold standard men for
the time by the adroit use of the
federal offices by Cleveland.
There is more immediate peril in
the Bryan candidacy, however, than
Senator Allison or any of the other
honest money speakers hints at.
Bryan's election would, of course,
bring the silver standard through the
repeal of the gold act of March ID,
1900, and this, as every one can see,
would precipitate a panic which
would be as much worse than that of
1898 as the panic of 1887 was more dis
astrous than the financial furry of
1859. But the panic would not wait
for Bryan's base money congress to get
to work. 1t would begin long before
Bryan was inaugurated 1t would
start on the morning of November 18th,
or the first moment that the result of
the election was made known to the
country. Everybody, or nearly every
body, in the United States who had
any money in the banks would, on
the morning after Bryan's election
was made known, go to get his money
out and to put it in safe deposit vaults,
in holes in the ground or in other
boards where it would have chance
to escape the crash that the free silver
party's success would precipitate.
Everybody who had any note demand
ing gold would prepare to present it at
the treasury for redemption, so as to
make sure of getting 100 cent dollars
while they could be had. Enterprises
which are already held up on the fear
that Bryan may carry the country would
be declared "off, " mills would curtail
the number of their employees and
many of them would close, and the
country would have repetition of the
Democratic times which it remembers
in 1897, except that the disaster now
would be worse than it was then.
Here is a feature of the Bryanite
menace which the stump orators ought
to put before the country. The tri-
umph of Bryan. would bring Bryanite
times Immediately, and would not
wait till his inauguration, four months
later There would be no respite.
The consequences of Organism would
begin to be experienced the moment
that the triumph of Bryan was learn
ed. The country could not escape even
until March the consequences of it's
folly in putting Bryan in the presi-
dency if it should be guilty of that
enormity. Thoughtful persons of all
parties are in no sort of doubt about
this matter. If Altgeld, Jones, Stone
and the rest of the Bryanite wreckers
had at this moment any idea that
Bryan would really carry the country
they would start, without moments
delay, to sell out all their real estate
and personal property, put the pro-
ceeds in gold and lock the gold up.
There would not be the slightest delay
on this point. These particular tricks
tiers may tell their dupes that Brya n
election would cause no serious dis
turbance to the country, or intimate
that the disturbance would end soon,
but they would not take any chances
on this themselves. They would run
no risk Of having their holdings of
property or cash cut down to the 45c
dollar basis. and would put it into
1O0c dollars which would keep the
100c value, that is, into gold. Bryan
would not be willing to take himself
the medicine which he tries to inflict
on his dupes and the rest of the coun-
try. The way to hold the 1000. dollar,
to stave off panics, and to keep the
country prosperous, is to smash Bryan
ism at the polls.