Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-05-03
BRYAN UA|!e !'![! |. |!
ON TIE SILVER ISSUE
Says the Kansas City Platform Will
Specifically Declare for
l6 to l.
MONEY QUESTION NOT SETTLED
Does NJ, Believe ,hat senate Change
Is lmpos i,hIc fer Four Ycars---
IL May he Captured by
Si!vciitcs.
MONEY QUESTION NOT SETTLED

ST. Louis. Mo-. May ;. The Republic
! prints the following interview with
| l;ryan by jaime, Nreeman, at Port
Huron. Mich:
l'hlc most Important thing which
tl.c leader of the democratic party did
| today Was to utter ro tlrt country his
opinion regarding the money plank in
The plat form To bc adopted at Kansas
City. This declaration ends forever
the controversy between the conscrv-
alive democrats of the east and the
II 81 of the party. No one can doubt
bat the PLATFORM Will accord with Mr..
RrNan's expressed Wishes. He is The
| undispuied leader of the party. His
nomination is absolutely certain, and
an overwhelming majority of the dele
gates TO the national convention look
10 him for guidance and policy. On
the other hand. Democratic leaders
like ex-senator Hill look To him for jn-
ilucne To procure a compromise.
he whole party has been waiting
| for weeks for the leader to give a sig
nal. To-day he gaze that signal,
'houghfiulv. slowly and with full
realization of the political effect his
words would have. asked him to
make Il definite statement ON the mon
eN plank of the plat form that WORLD
clear the atmosphere. have never
seen hum more earnest. more full of Il
profound realization OF the political
condition confronting him. and | lay
stress on this point in order 10 con-
Nn.i clearly the fact hat what MIR.
l.ryan said today represents his UNI
chanscablc purpose.
vii! he Chicago platform he re-
".irmed at Kansas Citya" | asked.
III certainly will be rca'irmcd," re-
piled Mr.. Bryan
will amy change he made in the
Chicago platform 10 conciliaitS the
democrats who are coming back into
the party??"
No: The democrats who are coming
back must not expect a single depart
urc ic he made from the position
taken by HE party in 1896. First, be-
cause the position taken then WAS
right; second. it would not he wise to
alternate those who were with us i'm
l,ao in order TO please those, who were
then against u.s.
Mr. Bryan stopped for moment.
lie seemed to feel that he was making
statement hat would have a serious
effect. The gold democrats who come
back. he said, can defend their coming
on ono of two grounds. They can say
that they are convinced that the posi-
ton taken by the party in 1896 was
right, and that they were wrong. or
they can say that because of the new
questions which have arisen, and
\, .,,Il
plAttDrlp, they are now willing to nc-.
rel,' the plat form as a whole.
Md n"w came Il question which
several of the strongest gold demo-
Gratis haze asked me to present TO MIR.
ErNan.
MIR. lirNan," asked .thr passage of
the CURRENCY bill and its signature by
Mr.. MCKINLEY takes ii out of the pow
rr Of the next president TO change the
status OF gold or silver. AS the senate
will have gold standard ma iol'ity for
five YEARS To come. it is impossible for
amy president OF amy party to establish
the free coinage of silver during The
next -four years. The currency ques-
ton is. therefore, out of the realm of
practical politics for the present, or,
Al least. ont of the sphere of either
Legislative or executive action. Why
should Il dead issue be rcincorporated
into he democratic platform?
" In the first place. said MIR. Bryan.
81 do not admit that the senate is re-
publican beyond all hope of change.
We are certain to make large gains in
the east if we carry the country.
Whether we shall secure enough 10
give MS Il majority i'm the senate de-
peiids on the size of the victory If
he gold democrats really believe il is
impossible to gain the senate, then
they need not worry about the silver
plank. They ought not to ask the
party to abandon Inc silver plank on
he ground hat it cannot be carried
out In other words they should not
ask MS L" give up all hope of free sill
yer 50 long as they are afraid of it,"
Will Il specific declaration for The
free coina@"oof silver and gold AT the
ratio OF IL 10 be put in The plat
FORM
"Certainly To drop the ratio would
he equal I" dropping the question. be-
cause no one would believe the party
Very sincere i'm its advocacy of hi
mrtalism ii we abandon the only
ratio advocated by amy considerable
number of people.
MIR. Bryan refused 10 discuss the
relative Importance Of the three main
issues money. imperialism and trusts
saying that men differ as TO their
relative Importance: hat he thinks
them all important and he expects to
make the fight all along he line.
This statement of MIR. Bryan is a po-
litical event of the first u,atrnitII,Ie III
VIII bring to a.sudtlcn cad all negota-
tions for an evasion OF the money
question. MIR. Bryan is in a better
position than any other living man
10 know what aAe position of the ma
.'oritN in leeKansas City convention
Will lie, and lis. would not have spoken
today aSTfs~ athl Without FIJI knowi-
edge The man who calls himself a
democrat this year viii do it either
because of free silver or in spite of it.
CARNEGIE, CoN.TRIRstJess 81, 600.