The Elbert County tribune., 1900-05-17
WOLCOTT TO REPUBLICANS.
Before the State Convention He Delivers Strong Speech
Uphoding the Course Of the Administration

tain. without diminuiion OF It's pros
pcrity and without feeling the financial
strnin, one OF the great wars OF modern
times.
We must not forget that. We must
not forget that during Mr.. Cleveland's
administration there was an attempt
to settle the entire Pacific railroad in
deis.edncss by throwing on the whole
amount OF interest due, and under Mr..
McKinley's administration every dollar
of the Union PncIfic Indebtedness was
collected. adding thirty or forty MIL
lions OF dollars to the national Golfers;
the Kansas Pacific debt. except
small portion OF the interest, was like
Wise collected: that we took Into our
treasury, as payment for the building
of those railroads. every dollar that
we loaned. and every dollar OF inter
est that we advanced. We must not
forget, too. that during this admins
tration we have passed bankrupt law
that enables nn insolvent debtor VINO
sees no ray OF prosperity In front OF
him. burdcned with debt. to find n way
to get new start. and that Is Re
publican measure tnpplause); and the
islands OF Hawaii. twice before seized
by England. once by France and once
ny hurrihs VI W NUM- N'at 'ttt'B'fff
to let go their hold. because we said
that their occupancy of those islands
SO near our western coast would be a
menace to our pence-they came un-
der our control not alone by Republi-
can votes. hut against the almost united
Democratic opposition tapplause).
"Another measure that Congress has
passed, to which must call your at
tention before | pass to the great
events that accompanied our war, was
the currency bill. about which there
has been so much discussion. MT.
Chairman. under that measure we pro-
yided that the bonds of the country
now outstanding at four and four and
one-half per cent. and five per cent.
might be exchanged for longer bonds
of these United States drawing but two
per cent. interest. There Is not n coun-
try In the world that has such credit,
and II came because Republican
President was In the White House
Oong applause). There are to-day
nearly three hundred millions of those
bonds exchnnged-over two hundred
millions already exchanged-nnd with
In the next few years you VIII ma
that the obligations outstanding by
this government draw but two per
cent. interest England pays. at the
present price of consols, nearly three
per cent: Germany pays three per
cent, and her bonds are selling Mt less
than par. No other country In the
world has n credit like ours. or has ev-
er been able to establish such n finan-
cinI exchange as has been provided by
this last Congress.
"And. Mr.. Chairman. Congress has
ali a. ItaHtt IN
currency is far greater than ever be-
fore In the history Of our country-far
greater than that OF any country In the
world. except France-to further en-
large the volume of our currency. ell
larged the privileges OF these bonds as
n basis for the issue Of paper money.
1t has already brought into circulation
over thirty millions of much needed
additional currency; as good currency
for practical purposes as exists In the
world, and II II estimated by those
who know, that within the next twelve
months more than one hundred mill
Ions of additional currency will be add
ed to the country. growing out of the
passage of the currency bill.
at is popular, Mr.. Chairman. among
the Democracy and the Bryanites, to
dcnounce national banks as enemies Of
mankind. For my part. Mr.. Chairman.
am not in favor of n man because he
owns dollar. or n bank. and I am
not against n man and want to drive
him out of the community because he
hns got dollar or II bank (prolonged
npplausc) / don't know how far you
may feel ms deeply as | do upon this
question, because am probably the
only man In this great audience who
ever finds It necessary to borrow a
dollar. Gaughter.) But l am free to
say, Mr.. Chairman. that am very
glad that throughout our country these
sity when we resumed specie pay
ments, still exist. to absorb our nation
nj debt and to give MS the basis of mn
enduring and safe and solvent cur
rency.
'"Then. Mr.. Chairman. we passed a
measure redeemlng these obligations
In gold, and II is concerning that
against which the great hue and cry
in Colorado has been raised.
"The evidence of the last few years
has demonstrated. to every intelligent
man not branded by passion, or hate
or ignorance, that the question of bi-
metallism. to which we are all equally
devoted. is an international and not a
national question. tApplause) The
other nations Of the world have all re-
jected silver and gone to gold. be-
lieve that they will find that their pol.
Icy will not be sustained. The famine
in India Is the first indication of II.
believe the time will come when all
Europe viii request that we meet them
in international conference to ascer-
tain II silver cannot be again restored
on some fair parity, and to my mind,
Mr.. Chairman, every Intelligent bimet-
nllist who wants silver re-establlshed
on parity with gold, will find his re-
lief In the Republican party, and not
at the hands of Mr.. Bryan. Gong and
continued applause)
"Fellow citizens, when any man,
whatever may be his position, sees fit
through the columns of n vile yellow
journal, to-day. when our Republican
convention meets. TO state that no man
can be n bimetallist and be Repub-
lican, he either states that which he
knows to be unqualifiedly false, or
else he does not know what he Is Talk
ing about; and If such n person, who
ever he may be, will sweep in front of
his own doorstep-if he knows where
his house is-we will sweep in front
Of ours. prolonged applause.) But at
this time the distribution Of brains in
this country has been upon pretty
fair basis and we all have some of
them. God Almighty has not. up to
this time. endowed any one man with
qualities more able than anybody else.
or better able to stand and crlticise his
neighbor. than another, and l do not
believe the man has yet seen daylight
who lrpoxyS moro thun tho praaf noIff-
ical party which at present dominates
this country. tApnlause)
II am n bimetalllst, and every man
and woman In this audience is n bi-
metalllst, and we are bimetallists and
Republicans. Great applausc.)
MY friends, say to you, the enemy,
tho hitter euemv of bimotnllism. which