The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-10-02
MR.. BRYAN.

for president OF the United States
This is the same w. ]. Bryan who
has been the candidate of the
Democratic party twice before.
He is the Bryan who ran on the
paramount issue Of free silver.
Many Republicans were somewhat
tainted with the idea at the same
time. Everybody realized that there
was something wrong with our sys-
tenn somewhere. That from period
national and individual prosperity
we had drifted into great financial
depression. Money was scarce and
difficult to be got at any price. In
dustries were paraly zed and millions
i, of laborers were out of work and
want and misery reigned. Soup
houses sprang up in all the large
cities, supported by the charitable,
where the unemployed la5orer and
HIS family could be supplied with
the bare necessities of life. The
people murmured and complained
and sought a remedy.
Coin Harvey with his sophistry
sought to convince the people that
all their Ills were traceable to the
pernicious effects of the gold stand
ard and succeeded, for time, in
befogging the minds of many Re
publicans, while the Democrats
grasped the new issue as drowRing
man clutches at anything In reach
About this time the Peerless Prophet
of the Platt appeared onthe political
horizon and announced panacea
for all ills, both public and private,
in his newly discovered theory of
free coinage OF silver In that heaven
born ratio of I6 to 1.
The people, depressed and dis
outraged, focked to the Bryan
standard and, for awhile, it-looked
. like the peerless one would sweep
-{the country. But level heads pre-
vailed and Bryan was consigned to
the county fair and chautauquaI
platform instead of being elevated
to the presidential chair.
While the people generally re-
covered from their free silver abera'
ton of mind, Bryan never did.
In a speech at Memphis Oct.
s, 1896, he used the following
language:
'I want to tell you what told
others: That if you think the gold
Standard is absolutely necessary to
the welfare of this country, you
make great mistake If you vote for
M, because, if l can help it, the
gold standard won't stay ia this
country for one moment"
Mr.. Bryan bas reiterated his free
silver serunrnIs from time 10 time
ever since. The dire calamiGes he
predicted should the gold standard
become fixture, Aever materiSlized,
but great prosperity came in their
stead, and the peerless one vas
proven false prophet.
In the campaiga of 1900 the
paramount issue of Mr.. Bryan's
campaign was Imperialism. That
was very hign sounding title and
tould be made to embrace a mllti'
tude of sins.
La this campaign Beyan reversed
the teachings and practice of Jetter-
son, the Democratic idol, and OPP
posed national expansion, the same
as in the previous campaign he had
opposed the original sound money
doctrines of primitive Democracy.
When Mr.. Bryan returned from
his old world trip he was expected
to have matured a new paramount
issue, and the Democrats stood with
bated breath and expectation tense
waiting tor the great oracle to an
nounce his new issue. 1t soon came
with a rhetorical flourish and ora
torical rythem. He announced that
during his travels and Investigations
he had developed the fact that the
proper thing for this country was
af the rail-