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Second Speech.
' Following ia Mr. Bryan's, speech on tho last
" night of tho St. Louis convention supporting his
? amendment to tho answer proposed to Judge
- Parker's telegram:
Mr. Chairman and gentlemen or the conven-
- tion: I will first read the amendment which I pro-
- pose to the telegram, and then I desire to submit
a few remarks in answer to some things which
have been said. Hero is the amendment:
"But as you Will, if elected, be called upon
to act on certain phases of tho money question,
-wo desiro to know Whether you favor reducing
the volume of silver dollars, whether you favor
an asset currency and branch national banks,
and whether you prefer national bank currency
to United States notes."
I wish to tako up several matters, and I will
tako them up in order. I was willing in the
committee to do everything possible in tho inter-,
est of harmony, and I want you gentlemen to
know that if there is discord in this convention,
you can not lay it at my door. CAppiause.) I
have been tho harmonizer. "When they, voted down
my proposition to reaffirm tho Kansas City plat
form, I did not present a minority Teport, and
"When we voted doWn their posposition for the
gold standard and they did not present a minority
report, wo supposed that settled the matter. And
my point now is that after we have done our
part, after In the interest of harmony wo have
given up our contentions, they snould not force
upon us something worse even than their original
proposition. (Applause.)
Tho gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Carmack)
says ho proposed a resolution, and I was willing
to accept it. He read you part of it; let me read
you all of it:
"Wo recognize that tho great and unlooked
for increase In the. production of gold has re
lieved the stringency caused by the scarcity of
metallic money, and that because of that fact tho
money question as presented In the last two presi
dential campaigns Is not now acute and does not
require legislative relief. But it has at the same
time vindicated tho demands of the democratic
party in tho past for an increased volume of me
tallic money, that demand not being, for silver as
silver or for gold as gold, but for a sufficient
quantity of standard money to maintain the level
of prices and transact the business of the country."
(Applause.)
That was proposed by Senator Carmack as
a substitute for the gold standard resolution
offered by Senator Hill, and Senator Hill refused
to accept It. I told him I would do satisfied with
it if he would accept it. (Applause.) So in the
interest of harmony
Mr. B. W. Carmack of Tennessee: If the gen
tleman will permit me, that is not exactly correct
The Hill plank
(At this point there was much disorder.)
Mr.. Bryan: Do not interrupt the gentleman.
Mr. Carmack (to Mr. Bryan): You need not
do that.
Mr. Bryan: If I make any mistake, I want to
be corrected.
Mr. Carmack: I am much obliged to the
gentleman, but I will say to him that he need not
trouble himself to cause his friends to keep order
while I address tho convention. I will try to ao
that in one way or another.
The correction I want to make In the gentle
man's statement is that tho Hill plank had al
ready been voted down by the committee, and I
offered this as an independent resolution and he
accepted it.
Mr. Bryan: My recollection, although I may
be mistaken, because this covered several hours,
is that when Senator Hill was speaking of the
necessity of having something in tho platform
on that subject, this was proposod to meet tho
case, and I wa3 willing to accept it; but Senator
Hill refused to accept it. That rosoiution not only
stated that it was not now acute and did not need
relief, but it stated the principle for which wo
contended in two campaigns. And 1 wanted it in
the platform. (Applause.) So much for that.
Something was said about my saying that Mr.
Parker ought to bo accepted as a platform. We
were discussing platforms and several other
things, and I suggested that wo might not need
any platform if wo had a candidate whoso record
was known, I think it was in that connection that
I suggested that tho proper thing to do, if that
was their plan, was to nominate Grover Cleveland
for ho had such a record that ho would not need
any platform. (Applause.)
.. But, my friends, I think my recollection on
. the subject Is corroborated by my question to Sen-
The Commoner.
f ator Hill and his answer that he did not know
1 the opinion of Judge Parker. I think that verifies
my position, for if Senator Hill did not know Mr.
1-arker's opinion, I -would hardly say Parker him
self ought to bo accepted as a platform.
But I desire to refer to two or three argu
rants that havo been made. It fs said first that
wo ought to re'jogni7.e the gold standard as tho
established law, that it is tho established law.
Why notrecognize it? My answer is if this is tho
law,' then why say anything about it? Shall wo
put "in our platform a recognition or, ail the laws
wo have? If this is law, if wo, therefore, ought
not to object to it, then why is u necessary to
state it?
Senator Daniel says that we havo been de
feated twice on ' the silver issue, and that wo
ought to acquiesce in tho will of the majority.
We havo been defeated twice on the tariff issue.
Why not acquiesce in the will of the majority
there? (Applause.) Why resist me will of tho
majority? Why shall we array ourselves against
"a settled public opinion' on the tariff question?
This is not logic. And if it is true that we ought
to accept tho gold standard as established racre
ly because we have been defeated on the Issue in
two campaigns, then by the same logic, we havo
no right to contest the protective tariff. (Ap
plause,) It is said that Judge Parker did not discuss
this question and that nobody asked his opinion,
because this question is so settled in New York
that nobody ever thinks of mentioning it. If that
. is true, then how did anybody discover that it was
not in the platform? (Laughter and applause.)
If it is so well settled that they never think of it,
that they never ask about it, that they never
talk about it, then why are they so quick to dis
cover its omission from the platform? (Ap
plause.) It is not logical, my friends.
But, sirs,, there is another question, and I
speak of it with some emphasis. My friend here
(Mr. Hamlin of Mass.) holds out before you people
of the south the danger of black domination, and
you are virtually threatened that, if you do not
accept tho gold standard, if you do not admit that
it is irrevocably established, never to be interfered
with, tho people down east will let you suffer
from your black peril. In 1896, when, as the can
didate of the party, I had all the south behind
me, and was speaking for things in which tho
south believed, my friend here (Mr. Hamlin) did
not feel it necessary and I do not speak it in
censure to join with us in order to help you
out. (Applause.) Nor is he willing to admit now
that the people of Massachusetts will join with
you to save you from this peril unless you bow
before their golden idol. (Applause.) I did bet
ter than his people will do. I told you that while
I believed in the doctrine I have been preaching,
I would support a gold standard man to help
you out. I was willing to waive my position on
that subject. (Applause.)
You were asked what difference it makes
whether or not the man believes In the gold
standard; whether or not his opiiilon is known,
if he believes in it. The gentleman reminds you
that I said I would support Governor Pattlson,
who is a gold man. I said I would. I told you
he was a gold man. But, my friends, If wo had
nominated on that platform a man known to be
a gold man, people could havo gone and voted
as I would have gono and voted voted knowing
that he was a gold man, but trusting him on tho
other questions. But now our candidate comes
and Injects Into the platform this question, and
makes it not merely a gold standard plank, but,
as has been suggested, makes it an Irrevocable
gold standard proposition, denying us even the
rlgjht to oppose it at a future time. Tho re
publican platform Is not so strong on this sub
ject as this telegram would make our platform.
There may bo ono advantage in having this
brought out now; yes, two. One is that having
nominated the candidate, It is very embarrassing
to do anything that he objects to, and all of this
feeling of embarrassment will help to fasten the
gold standard on tho party. That is one advan
tage in bringing It up now.
But, my friends, my objection to having this
fight made in favor of the gold standard was
that it would jeopardizo the success of our cam
paign. I want us to win in this campaign. (AnI
plause.) I want us to defeat the republican party
and I think it is infinitely embarrasssing that this
question should come in. I was rejoicing yester
day, I was exceeding glad, that a difference which
I feared we might not be able to reconcile had
been reconciled, and it is distressing to me tlmt
this opposition must bo met. ut if the ques
tion is presented, what else can we do? Will you
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 29.
drive us homo like cowards and tell the nconu
there that we did not dare to express ourseW
(Applause.) We have our people's interest to ren.
resent; we havo their welfare to guard
You havo been told that it is to the 'east tn
which you must look. Some reference has been
made to the Force bill. I think, if my memorv
serves me aright, that when the Force bili was
before tho senate, the south and the north and
the east did not furnish democrats enough; they
had to come west to get enough senators to save
the south from the Force bill. (Applause.) we
now have some senators from the northwest, ana
when the gold standard plank was before the
committee and the question was asked, "Would it3
adoption do any harm," gentlemen arose not only
from all the northwestern states, but from states
north of tho Ohio, and trom states south of tho
Ohio, and declared that that planic would jeopar
dize success in those states.
We did not want this ssue presented; we did
not want this subject touched; but the action of
the candidate has brought the subject in. I know
but two ways of getting it out. One is so to
amend this telegram to Mr. Parker as to state
our .side, not on dead issues, but on living ones;
and the other is to amend your platform and put
in a plank that' will meet the case. If you want
to amend your platform, I will agree now to Sen
ator Carmadt's plank. Will tho friends of Judge
Parker accept that as a sufficient aeciaration on
the subject? (Applause.)
I insist that the question having been raised,
you ought to meet it; you ought to meet it can
didly; you ought to meet it fairly; you ought to
meet it honestly. It is my candid opinion that
an open, frank declaration will not lose you any
more votes than an attempt to dodge this issue
and to ignore it, now that it has been raised. (Ap
plause.) And if the question o money is to be
in the campaign, we should know the candidate's
position on several questions. If this attempt to
contract the currency by melting snver ddllars
is successful the administration can, by melting
silver dollars, rob this nation of $578,000,000 of
its standard money,' and thus take away from
the people almost all the benefit that has come
from the Increased production of gold.
If the money question is in the campaign and
we are 'to know that Judge Parker will put hia
veto to "any attempt to Interfere with the gold
standard, we ought to know whether he Is going
to sign a bill which will give us an asset currency
and make it so that we can not tell from day
to day what is behind the dollars we carry in
our pockets. (Applause.)
We ought to know whether he is going to put
his signature to a'bill which will give us a branch
bank system and., fasten upon tnis country a
money, monopoly like that which Jackson de
stroyed, and by destroying whlcn made himself
immortal in democratic history. (Applause.)
These things we ought to know. We ought to
know whether in this contest between government
money and bank money our candidate stands on
the side of the bank or on the side of tho peo
ple. (Applause.)
If he had kept his views to nimself on the
gold standard question, we might have been will
ing to take our chances on the others, but now
that you have him sure on your side on that sub
ject, it is a little unfair to leave us uncertain as
to his position on these other questions.
The Amendment Withdrawn.
Mr. Bryan: Allow me a word.
Mr. Williams": fto, sir.
Mr. Bryan: I merely want to withdraw my
amendment.
Mr. Williams: I yield to the gentleman from
Nebraska for the purpose of withdrawing his
amendment.
Mr. G. V. Menzies, of Indiana: Mr. Chairman-
The Permanent Chairman: For what purpose
does the gentleman rise?
Mr. Menzies: ' In view of the fact that it la
getting on to 1 o'clock, that the session lias been
prolonged and the delegates are tired and worn
out, I think, sir, a motion to adjourn would be
in order.
Tho Permanent Chairman: The motion is
not in order at this time.
Mr. Menzies: .1- think a motion to adjourn is
always in order.
The Permanent Chairman: A motion to ad
journ is not in order when another motion is
pending. " - '
Mr. Menzies: It seems that nobody on tno
floor can get recognition. "
Mr. Bryan: Mr. Chairman, I am going to
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