Show shall we legislate for ourselves ASKS QUESTIONS if the gold standard is a good thing why get rid of it if not a good wag why walt fop some one else to help Us let gop we have our choice in this campaign between an american financial system for american and an english system for the english aristocracy i tars will be at lincoln centralia july 14 clr bryan arrived at at centralia where he was received quietly and in the private carriage of captain S L dwight and driven to the batters lat residence mrs dwight and her eister mrs haussler cr cousins of mr bryan assisted the candidate and his wife in the reception civen at captain house to the ladice of the town afterwards there was a meeting at city park where mr aud mrs aryan shook hands with a large number of A band was in attendance A special train brought excursionists and the bryan club from nashville washington county with another band and the eil ver club from achley and A delegation from fairfield were also there in re epoise to cries from the crowd mr bryan consented to to and mounting an improvised aland be made an address ladies and gentlemen I 1 do not come to make the campaign has hardly opened yet buto oming back to marion county to attend to some business which had to be f to before I 1 returned to my nebraska home I 1 was glad to accept an invitation to spend two or three hours with my relatives in this city and hile here to meet again the citizens whom 1 met before ao we are entering upon a memorable campaign and the are being drawn for the contest parties described as the two great parties or the two leading parties have already adopted their platforms and have already named their candidates for president and vice president and in a abort time the campaign will be opened fully band you will make up your minds to which platform and aa to which ticket you will support I 1 trust that the issues involved in this campaign will be clearly understood and carefully studied parties are not made to be worshipped wor shipped they are merely by which we serve our country end people a made not for parties the parties aa made for the people and parties can only claim the support of the people when these parties are efficient inspru mental in the hands of the people for accomplishing good aad those who called upon to voto have the right to consider the platform utterances and the policies advocated by the various parties as well as the candidates who are nominated in thib campaign I 1 believe that there will be less of personalities and more of principle than in any campaign which we have been in recent years the people have before tacal two great public questions we must not expect that any platform will contain all that you desire no thinking person finds in any platform an expression ot everything which be believes nor must we expect that any platform will be free bom some objection wo select our parly we select our platform not in the hope of finding something which is absolutely sol in accord with our opinion but we take that platform which for the lime be ng promie cs t the best legislation on the most important questions and in this campaign it ie decided by a 1 l sides that the most import hat issue Is the money question it mattera not whether you believe in the restoration of or in the gold standa ard you must admit that abo settlement ct the money question ie of the first great importance ono that when settled leaves nothing else to be considered on the money question tho two great parties have taken taken positions directly op posed to each other four years ago the position taken by the republican and democratic parties were almost identical toe republican party said the american people were in favor of bimetallism and the democratic party were holding to the use of gold aad silver ag a standard for the country and to the coinage of both for money thus you see that both parties declared in favor of gold and silver as the money of our country four years have passed since that platform was written and these four years have beer full of momentous happenings but as this campaign approached the great parties lined up on tnie question the party at st louis declared for the maintenance of the gold standard but that platform does not say that the gold standard is a good thing because that platform pledged the party to get rid of the gold standard but declared that this change could not be made except by international agreement until the leading nations of the world would help the democratic party met at chicago and it adopted the platform which is in direct opposition to the platform adopted at st louis the st louis convention declared for the maintenance of the gold standard until something cite could be done but more than that the republican platform did not promise any complete monetary system the democratic party outlined what it desired to have done and de dared that the silver dollar should be of full legal tender borall debts public and private and that euch legislation should be enacted is necessary to the restoration of the unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present ratio of 16 to 1 without waiting tor the aid ot any other nation we also declared that silver dollars should be full legal tender for all debts public and private tu and that such legislation should be enacted that ie necessary to prevent for the future the of any legal tender money the platform declares ahat the government should exercise the right to redeem its obligations in either gold or calver the issue i drawn and we have our choice in this campaign between an american financial system for the american people and an english financial system for the english aristocracy if I 1 mistake not the patriotism patrio tiem who have never been appealed ito in vain there caa be but one issue in this campaign and but one result if they ask us what about other questions we tell them that long us the bof belt government go ie in danger there is no other q deetion uee tion why questions if we have not the power to decide them but I 1 want to impress upon your minds two things I 1 want to ask two questions they are that will be asked over and over a tine campaign they are questions that wlllie asked with increasing emphasis these two questions are jf the gold standard ie a good thing why should we try to get rid of it and lf the gold standard is bad thing why should we wait until other nation sare willing to help us let eo we care not upon which issue they force the fight we are prepared to meet them on either issue or i dath I 1 thank you friends and fellow citizens for the interest which you have manifested and for the compliment which you have joae by your assemblage sem blage here today ican but beg of you that you will remember your duty as citizens we eland upon the plat term adopted at chicago and do not to you as supplicants to beg for your votes your votee are your own and no man la asked to do anything eave bs ahli conscience dictates aad we beg you to study all the question e presented study all the issues involved and then let your pledge register a free mans will mr bryan left centralia for drajem at pm |