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nation on earth; and upon that issue we expect to carry every State in the Union. I shall not slander the inhabitants of the fair State of Massachusetts nor the inhabitants of the State of New York by saying that, when they are confronted with the proposition, they will declare that this nation is not able to attend to its own business. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Our ancestors, when but three millions in number, had the courage to declare their political independence of every other nation; shall we, their descendants, when we have grown to seventy millions, declare that we are less independent than our forefathers? No, my friends, that will never be the verdict of our people. Therefore, we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. If they say bimetallism is good, but that we cannot have it until other nations help us, we reply that, instead of having a gold standard because England has, we will restore bimetallism, and then let England have bimetallism because the United States has it. If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we will fight them to the uttermost. Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

In view of the wide publication of this speech, I may be pardoned for making some reference to it. While a member of the Committee on Resolutions, I was prevented from attending the first sessions of the committee owing to our contest, and was not a member of the subcommittee which drafted the platform. As soon as our contest was settled, I met with the committee and took part in the final discussion and adoption of the platform. Just before the platform was reported to the convention, Senator Jones sent for me and asked me to take charge of the debate. In dividing the time I was to have twenty minutes to close, but as the minority used ten minutes more than the time originally allotted, my time was extended ten minutes. The concluding sentence of my speech was criticised both favorably and unfavorably. I had used the idea in substantially the same form in a speech in Congress, but did not recall the fact when I used it in the convention. A portion of the speech was extemporaneous, and its arrangement entirely so, but parts of it had been prepared for another occasion. Next to the conclusion, the part most quoted was the definition of the term, "business men." Since I became interested in the discussion of monetary questions, I have often had occasion to note and comment upon the narrowness of some of the terms used, and nowhere is this narrowness more noticeable than in the attempt to ignore the most important business men of the country, the real creators of wealth.

On the motion to adopt the substitute offered by the minority,

the vote by States was as follows:

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After the defeat of the substitute, the roll was called upon the following amendment offered by Senator Hill:

We commend the honesty, economy, courage and fidelity of the present Democratic National Administration.

Upon this, the vote by States was as follows:

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Mr. Hill then offered the following amendments:

But it should be carefully provided by law at the same time that any change in the monetary standard should not apply to existing contracts.

Our advocacy of the independent free coinage of silver being based on belief that such coinage will effect and maintain a parity between gold and silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, we declare as a pledge of our sincerity that, if such free coinage shall fail to effect such parity within one year from its enactment by law, such coinage shall thereupon be suspended.

Both amendments were defeated without roll call. Upon the motion to adopt the platform, the vote by states was as follows:

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CHAPTER XI.

T

THE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION.

HE several candidates were placed in nomination by their respective States and the speeches were of a high order. The

name of Hon. Richard Parks Bland, of Missouri, was presented by Senator Vest, of that State, and the nomination was seconded by Hon. David Overmyer, of Kansas, Hon. J. R. Williams, of Illinois, Hon. Paul Jones, of Arkansas, Hon. J. W. Bailey, of Texas, and Hon. J. L. Rawlins, of Utah.

Senator Turpie, of Indiana, placed before the convention the name of Governor Claude Matthews, of that State, and his nomination was seconded by Hon. Oscar Tripet, of California.

Ex-Congressman Fred White, of Iowa, presented the claims of ex-Governor Horace Boies, of that State, and the nomination was seconded by Hon. T. A. Smith, of Minnesota.

The name of Senator J. C. S. Blackburn, of Kentucky, was presented by Hon. John S. Rhea, of that State, and speeches were made by Hon. W. W. Foote, of California, Hon. James Malone, of Wisconsin, and Hon. J. W. St. Clair, of Virginia, in support of the nomination.

Col. A. W. Patrick, of Ohio, presented the name of Hon. John R. McLean, of that State, and the nomination was seconded by Hon. Robert E. Mattingly, of the District of Columbia.

Hon. W. W. Foote of California stated that California desired to nominate Senator Stephen H. White of that State, but that Mr. White declined to allow his name to be presented.

Hon. W. A. Jones of Virginia announced that the Democrats of his State in convention assembled had requested the delegation to present the name of Hon. John W. Daniel, but that in compliance with his request, the delegation refrained from doing so.

Hon. John W. Corcoran, of Massachusetts, stated that the Democrats of his State had, by unanimous vote, instructed the delegation to support ex-Governor William E. Russell, but that because of the platform adopted, he had asked that his name be not presented. Hon. William F. Harrity, of Pennsylvania, stated that in obedience to the instructions of the Democratic Convention of that State, the Pennsylvania delegation presented the name of Hon. Robert E. Pattison.

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