"We demand that the national credit shall be resolutely maintained at all time and under all circumstances.

"The minority also feels that the report of the majority is defective in failing to make any recognition of the honesty, economy, courage and fidelity of the present democratic administration. And they therefore offer the following declaration as an amend ment to the minority report:

"We commend the honesty, economy, courage and fidelity of the present democratic administration."

Mr. Hill, of New York, offered the following amendment also:

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

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

CHAPTER XIII.

THE ISSUE DEFINED.

The presentation of the majority report was followed by the appearance of Senator Tillman, of South Carolina, on the platform, who declared the issues to be sectional, and who asserted that the existing administration should be repudiated. He offered a resolution to that effect. He was followed by Senator Jones, of Arkansas; who denied the assertions made, and who stated that the issue was not sectional in any sense. Then followed a great debate upon the platform. It was well understood that the most prominent advocates of the opposing forces would be Senator David B. Hill, of New York, and Hon. William J. Bryan, of Nebraska. The appearance of SenHill resulted in an ovation of applause from the audience. He spoke as follows:

"I do not know that it is necessary that I should reply to the distinguished senator from South Carolina. And I trust that in any reply I may make I shall not fail to a cord to him my profound respects.

"I would say at the outset, I am a democrat, but I am not a revolutionist. I will say, further, that no matter what the provocation, you cannot drive me out of the democratic party. Without intending to specially reply to the remarks of the distinguished senator from South Carolina, I will only say that it was a waste of time upon his part to assume that we were so ignorant as not to know that it was his state that attempted to break up the democratic party in 1860. But that party has survived the attempt of every section of the country to divide it, to distract it; it lives

today, and I hope it will long survive. My mission here today is to unite, not to divide; to build up, not to destroy; to plan for victory and not to plot for defeat. I know that I speak to a convention which, as now constituted, probably does not agree with the views of the state that I especially represent upon this occasion. But I know that, notwithstanding the attack which has been made upon that state, you will hear me for my cause.

"New York makes no apology to South Carolina for her resolution. We get our democracy from our fathers. We do not need to learn it from those whom my friend represents. Need I defend New York? No! it is not necessary. She defends herself. Need I defend the attack made upon her and her citizens of wealth, men of intelligence and character? No, it is not necessary. Need I remind this democratic national convention that it is in the great state of New York and in its great city where the wealth that he inveighs against is situated? But it is in the great city that never but once in its history gave a republican majority. When other cities failed to respond, New York was the Gibraltar of democracy.

"The question which this convention is to decide is which is the best position to take at this time upon the financial question. In a word, the question presented is between international bimetallism and local bimetallism. If there be gold monometallists they are not represented either in the majority report or in the minority report. I therefore start out with this proposition: That the democratic party stands today in favor of gold and silver as the money of the country, but we differ as to the means to bring about that result. Those I represent and for whom I speak-the sixteen members of the minority committee-insist that we should not attempt the experiment of free and unlimited coinage of silver without the co-operation of other great nations. It is not a question of patriotism. It is not a question of courage. It is not a question of loyalty. It is not a question of valor. The majority platform speaks of the subject as though it was simply a question as to whether we were a brave enough people to enter upon this experiment. It is a question of business. It is a question of finance. It is a question of economics. It is not a question notwithstanding, which men ever so brave can solve.

"Mr. President, I think that the safest, the best course for this convention to have pursued was to take the first step forward in the great cause of monetary reform by declaring in favor of international bimetallism. I am not here to assail the honesty or sincerity of a single man who disagrees with me. There are those around me who know that in every utterance made upon this subject I have treated the friends of free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1 with respect. I am here to pursue that course today. I do not think that we can safely ignore the monetary systems of other great nations. It is a question about which honest men may differ. I believe we cannot ignore the attitude of other nations upon this subject any more than we can their attitude upon the other questions of the day. I know, it is said, by enthusiastic

friends that America can mark out a course for herself. I know that it appeals to the pride of the average American to say that it matters not what other countries may do, we can arrange this matter for ourselves. But I beg to remind you, if that suggestion is carried out to its legitimate conclusion, you might as well do away with international treaties, you might as well do away with commercial treaties with other countries, you might as well do away with all the provisions in your tariff bills that have relation to the laws of other countries. In this great age, when we are connected with all portions of the earth by our ships, by our cables and by all methods of intercourse, we think that it is unwise to attempt this alone. Mr. President, I want to call your attention to this single point. I think it is unwise further for this convention to hazard this contest upon a single 1atio.

"What does this silver platform provide? It should have contented itself with the single statement that it was in favor of the remonetization of silver and the placing it upon equality with gold, but instead of that your committee has recommended for adoption a platform which make the test of democratic loyalty to hang upon a single ratio, and that 16 to 1. I doubt the wisdom of having entered into detail. I doubt the propriety of saying that 151⁄2 or 17 is heresy and 16 is the only true democratic doctrine. Permit ine to remind you-I see distinguished senators before me, who in the senate of the United States, friends of free silver, who have introduced bills for the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 20 to 1. I beg to remind this convention that some of your candidates propose for nomination men whom I accept and whose democracy is admitted, who have voted time and time again in congress for other ratios than 16 to 1; and yet you are proposing to nominate gold men upon a platform that limits and restricts them to one single ratio.

"With all due respect I think it an unwise step; I think it an unnecessary step, and I think it will return to plague us in the future. I think we have too many close business relations with the other great nations of the world for us to ignore their attitude. Your proposed platform says that the policy of gold monometallism is a British policy. Mr. President, they forget to tell the people of this country that it is a French policy also; they forget to tell the people of this country that it is a German policy also; they fail to remind you that it is a Spanish policy also; they fail to tell you that it is the policy of the whole number of governments represented in what was called the Latin union. Therefore, I think -I think it looks a little-just a trifle like demagogy to suggest that this is the policy of the single nation alone.

"Mr. President: I regret also to see that your platform reads not any single word in favor of international bimetallism; not necessarily inconsistent with this platform, and there is no declaration whatever that it is the policy of this government to attempt to bring it about. The minority platform declares expressly that it is the policy of this government to make steady efforts to bring this about. It would be safer to do it; it would be wiser to do it,