Cross+of+Gold+Speech+E

Mr. Chairmen and the Gentlemen, Today, I have come to speak to you in defense of the cause of humanity. We, the honorable citizens of this great nation should enter up the judgment, and listen to what the people of this country want. Gold delegates complain that we have disturbed their business interests; we have not. They have disturbed the majority's business interests. They have a limited definition of what a "businessman" is. A wageworker is just as much of a business man as his employer. The miner and farmer are just as much of businessman as the gigantic corporation owners. We come to speak for this broader definition of businessmen.

We, the Americans on the frontier have petitioned for this cause before, we have entreated and compromised before. But now, we shall beg no more.

What we need is an Andrew Jackson, who protects against organized wealth. An income tax is necessary because we must share the burdens of the government They tell us that the income tax ought not to be brought in here; that it is a new idea. But we must pay our duties to the government to lessen the burden for the government.

On the other hand, we oppose national bank currency because we believe that it is the government’s right to coin and issue money. We stand with good Democrat authority, Jefferson on this issue: banks ought not to interfere with issue of money. Moreover, I want to address a few more important things. We should not change to this unfair monetary system like Republicans are proclaiming. Gold standard is an unfair system for those people, especially farmers who have loaned money in silver during the act of 1873. And now, my friends, let me come to the paramount issue. Our opponents might ask us why we focus more on the money question rather than on the tariff question, but look at the current situation. Three months ago, no one doubted the election of Mr.McKinley, the most popular man among the Republicans. That exact man shudders today, for no private character, however great his popularity might be, can be protected from the wrath of the Americans while declaring his inclination towards the gold standard or the will to place the legislative control of our affairs in the hands of foreign powers.-

They tell us that the gold standard is a good thing, but their principles go against it. They want to get rid of the gold standard, but why get rid of it, if it’s a good thing? Some people here that are in favor of bimetallism, four months ago, were advocating the gold standard. There was never an instance where the common people were in favor of a gold standard. Only lenders have, but never the common masses. Like Mr. Carlisle said, there is a struggle between “the idle holders of idle capital” and the “struggling masses”. So who do we side with? We are on the side of the struggling masses. Some people think that wealth will trickle down. But the Democrats think differently. Prosperity will find its way up from the masses. They shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold