Those who are opposed to this proposition tell us that the issue of paper money is a function of the bank and that the government ought to go out of the banking business. [10], Implementation of the BlandAllison Act did not end calls for free silver. "[89] The New York Times disparaged Bryan as "the gifted blatherskite from Nebraska". The "Cross Of Gold" speech was a speech by William which helped propel the convention to nominate him as a Democratic presidential candidate. Although he would only be 36 years old in 1896one year above the constitutional minimumhe believed the silver question could carry him not only to the nomination, but to the presidency. [101] According to rhetorical historian William Harpine in his study of the rhetoric of the 1896 campaign, "Bryan's speech cast a net for the true believers, but only for the true believers. At Bryan's words, he threw his hat into the air, slapped the empty seat in front of him with his coat, and shouted, "My God! They could only beg them to spare the party the humiliation of broken traditions and the overthrowing of established control. We demand that the standard silver dollar shall be a full legal tender, equally with gold, for all debts, public and private, and we favor such legislation as will prevent for the future the demonitization of any kind of legal tender by private contract. That was Cicero, who destroyed the conspiracies of Cataline and saved Rome. [11], In 1890, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act greatly increased government purchases of silver. Gold Democrats were successful in a few states in the Northeast, but had little luck elsewhere. Albert Shaw, editor of The Review of Reviews, stated that after Bryan's nomination, many easterners professed not to have heard of him but: "If, indeed, they had not heard of Mr. Bryan before, they had failed to follow closely the course of American politics in the past eight years. Bryan, a former Democratic congressman from Nebraska, gained his party's presidential nomination in July of that year after electrifying the Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech. You come to us and tell us that the great cities are in favor of the gold standard; we reply that the great cities rest upon our broad and fertile prairies. . [82] The convention passed the platform in Bryan's absence and recessed. The sympathies of the Democratic Party, as shown by the platform, are on the side of the struggling masses, who have ever been the foundation of the Democratic Party.[77]. Pursuant to this promise, government gold reserves dwindled over the following three years. [66][70], Through this passage, Bryan maintained the contrast between the common man and the city-dwelling elite. Both men spoke to hundreds of thousands of people from their chosen venues. Mr. Carlisle said in 1878 that this was a struggle between the idle holders of idle capital and the struggling masses who produce the wealth and pay the taxes of the country; and my friends, it is simply a question that we shall decide upon which side shall the Democratic Party fight. The session was supposed to begin at 10:00a.m., but as delegates, slowed by the long commute from the hotels to the Coliseum and fatigue from the first two days, did not arrive on time, proceedings did not begin until 10:45. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. We believe it is a part of sovereignty and can no more with safety be delegated to private individuals than can the power to make penal statutes or levy laws for taxation. Source: Official Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention Held in Chicago, Illinois, July 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, 1896, (Logansport, Indiana, 1896), 226234. The use of symbols: -the suit -gas station -the 2 trucks iii. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. Publishing regularly in Harper's Weekly . Some of the impoverished died of disease or starvation; others killed themselves.[15]. [93] The Republican nominee was slow to realize the surge of support for Bryan after the nomination, stating his view that the silver sentiment would be gone in a month. Some, wrote another reporter, like demented things, divested themselves of their coats and flung them high in the air. The next day the convention nominated Bryan for President on the fifth ballot. Both of these movements helped to create the People's Party, or the Populist Party, which officially established its party platform in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 4, 1892. The attorney in a country town is as much a businessman as the corporation counsel in a great metropolis. [79] As he moved towards his seat, the Coliseum burst into pandemonium. McKinley on the other hand, opted for a front porch campaign. We reply to them that changing conditions make new issues; that the principles upon which rest Democracy are as everlasting as the hills; but that they must be applied to new conditions as they arise. The task of relieving the jobless fell to churches and other charities, as well as to labor unions. But Bryan first wished to tie the silver question to a greater cause:[46][76], Upon which side will the Democratic Party fight; upon the side of "the idle holders of idle capital" or upon the side of "the struggling masses"? Although Bryan ran again on a silver platform in the 1900 presidential election, the issue failed to produce the same resonance with the voters. He does use the word gold in a religious allusion, but it's given quite a different meaning. Bryan had a distinguished and active political career, supporting workers' rights and women's suffrage while opposing monopolies and teaching evolution in schools. But note the change. What we need is an Andrew Jackson to stand as Jackson stood, against the encroachments of aggregated wealth. The speech was given at the Democratic National Convention, so the audience was pledged delegates from the 50 states of the US so that . Russell's address was inaudible to most of the Coliseum; he was ill and died just over a week later. McKinley won more easily than in 1896, making inroads in the silver West. [64], Bryan's opening claimed no personal prestige for himselfbut nevertheless placed him as the spokesman for silver. The government pledged to stand behind the silver dollars and treasury notes issued under the act by redeeming them in gold. According to William Jennings Byran:. The dissidents nominated their own ticket; the split in the vote would contribute to Bryan's defeat. ( July 8, 1896 ), classic of American political oratory delivered by William Jennings Bryan ( Bryan, William Jennings) in closing the debate on the party platform at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1896. Cleveland friend and former Postmaster General Donald M. Dickinson wrote to the President in June 1896 hoping that the delegates would recognize "common sense" and be frightened at the thought of nominating a radical. He was known for his deeply held religious beliefs and his popular touch, which earned him the moniker "the Great Commoner." There is more reason for him to do that than for us to expect to fail to maintain the parity. But if he means to say that we cannot change our monetary system without protecting those who have loaned money before the change was made, I want to ask him where, in law or in morals, he can find authority for not protecting the debtors when the act of 1873 was passed when he now insists that we must protect the creditor. Bryan begins. Accordingly, Bryan became the final speaker on the platform. There was loud cheering as Bryan stood there, waiting for his audience to calm. Cross of Gold Speech - Analysis | Milestone Documents - Milestone Documents William Jennings Bryan: "Cross of Gold" Speech Log in to see the full document and commentary. [41], One of the leaders of the silver movement was Illinois Governor Altgeld; a native of Germany, he was constitutionally barred from the presidency by his foreign birth. One Indiana voter wrote, "God has sent you amongst our people to save the poor from starvation, and we no [sic] you will save us. He cared about politics and his religion equally. The majority of cartoons are from the 1908 campaigan, but there cartoons that feature 1920 election and Bryan's borther Charles Bryan. Optional: ; William Jennings Bryan was a leading member of the Democratic party who ran for President several times. Why is it that within three months such a change has come over the sentiments of the country? [58] Bryan's lecture tours had left him a well-known spokesman for silver. Which? Instructors: CLICK HERE to request a free trial account (only available to college instructors) Primary Source Readers Out of all of the prominent business figures that arose during the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie is perhaps viewed in the most positive light. A cartoon from the magazine "Judge" criticizing William Jennings Bryan for his "Cross of Gold" speech. My God!"[70][71][73]. [49][50], Delegates, as they waited for the committees to complete their work, spent much of the first two days listening to various orators. Despite vocal opposition led by Tennessee Representative (and future president) Andrew Johnson, the precious metal content of smaller silver coins was reduced in 1853. The gold standard, which the United States had effectively been on since 1873, limited the money supply but eased trade with other nations, such as the United Kingdom, whose currency was also based on gold. It is for these that we speak. [84][85] On the second ballot, Bryan still stood second, but had gained as other candidates had fallen away. [59] As he concluded his historical recitation, he reminded the silver delegates that they had come to crown their victory, "not to discuss, not to debate, but to enter up the judgment already rendered by the plain people of this country".[66]. W.J. "[67] By then, as he spoke in a sincere tone, his voice sounded clearly and loudly through the hall. My friends, we shall declare that this nation is able to legislate for its own people on every question without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation on earth, and upon that issue we expect to carry every single state in the Union. BRYAN CARRIES ON THE SHOULDERS OF HIS ADMIRERS AFTER HIS ORATION. [40], The only gold man who put together any sort of campaign for the Democratic nomination was Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle, but he withdrew in April, stating that he was more concerned about the platform of the party than who would lead it. Nevertheless, Senator John W. Daniel of Virginia was by an overwhelming vote elected temporary chairman, and a Committee on Credentials was appointed that seated Bryan and his contesting Nebraska delegation.[47]. For twenty years, Americans had been bitterly divided over the nation's monetary standard. The year 1894 saw considerable labor unrest. It simply intends to put the burdens of government justly upon the backs of the people. They went away apologetically, not having known Bryan sought the nomination. Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. Other delegations, seeing that Bryan would be nominated, also switched, securing the victory. Leave a comment. They complain about the plank which declares against the life tenure in office. It marked the first american victory over a European power. from Harper's Weekly, 18 July, 1896. It was not in any concerted or open action, however, that Bryan had his strength; it was in the friendly predisposition of the mass of the delegates that he had hopes.[30]. The financial Panic of 1893 intensified the debates, and when President Grover Cleveland (a Democrat) continued to support the gold standard against the will of much of his party, activists became determined to take over the Democratic Party organization and nominate a silver-supporting candidate in 1896. I would be presumptuous, indeed, to present myself against the distinguished gentlemen to whom you have listened if this were but a measuring of ability; but this is not a contest among persons. He says that we are opposing the national bank currency. Let me call attention to two or three great things. [94], Bryan's nomination divided the party. On the 4th of March, 1895, a few Democrats, most of them members of Congress, issued an address to the Democrats of the nation asserting that the money question was the paramount issue of the hour; asserting also the right of a majority of the Democratic Party to control the position of the party on this paramount issue; concluding with the request that all believers in free coinage of silver in the Democratic Party should organize and take charge of and control the policy of the Democratic Party. It offers discussion questions, classroom activities, and primary source analysis tools. During the convention, he. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. That is the question which the party must answer first, and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. Bryan continued with language evoking the Civil War, telling his audience that "in this contest brother has been arrayed against brother, father against son. [37] He arrived convinced that he would win the nomination. Unfortunately, no recordings exist of his original speech. He cared about politics and his religion equally. As the gold men spoke, Bryan ate a sandwich to settle his stomach; he was often nervous before major speeches. [45] The DNC's action could be reversed, but not until the convention's credentials committee reported. bimetallism), which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. All rights reserved. Three months later, at Memphis, an organization was perfected, and the silver Democrats went forth openly and boldly and courageously proclaiming their belief and declaring that if successful they would crystallize in a platform the declaration which they had made; and then began the conflict with a zeal approaching the zeal which inspired the crusaders who followed Peter the Hermit. [75] The lengthy passage as he discussed the platform and the Republicans helped calm the audience, ensuring he would be heard as he reached his peroration. This statement attracted great cheering, and Bryan turned to rhetorically demolish the compromise position on bimetallismthat it should only be accomplished through international agreement: It is the issue of 1776 over again. The Cross of Gold was a speech given by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic National Convention in 1896 which advocated for bimetallism, or the use of both gold and silver in funding the currency. It showed American support for european economic interests in East Africa. "[26], In early 1896, with the economy still poor, there was widespread discontent with the two existing major political parties. I tell you that the great cities rest upon these broad and fertile prairies. The bankers did not want loans repaid in an inflated currencythe gold standard was deflationary, and as creditors, they preferred to be paid in such a currency, whereas debtors preferred to repay in inflated currency. As yet, no one at the convention had effectively spoken for that cause, which was paramount to the delegates. 28 Monday Mar 2016. He says that he wants this country to try to secure an international agreement. Therefore, we care not upon what lines the battle is fought. This speech, delivered at the Democratic National Convention, helped win the Bryan, former Representative to Congress for Nebraska, the presidential nomination of the Democratic party. We do not come as aggressors. [7], The Coinage Act of 1873 eliminated the standard silver dollar. I am in favor of an income tax. Bryan, having established the right of silver supporters to petition, explained why that petition was not to be denied: It is for these that we speak. It is because no private character, however pure, no personal popularity, however great, can protect from the avenging wrath of an indignant people the man who will either declare that he is in favor of fastening the gold standard upon this people, or who is willing to surrender the right of self-government and place legislative control in the hands of foreign potentates and powers. Source 1 Political Cartoon "Swallowed" from Puck Magazine Source 2 Cross of Gold Political Cartoon Source 3 Photograph of a sod house Source 4 Political Cartoon, "The Grange . "[69] The gold men, during the address, paid close attention and showed their appreciation for Bryan's oratory. There are those who believe that, if you will only legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, their prosperity will leak through on those below.

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