People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1896 — APPEALS FOR FUNDS. [ARTICLE]

APPEALS FOR FUNDS.

legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them. 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. Burn down your cities and leave our farms and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country. A NEW DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. My friends, we 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 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 jdescendants, 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 into 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.”

Want Dollar Contributions for the Populist Campaign. Washington, D. C. Sept. B. The following address and appeal for funds were issued from the populists headquarters today; “To Every American Patriot —The people’s party, as its name implies, is the champion of the masses who labor and produce wealth. To the efforts of this party is due the revolt of the masses of the democratic party, which resulted in turning down the Cleveland ad ministration and its British financial policy, and the nomination of William J. Bryan on a platform demanding financial independence for the United States. “Your national committee is doing the best it can against rich and powerful combinations. For us to stand any hope of winning you must uphold us. If we could have but 1 cent for every $lO used by the enemy we could carry on a vigorous campaign that would mean their defeat. “This is your fight. It is outfight. Hold up your hands, and we will do our duty in the terrible struggle. Don’t wait for somebody else to move. What is everybody’s business is nobody’s business. Make this your business. At once see several of your neighbors; try to get each one to contribute at least one dollar. If some cannot do this then get each one to

give as much as he can. In short take up a subscription in your community at once, and forward the amount, with the names of the contributors, toM. C. Rankin, Terre Haute. Ind., our national treasurer. Also at the same time notify your national chairman at Washington, D. C., of the amount thus forwarded. There is no time to lose. It is now only eight weeks until the battle will be won or lost. Be the first in your community to forward a subscription. We must win this fight. Let each do his duty, and victory awaits us. Marion Butler, “Chairman National People’s Party Committee. J. E. Edgerton, Secretary.”