Address to the Democratic Convention (1896)
William Jennings Bryan
There are two ideas of government. There are those that believe if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it. . . .
You come to us and tell us that the great cities are in favor of the gold standard. I tell you that the great cities rest upon these broad and fertile prairies. Burn down your cities, leave our farms, and your cities will spring up against as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.
-The argument made by Bryan in the above excerpt represents the culmination of Gilded Age debates about which of the following issues?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The excerpt is referring to the currency issue and argues in favor of free silver coinage. It contrasts the interests of the wealthy urban elites who favor the gold standard with the interests of the farmers who would benefit from inflationary monetary policies. The excerpt also suggests that the urban centers are dependent on the prosperity of the rural areas, which is a central argument in the free silver movement.