| William Jennings Bryan's Gold Certificate | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
William Jennings Bryan |
|
Type |
Gold Certificate |
|
Effects |
Turns money into solid gold |
|
Downsides |
Owner will not want the gold |
|
Activation |
Contact with currency |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
461544-208336 |
|
Shelf |
579551-4872-347 |
|
Date of Collection |
March 18, 1927 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
William Jennings Bryan was a Nebraskan politician who ran for president three times under the Populist Party, served two terms in the House of Representatives and later Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson. Bryan was highly devout and demanded popular democracy, publicly voicing his hatred of banks, the gold standard. He instead advocated Free Silver to put more available, higher valued money within easy reach of the common people. His first campaign saw the delivery of his famed “Cross of Gold” speech, which condemned the gold standard maintained by the elite and wealthy.
Although he lost all three bids for presidency with the Populists, he did maintain a national presence with his extensive tours and speeches while most candidates campaigned at home. In his 1896 campaign he promoted free silver, in 1900 anti-imperialism and in 1908 with anti-capitalist trust busting. He left Wilson’s cabinet after his handling of the Lusitania sinking and later heavily supported Prohibition. He disagreed with the theory of evolution and acted as a prosecutor in the Monkey Scopes Trial; he died in his sleep five days after the trial finished.
Effects[]
Transforms any form of currency it is applied to into solid gold. The transformed gold, however, will not be accepted or wanted by whoever owns it. Neutralizing the certificate undoes the transformative effects.