Richard Parks Bland Statue - Lebanon, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 37° 40.949 W 092° 39.842
15S E 529623 N 4170639
Statue of former Congressman on the grounds of the Laclede County Courthouse in Lebanon, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMCXCM
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/22/2011
Views: 6
The RICHARD PARKS BLAND STATUE, SW. corner of the courthouse square, commemorates Lebanon's most distinguished citizen. Bland was born in Hartford, Kentucky, August 19, 1835, and came to Missouri from Nevada in 1865. After practicing law for four years in Rolla, he moved to Lebanon. In 1872 he was elected to Congress, where he so distinguished himself that he was returned to office 12 times. He suffered political defeat in his district only once, in 1894. Called "Silver Dick" for his 16-to-1 free-coinage stand in 1877, he was co-author of the unsatisfactory Bland-Allison Act. In 1890 Bland renewed his fight for unrestricted coinage of silver. In 1896 he was leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination until William Jennings Bryan unleashed his oratory at the national convention. On June 15, 1899, Bland died at his farm near Lebanon. - Missouri: A Guide to the "Show Me" State, Tour 5, pg 419.
The statue continues to stand in the southwest corner of the courthouse grounds. The front of the base of the statue is inscribed:
I Do Speak For The Great Masses Of The Mississippi
Valley, When I Say That We Will Not Submit To The
Domination Of Any Political Part, However Much
We May Love It, That Lays The Sacrificing Hand
Upon Silver And Will Demonetize It