The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-09-30
GENERAL WEAVER'S SPEECH.
Gen. Weaver Appears at the Cooper
Institute rs the Leader Of the
Only Party Which can
Unite the Nation.


From the N. Y. Herald.
As the Greenback party in this city is
generally considered to consist of the ven-
cradle Peter Cooper, and as last night WAS
exceptionally stormy and disagreeable, it
might be supposed that the audience which
assembled at Cooper Institute to hear the
address of General James B. Weaver, was
rather meager one, and it is certain that
not few persons went there with the ex-
Pectation that there would he ample choice
of seats. 1t was somewhat of a surprise,
therefore, on entering, to find that the vast
hall was filled from the platform back to
the doors. Despite the weather and the
topic of discussion, several thousands of
people had tnrned ont, and the audience
itself was not the least interesting feature
of the gathering 1t was composed almost
exclusively of working men of the better
class, artisans and mechanics, comforta bly
dressed, and looking like men who earned
good wages, In the front seats was a fair
sprinkling of ladies, accompanied by gen.
tiemen whose faces are familiar at liberal
clubs and gatherings of more or less com.
mnnistic tinee. 1t was an orderly, and vet
extraordinarily enthusiastic assemblape
The platform was filled with members Of
the National Green back Labor Club Mr.
refer Cooper was also there, and would
have acted a chairman had his health per.
mitted. As he was unequal to the task
the active duties of the post were do
charged by Mr.. John W. Keough. Mr.
George y. Jones called tn, meeting to or.
der, and after the election of the chairman
and the singing Of the National HYMN bv
'ne audience, the orator of the evening
was introduced and received with hearty
appliance.
General Weaver came forward and
bowed. 1t tneedej but glance to discover
that he came of the real Puri.anic, New
England stock. There was no mistakipp
the characteristic contour of the head and
profile; only when he turned his full face
Ia the spectator one recognized in its COM
parative breadth and massi veness the New
England growth of the West. His address
lasted about an hour, and was in the main
the same as he delivered in Newark. on
Friday evening last, and which was report,
ed in the Herald of Saturday There
were, however, some new features which
deserve mention. His main line of argu-
ment may be summarized thus: He as
sumed as an automatic truth, to which, he
said, political economists of all schools
had subscribed, that prices are increased or
diminished according to the volume OF
money in circulation. If this be true, then
1t must follow that those who can control
the volume of money control the price
EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION.
The national banks by one law haye the
right to decrease their circulation as they
shall see fit; by the resumption law they
have the right to expand it as they wish.
Therefore, since they have the right by
one law to expand the volume of money
and by another to contract it, it follows
that they can raise and lower prices as snits
their convenience. Arguing from this,
General Weaver insisted that since so great
a power existed, and one 30 important to
the material welfare of the country, it was
one which should be lodged in the hands
of the whole people of the country, and as
the National Government alone was the
representative of the whole people, it was
in the hands of the Natsonal Government
alone that the power should be lodged
Therefore, abolish the national bank mon.
ey and have government money only
consisting of gold, silver and paper. He
declared that it was owing to unequal laws
that our cities were filled with men Of
enormous wealth, who had not accumu.
lated 1t by slow and patient labor, az oul
forefathers made their fortunes, but by
means of great and violent changes il
. prices and values whish these unequal law.
have brought about. He declared that Sc
far from disturbing these men in thei
wealth he would shed his own blood il
their defense; but what he and the partl
he represented did demand was that the in
iquitous laws by which these vast fortune
were rendered possible, should be tori
from the statute book.
He gave an amusing account of his ex
perience in Alabama and the way tn
voting was done there. "Wheu you wen
up to the polls to vote, he said, "you fount
. little pigeonhole in the wall, about a
high as yon could reach. Trough this
you handed in your ballot, but as to wha
was done inside, there was not the slightes
chance TO see. 1t the pigeonhole, behin'
the ballot box, sat two inspectors or judge
" of election, who took the ballot and in
spected it. If it was one that suited then
" they put it in the boz, and if il was moi
they tore it up and put in one that did
Great laughter.) He asserted that tn
Greenback party carried the State by 40
:, :, 900 majority if they could have had thei
vote counted. The Democrats struck ther
down, mot" he added, shat they had an
e thing against US, but we were an obstacl
TO their immediate triumph over the Re
= publican party, which they hate" Th
V General was severe on the Democrats c
the South for their conduct in defeatin
even the semblance Of honest voting, an
= declared that the Republic was ruined
BY such methods they should be enabled t
elect themselves to high Office in the ma
l. tion. Then he was not less severe on tn
Republicans for their utter failure to Sc
cure honest voting after twenty years c
power, and for being driven from ever
Southern State in disgraceful defeat, wher
they had started with overwhelming ma
jorities. Neither of these parties coul