The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1893-07-15
FREE SILVER OR WAR
UNLIMITED COINAGE is DEMANDED
Speeches of an Infiammatory Vein Made
by Prominent Men at "a Mass Meet
ing at Denver Tuesday.

mass meeting was called by Presi-
dent Merrick of the State Silver Lea
que club at Coliseum hall, Denver, Tues
day. The building was crowded with
thousands of delegates from every sec
tion of the state, who had come to see
what could be done toward crystalizing
sentiment in Colorado for the establish
ment of free and unlimited coinage of
silver. There appeared to be but one
sentiment in all the gathering, and that
was free coinage or nothing.
In his address calling the meeting to
order President Merrick said:
We ask for iustice-for our rights We
will accept nothing less. The crime of 1873
has gone on all these years unpublished We
are here to demand an early and speedy set
Element of the silver question.
Following his remarks, a committee
on organization was appointed and a
motion was made to take a recess. At
this point some extremists attempted
to introduce a resolution. This created
an uproar, which came near terminal
ing in riot. Quiet was finally restored
and a recess taken. On reassembling It
could be seen that the spirit which con-
trolled the delegates at the morning
session was not under control but was
only awaiting an opportunity to break
out again. Hon. Charles S. Thomas,
democratic national committeeman
from Colorado, was made permanent
chairman. In assuming the chairman
ship he said:
We are face to face with a crisis which has
had but few parallels in the history of this
country; it is so deep, so broad, so far-reach-
ing, that it does not involve exaggeration to
predict that it means another phase of the
old question of slavery over again. 1t means
stagnation of business and paralysis of com
merce.
This stagnation, Thomas went on to
show, was from the failure to restore
silver to its legitimate ratio of 16 to l.
At the conclusion of Thomas remarks,
there was a call for Governor Waite.
The echo was taken up in a mighty
shout from 1000 lungs, which was
carried to the galleries, where as many
more joined in the demonstration. AS
the old grayhaired governor started
down the aisle to the platform the scene
presented is beyond a pens description.
Men whose future depended upon the
cause for which they were fighting
stood in their seats and yelled until ex-
hausted. The ex-governor, who comes
from Aspen, one of the leading silver
mining camps in the state, confined his
remarks to the question of silver and
its demonstration, and to those in the
east and Europe who were not only
running the west, but the entire coun-
try by forcing such a policy, and con-
cluded by saying:
If the money powers shall attempt to sus-
tain their usurpatiOn by a strong hand, we
will meet that issue when it is forced upon MS.
for it is better infinitely that blood should
flow to our horses brides rather than our
national liberties be destroyed. If it is true
that the United States is unable to carry out
it's government policy without the dictation
or consent OF foreign powers, if we are a
! province of European monarchies, then we
need another revolution, another appeal to
arms, and we have won that battle. Ii war
is forced upon us we will send to Halifax for
an army and establish armits according to
/ our population larger than our forefathers
sent there after the revolutionary war. The
war has begun. 1t is the same war which
must always be waged against oppression
and tyranny to preserve the liberties of man.
The address created a sensation and
a scene of great confusion followed,
the applause being deafening. Judge
Kerr of Pueblo got the floor and spoke
in the same in1ammatory vein as Gov
ernor Wait. He Endorsed the resent
revolutionary telegram sent east, in
which it was declared that if war upon
silver were continued it would result
in the west repuditing all her obliga-
tions, that 100000 would be paupers
and 10000 on the verge of starvation,
and a revolution would be a final re-
suit. 1t was then moved that the con-
vention indorse the remarks of Cover
nor Waite. The motion was carried
amidst the greatest enthusiasm. The
convention adjourned until tomorrow,
when the committee on resolutions
] mill