The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-09
FREE SILVER
CONVENTION.
A Tremendous Gathering. Forty
Two States Represented.
Harmonious and Emphatic Action.

Harmonious and Emphatic Action.
Our news columns last week gave
the associated press report of the
first days proceedings of the national
convention of the American Bimetal-
lie Leage at Chicago.
Pressing engagements prevent
ed Mr.. Donnelly from giving the
readers of the REPRESENTATIVE this
week his expressions of the great
free silver convention, and we are
obliged to summarize the reports
contained in the daily papers. Mr..
Donnelly's report will appear next
week.
The delegates were a little late
in assembling Wednesday morning,
the evening session of Tuesday hav-
ing been prolonged to late hour
1t was imperative that larger hall
be secured.
A telegram from District Assem-
bly, No:4, K. of L., ST Louis, stating
that the assembly had passed reso-
lutions demanding the free and un-
limited coinage of silver at ratio
of 16 to l was read amid great ap-
plause.
Ex-senator Hill of Colorado ad-
dressed the convention on the sill
yer question for nearly an hour
His arguments were chiefly based on
statistics tending to show that the
adoption of gold or single standard
in any country has invariable been
followed by decades of poverty and
depression.
Congressman Newlands of Nevada
followed in an address outlining
congressional legislation on the silver
question. United States Senator Al
len of Nebraska provoked much en-
thusiasm in brief but stirring
speech. The present panic was first
created by the bankers of the coun-
try for their own selfish purposes,
but it has become farther reaching
than they expected and the bankers
themselves have become involved
and have appealed to the president
and congress for aid. The time has
come for action, not for talk.
Hon. G. S. Thomas, the prominent
Colorado attorney, followed in a
twenty-minute address.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The first speakers of the afternoon
session was John B. Lemon of New
York, representing the executive
council of the American Federation
of Labor. He read telegram which
authorized him to attend the con-
vention and express the sentiments
of the trade uniOnists of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor upon the
silver question. Half million of
federation men are advocates of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
GOV. WAITE OF COLORADO.
There was tremendous applause
when Gov. Waite of Colorado was in
troduced as the next speaker. A
number of enthusiastic delegates
had been bowling for two days for
Waite, and when the chief execu-
tive of the Centennial State mount
ed the platform, cheer after cheer
was given by the delegates, who
stood up and waved thier hats wild
ly, and the ovation terminated with
"three cheers for Gov. Waite.''
Gov. Waite spoke at great length.
He asserted that since 1873 no con-
gress has convened but that a ma
jority in both houses were in favor
of restoring the free coinage of sill
yer.
TALK ABOUT A REVOLUTION.
The proposal by the false friends
of silver and their allies in Wall
street to adopt the present price of
bullion silver as compared with gold
as a new money ratio would simply
crystalize all acrongs and injuries the
money power has inflicted upon the
people for the last twenty years.
If we have become, under the rule
of the two old parties, only prov
ince of European monarchies, then
we need another revolutions; another
appeal to arms and to the God OF
hosts. This evoked great applause
In closing Gov. Waite said: "Who
is Grover Cleveland and who is Ben
jamin Harrison and who are their
supporters in Wall street and in Chi
cago, that they dare assume to drive
into poverty and exile half mill
ion of free-men? There's no use cry
ing peace when there is no peace.
The dangerous tyranny is that en-
forced under the forms of law. Our
weapons are arguments and ballot,
free ballot and fair count. II the
money power shall attempt to sus.
tain it's usurpation Of our rights by
strong hands as In other lands, we