The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-18

The meeting OF the Central Demo
cratic Club last night in the Fifth ward
was an interesting one and was we'll at
tended by the nom bers of the club who
are fully alive to the gravity of the
political situation. After the club was
called to order by President S. E. Jones,
the secretary read the minutes of the
last meeting and considerable amount
OF important business was transacted.
A meeting of the members of the
finance committee and executive COM
mittee of the club was called at the Of
fee of Hardaway &c Payne this afternoon
at o'clock to consider important mat
ters. 1t is DESTROYS that all the mem bers
OF the committees attend this meeting.
The club also decided to call meet
ing of the vice-presidents from the diff
ferent wards in conjunction with the
executive committee to meet at the
othco of Hardaway Il Payne Thursday
afternoon at S o'clock. This meeting
also is an important one. The selec ton
of permanent headquarters for the club
was referred to the executive and
finance committees with power to act.
motion was carried that when this
club adjourn, it do so to meet at Sheri-
dams hall or the Friendship engine
house Friday night, where speeches
will BIZ made by W. A. Glasgow and w.
Ii. Turner.
President Jones then introduced the
first speaker OF the evening, R. Randolph
Hicks Esq who made an eloquent, for
chile and strong Democratic address.
Mr.. Hicks said in part "When birth
was given 10 the great American Re-
public over 100 years ago new order Of
things was introduced and the great
doctrine was enunciated that govern
ment should be for the benefit of the
masses and not to protect tho privileges
Of the few. Then the Democratic party
was born. 1t advocated equal RICH. Is to
all and special privileges to none. This
doctrine 1T has always carried out and
does not legislate to tho money bug Of
New York or to the bonanza king OF the
West.
Parties have risen and fallen. They
lived for brief space ard were cut
down by the Dem ocratic scythe to
use no more. Over thirty years ago
roso the so called Republican party who
lived from 1860 until 1899, and ali the
mean laws on our Statute books to day
are the result Of that party's legislation
The Republican party was showed un
der last November and another party
has arisen. In the wake of tho party
tho people voted down came in thing
called the Third party. No one knows
what 1T wants 70 do and it does not
know itself"
Mr.. Hicks then reviewed the existing
tariff laws and showed clearly that the
tariff was a tax and that the doctrine of
the Democratic party had always been
that when you tax a people for any other
purpose than for revenue you transcend
the rights of government. The Demo
cratic party was always opposed to all
unnecessary and unjust taxation. The
speaker concluded by giving a good OK
PLANTATION OF the silver question and the
false position of the Populists in regard
to finance.
When the applause from the audience
had subsidized the president introduced
the next speaker, Hon. A. P. Staples.
who made one of the best speeches that
has been made in the city during the
campaign.
HON. A. =. STAPLES SPEECH.
The following is brief synopsis:
The people of this country are ap-
preaching great crisis. Most of us
have never seen a situation similar. We
don't know to day who will be solvent
to- morrow, and we don't know to- day
when the money Is coming from to run
the government to morrow. 1t behooyes
us in times like this to pause and think,
first as to the cause of the trouble and
then the remedy.
Judge Kerr had said the only thing
the matter with a silver dollar was
there was not enough of them. There
was enough money in 1890 and in 1885,
There was more money in the country
now than ever was before in gold and
silver. The banks of New York to-day
we're carrying heavier deposits than
ever before in their history. The
trouble was because the men who have
the money are holding it. 1t was from
a want OF confidence brought about by
legislation OF that party swept out Of
existence last November, and now con-
fronting US with another guise. The
people had been told that low tariff was
the cause OF this trouble, and yet IT,
tarlff was higher than 1t ever had been
before"
The speaker said the Sherman bill
was Republican measure and that the
men who voted for it then now acknowl.
edge they were wrong and ask for its
repeal. The Democrats were right then
and are always right.
He explained the silver question and
ventilated the Populists' idea of flat
money and reviewed their platform
which did not contain anything. They
ask the people to send Captain Cooke to
the gubernatorial chair and Jack Garst
to the legislature and repudiate a party
that has stood for the peoples rights
since the foundation Of the government,
a party that has never assumed the
right, party that was in power for