The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-08-24

General Weaver's Address at the
Farmers Alliance Convention.
TWENTY THOUSAND LISTENERS


The Late Presidential Candidate Charges
the Existing Financial Crisis To Republic
can and Democratic MaIndmi nistration,
and Predicts Relief when Farmers Rule.
Mt. GRFTNA, Pa, Aug. 24.-The largest
crowd since the opening Of the national en-
Campment of the Farmers Alliance assem-
bled at Mt. Gretua park yesterday. Among
the prominent arrivals were General James
D. Weaver, Of Iowa, late Populist oandi
date for president, and Colonel ID. p, Dun
can, Of Columbia, S. c., secretary of the
National Farmers Alliance Three thous-
and people, mostly farmers and their wives,
assembled in the main auditorium to hear
w. NJ. Benninger, of Walnutport, Pa,
advocate the free coinage of silver in the
Pennsylvania Dutch language He was
followed by j. NJ. Thompson, Of Indiana
county, Pa, state lecturer of the Pennsyl-
vania Farmers Alliance He was followed
by Captain Powers, of Indiana.
When Weaver arose to deliver his ad-
dress in the afternoon there were probably
10000 people on the grounds. The general
began his address with a history of the de-
cline of values in Pennsylvania farms
during the past twenty years, and said:
This decline Of values took place before
the present panic it commenced in 1878
when the nation was stricken with paraly
sis. The country is now suffering with a
second attack of paralysis, and the repub-
lie is doing nothing that can prevent it
from dying, and speedily, unless the plain
common people come to its relief with
their ballots. 1t is terrible state of af-
fairs that has been thrust upon the people.
There are more people; more work; more
factories, and more of everything that
should make nation prosperous than
| there ever was before, still our present ter
rible condition confronts us
"Such u curse could not be brought
upon the country by the mere change of
administration, nor is it the result of the
Sherman law. The laws have been vio-
lated What we want is obedience to the
| laws and the administration of existing
| laws in such a manner that the rich and
poor will be treated alike. We want a
condition that will make all men obey the
law of contracts; the banker as well as the
! laborer. The Republican secretary of the
treasury and the Democratic secretary Of
the treasury did not comply with the law.
They paid out the gold, and the secretary
of the treasury aided foreign conspirators
when he had it in his hands to prevent
this panic This is the real cause of these
hard times. Such a stupendous catas-
trophe could not have been produced by
the Sherman law.
"At the close of the late war the people
were comparatively free from debt. There
was more pros perity then among the
farmers of the north, in spite of the loss Of
those near and dear to them, than there
has been ever since The reason of this
prosperity and good feeling was because
there was an immense volume of paper
currency in circulation. The financial
system of the government, which con.
tracted the currency, is responsible for the
loss of thousands of homes, innumerable
suicides and the corruption of the morals
of the people. There is not a parallel In
existence to the enormity of the crime
which has been peTpetrated on the people
of this nation by the contraction of the
currency. As a result of that crime per
petrated on our people from 1865 to 1877;
British capital has come in and got con
troll of our factories, railroads and finances
"The scarcity of money is what is the
matter The government financial system
compels you to go in debt 800 every time
you trade 800. The growth of population
and the reduction of circulation of cur
rency is the cause of the panic. There ii
no money in the country and no admins
tration that will give it, but when thu
farmers come into power they will give
you more money. We don't want too
much money, but we ought to have S50pel
capita of gold, silver and paper money
We will give you good money-the fret
coinage of the silver dollar of jackson
jefferson and Washington, the silver dol
lar of 4l21 grains.
'The farmers will make dollar that viii
stay at home. They don't want none!
that will go abroad. That is what is tn,
matter with gold. This country needs al
independent financial system, an Ameri
can system of gold, silver and paper issueC
by the government and not by the banks
You must reclaim the government anC
take it from the grasp of the monopolist
under whose control it has become a plu
tocracy This republic cannot be saveC
unless there is virtue enough in the peopl
to come to the rescue"