The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-08-10
THE POPUl|ST LOVE FEAST.
Hon. X. b. Smith, Candidate for Con
gress, Delivers an Interest.
ing Address.
He Unqualifedly IndOrses All the
Planks in the Platform Of
the Party.


adjournment OF the convention there
should be a mass meeting at the opera
house TO listen to an address from Hon.
r. B. Smith, populist candidate for rep
resentative in congress. The convention
was rather late in ad%journing and it was
after 8 o'clock before the meeting was
called to order. The opera house was
only fairly we'll flled-there being quite
a number Of ladies among the audience.
The B. e. M. Smelter band was in attend
ance and rendered popular airs.
The meeting was called to order by
Chairman Mckay, who in a few intro
ductory remarks, in which he said that
the coming battle would be fought On
populist principles and on the populist
platform, introduced James Donovan.
Mr.. Donovan briefly referred to the work
that had been done in the shape Of Or
g~anization in the several sections of the
county, and judging by the interest man.
ifested, he felt certain that after the
election the present county officials
would have to retire. The populist doc.
trine was in favor of retrenchment and
reform, for the populist convention
believed that the expenses of the county
could have been reduced fully $4,000
during the past year. He spoke Of
the high personnel Of the party and OF
its belief in the free coinage of silver, a
sentiment which elected applause. He
urged that the platform Of the party be
read and studied by all and then he was
sure it would be approved and the can
didates who stood up to it would be
elected.
After an air by the baud, the chair
man introduced Hon. II. b. Smith, as
the next representative in congress. Mr..
Smith said that he was not a stranger in
their midst, but saw before him many
whom he had known for years and who
were his friends. The great fundamen.
tai principles that he advocated today
were inscribed upon the banner
Of the peoples party and no one
should be ashamed to advocate
them. There was nothing save the
ties of home that bound men
closer together than political utilization
yet men should learn to distinguish be-
tween a principle ard a name. There
was no nam dearer to his heart than
democracy, for it meant a government
by the people for the people, but the
party had departed from its ideal. Two
years ago the democracy mel in Chicago
and declared that it believed in the
coinage of gold and silver without dis.
elimination against either. Mr.. Pat
tereen of Colorado then asked that the
word "free" be inserted in the resolution,
but was told that the resolution meant
free coinage. lie (Smith) for one took
them at their word and advocated the
candidates OF the party. When congress
met Mr.. Cleveland and his friends de.
clared that it did not mean what it said,
and Mr.. Bland, mr.. Bryan,
and others declared that it
did. He stood with the latter and
believed in the free coinage of silver at
a ratio of l6 to l, without the assistance
Of any other nation under the sun.
Thus believing and knowing that both
the old parties were divided upon the
subject, he sought and found that the
populist was the only party that was
a unit in favor of free coinage and he
had cast his lot with them. In every
convention in every section thus far held
the populists had in unmistakeable
terms pronounced in favor of free coin
age. He contrasted this with the mean
ingless financial resolutions Of the state
conventions Of both parties, including
the republican club resolution at
Denver, which he read. He facetiously
referred to the platform especially
the word ''intercontrovertibility" and
asked what it meant; did it mean chang
ing silver into gold? II it did it meant
something that the alchemists had vainly
tried for years. II it meant to change a
silver dollar for a gold dollar they could
have made it palmer by simply declaring
in favor of free coinage Of silver at a
ratio of 16 to l.
They had simply verified the saying of
Tallyrand that language was made to
conceal ideas. This is what the plat
forms Of both parties had done, and in 80
doing had fooled many into voting with
them. He declared that for years the
democrats had abused the republicans
for the characterization of silver and
promised if they had the power they
would undo the evil. They got into
power and instead Of redeemiDg
their promise they had driven the last
nail into the coffin of silver. They had
also promised tariff reform, and after
almost two years they had only pro-
duced a bill that could tr%uthfully be
called the Mckinley bill, jr. They had
also denounced trusts, yet the democratic
majority in the senate had taken under
it's wiugs the most infamous of all the
trusts, the sugar trust.
They had IN advocating silver declared
against a gold standard or the contract
to pay all debts in gold, yet they had
hardly got into power before they issued
S50,000,0O0 in gold bonds. II that was
the way the democracy redeemed it's
promises he never wanted to be a dem
ocrat again.
MI. Smith then called attention to the
fact that the populist senators and rep.
resentatives had always voted in favor
of free coinage and Of tariff reform.
A great many people say that the pop.
ulist is a fiat money party. They do not
know what they are talking about. The
populists believe in the use of all the
rgold and silver in the land, and as that
is insufficient they believe in the use
Of United States or treasury
notes instead of national bank
notes for the reason that the treasury
note bears no interest, while the national
bank note does, the interest being paid
on the bonds deposited for their redemp-
ton. In explaining the word fiat he
said that gold and silver as well as paper
money could be called fiat, for its value
was fixed by legislation and but for that
the intrinsic value Of the metals would
be deteriorated. He illustrated this by
saying that il any one took a silver 81
to the grocer he could get it's face value
In goods, but hammer 1t out Of shape,