Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-25
The City Hall Meeting.

The CITY Hall Mcet1uS.
Ex-Gov Campbelrs meeting here Sat
urday night was much larger than was ex-
pected The managers of it were surprised
themselves at the number that turned out
to hear the ex-governor, and at the en-
thusiasm shown. The auditorium of the
city hall was packed. While it will not
. accommodate half as many as the armory
building, where Gov. Mckinley spoke, a
political meeting that fills the city hall has
always been regarded here as a success be-
yond adverse criticism, so far as numbers
are concerned
Campbell was not brought here by the
state committee In fact, Chairman Thur
man does not seem to think the ex-governor
sufficiently orthodox on his free silver
plank to be assigned to work upon the
stump He spoke here under the auspices
of the county committee and at the request
of Congressman Cultivate, with whom he
SPOKE also the same day at Lancaster, in
this district. In his speech Mr.. Campbell
touched the silver question very lightly,
and the only reference he made to 1t was
directly against free coinage. 1t was an
allusion to the repeal of the Sherman silver
purchas sing act, which he characterized as
the first step of democracy toward the
better times, which, he said, lay just
ahead. The speeches he has made in the
campaign so far have not been published
by Chairman Thurman and circulated as
campaign documents, as is generally done.
1t is currently reported that Chairman
Thurman has refused to circulate the ex-
governors speeches unless he would indorse
free silver. When Ex-Governor Campbell
was asked about this he said he did not
know whether Mr.. Thurman had taken that
position not, but II he had his speeches
would not be circulated by the democratic
state committee.
The suggestion that Executive Chairman
Thurman had arranged to open the state
campaign at Mansfield for the express pur-
pose of getting back at Congressman M.
d. Harter, whose home is at Mansfield,
upon the silver question Is quite borne out
by the developments at the opening and
since.
Neither Senator Voorhees, nor Speaker
Crisp who were announced to speak, APP
peared, and as Ex-Governor Campbell was
the only other speaker, Chairman Thurman
and Secretary Taylor of the executive COM
mittee were obliged to fill in the time that
should have been taken by the absent
orators. Humans speech was not re-
ported, and those present, as well as
Messrs. Thurman and Harter are not
agreed as to what the former said about
Harter and his anti-free silver coinage
views, but 1t was evidently meant to sting
pretty hard, and Mr.. Harter was at the
time occupying a seat upon the platform
from which Mr.. Thurman was speaking.
When Mr. Harter undertook to address
the Thurman Club here last winter in the
advocacy of limited coinage of silver and
was attacked trough shod," to put 1t in the
mildest terms by Allen w. Thurman, Har-
ter, in his soft reply, intimated that if ever
Thurman should come to Mansfield upon
invitation to speak upon any subject, or
even without invitation, he. Harter, would
rot take Issue with him, or if he
did would treat him courteously in the
argument. Perhaps Thurman was testing
this at the Mansfield meeting. If so, he
found Harter true to his word for not a
word did he say in rejoinder.
MIR. Harter's Reply.
But the next day he gave to tie press
man several weeks after the opening of
the campaign and In reply to a circular
letter soliciting contributions to the cam
paign fund. While the letter is not bitter
in tone. the language is very plain, and
the whole is a very vigorous dig at the free
silver turn the democratic party in this
state has TAKEN and which Thurman spe-