The record-union., 1894-09-08

Mail and Express Cars, and the In
Jury of Several People.
Special to the REcoRD-UNIoN.
ATLANTA (Ga.), Sept. IA mass meet
ing of Democrats was held in this city
this evening. The principal features
were the speeches of Speaker Crisp, re-
viewing the work of Congress, and of
Secretary Hoke Smith against the free
coinage of silver. Speaker Crisp de-
clared his personal preference for the free
coinage of silver. Much enthusiasm was
displayed.
Speaker Crisp, after reviewing the
work of Congress, said: "a law and a
practice which allows citizen to pay his
obligations to the Government in silver,
or at the same time permits him to de-
mand of the Government gold in redemp-
ton OF its obligation, is manifestly unrea-
sonable and unjust, and in the nature of
the case must impair confidence and tend
to produce a panic. A protective tariff
fosters and builds up trusts and monopo-
lies. 1t creates no wealth; only prevents
its natural and just distribution. Thirty
years OF such system did much to pro-
duce the conditions existing when the
Fifty-third Congress met. What has that
Congress done Tor the people?
The first matter considered was the
financial question. We had pledged our
selves against the makeshift Sherman
law, and in favor of both gold and silver
as the standard money of the country.
BY an agreement arrived at between the
Democrats, we determined to take the
If
limited coinage of silver at several ratios.
After full debate square vote was had
on each, and on the repeal of the pur-
chasing clause of the Sherman Act. The
result you know. While not protesting
to understand the question fully in all its
bearings, have always been in favor of
the free coinage of silver-I am in favor
of it now."
The speaker then rehearsed the contest
in both branches of Congress over the
tariff bill and compared the differences
between the Mckinley and Wilson bills.
Speaking of the Senate bill, he said that,
while it did not give all he expected, it
was the best that could be obtained under
the circumstances. sit strikes at trusts
and monopolies," he said. 'It reduces
the cost of necessaries of life. It to some
extent opens our markets at home and
enlarges our markets abroad. 1t pro-
notes agriculture; it encourages manu-
featuring, and it will add to the comfort
of millions of our fellow-citiZens."
Here Mr.. Crisp turned to State matters
and spoke of the coming contest.
Secretary Hoke Smith was then intro
duced and spoke as follows:
Opening his remarks, the Secretary re-
viewed the financial trouble of the past
eighteen months, and congratulated the
South as we'll as Georgia upon the excel
lent showing made. The attention of the
commercial world had been attracted,
and he predicted for that section period
of development and marked prosperity
such as never before experienced. The
cotton States and International Expo
sitlon would prove OF great assistance in
this work; but the attention OF capital
once secured, its confidence must also be
won, and it was therefore of the utmost
importance to the future welfare of the
State that in the coming election the
people of Georgia should show the world
that the wild theories of the PopuIists
had no foothold among them.
Calling attention to the recent expert
ence Of the States of Kansas and Colorado
under Populistic rule, the Secretary
asked who would wish TO see Georgia
follow the leadership of a Lewelling or a
Waite. Base as was the record of the
third party in the West, the crazy theo-
ries of their leaders in Congress were
enough to stagger comprehension and
shock thoughtful men. They sought dis
bursements amounting in the aggregate
to over So, ,000, 900, 900. The people of
Georgia could not afford to indorse such
a party. The State would be disorgan-
lied locally and discredited before the
world If it appeared TO have even listened
to their impracticable theories. Few of
their beliefs were worthy OF discussion,
but there was one which seemed To have
appeared attractive, although when care
fully Investigated it must be classified
with their other theories as almost equally
wild and impracticable. He referred to
the free and unlimited coinage at the
ratio of l6 to by the United States alone,
and declared it to be plan utterly at
variance with sound business principles,
and fraught with incalculable evil.
He did not wish his position misunder-
stood He was a thorough bimetalliSt,
strong in his faith. and no one could be
more unalterably opposed To the adop-
ton of single gold standard. Such a
course would bring about a contraction of
the currency calculated to cripple the in
duStries and TO lessen the demand for
supplies. The injury inflicted by sim
gle standard currency had been recently
demonstrated abroad, and the evil effects
had been felt upon the products of this
country. raised for foreign consumption.
He believed the evil effects would be
lessened by preserving the present per
capita of currency here; but three-fourths
of the injury could not be reached except
by the success OF bimetallism in the places
of consumption. Currency In the United
States had not been contracted, but, on
the contrary, the per capita to-day was
S24 19, as against an average of Sl4 So from
1850 to 1860.
The Secretary then described the eight
different kinds OF money now used in this
country, aud maintained that the instant
any one of them went TO premium it
would become a commodity for private
sale, and contraction would follow, but
by preserving them upon an equality,
and by an increase equal to the growth Of
business and population, contraction
would be prevented. This could be ac-
complished, first. by changing the bullion
in silver dollar so as to require hun
dred cents worth of silver in any dollar;
second, by international agreement,
which, if secured, would prevent the ne
cessity of changing the ratio; or. third,
by calling in all money of small denomi-
tions, say $40 and less, not consisting of
silver and giving silver the right OF way.
He especially urged the repeal of the 10
per cent. law on the State banks as a
within control of the United
States of great value.
After sketching the history of silver
decentralization by Germany in 1871, and
by Norway, Sweden, Dem
mark, Holland. Russia and nations COM
prising the Latin Union, secretary Smith
said: "1n the meantime the United States
had changed from the coinage of only
s, ,3Sl, $50 silyers dollars in eighty years up
to 1873, to the coinage OF 4l9, ,256, 900 stand
ard silver dollars, and to the purchase of
silver upon which Treasury notes were
making total coinage value of
S570,000,000 OF silver used in this country
during the last twenty years. From an
average Of Sl2.000,000 year, the United