The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-23
SILVER MEN ARE ACTIVE,
The First Committeeman in
This City Has Been
Appointed.
LAWYER cH1LsTRoM CHOSEN.
Being a Populist, He Must Now
Find a Republican and
Democrat.


The bimetallists do not propose to lose
any time in their work of organization.
Already Enoch Pepper, chairman OF the
executive committee of the State Silver
League, has appointed worker for free
coinage in the person of P. 0. Chilstrom,
an attorney, who has been prominently
connected with the Peoples party. Mr..
Chilstrom has been selected as the first
committeeman from San Francisco, and he
is now engaged, according to the instruc-
tions sent to him by Chairman Pepper, in
looking about for the men whom he is to
associate with him on the committee.
Previous to the return of Emissary AlVa
Udell to Los Angeles that gentleman was
informed by wire or the withdrawal of
John r. Berry, L. M. Holt, Charles L.
Eager and M. Dromgold from the COM
mittee to make room for San Francisco
men. He had talk with Attorney Adrian
c. Ellis before he left, but whether Mr..
| Ellis will be committeeman No. 2 is not
settled.
| The fact that Mr.. Ellis has been an &C
| tive Democrat-an old Southern Demo
| crat--in the past will not initiate against
! his selection as Silver League committee
man in the least because the free-coinage
men are not drawing party lines tight.
| They hope to make up the silver party
| from all the others, and are therefore
taking Republican here and Democrat
| there, as well as the more easily reached
| Populists, in making up the State Central
Committee of seventy-fve. The COM
| mittee of which Mr.. Chilstrom has been
made a member is better known as the
o. ~ r i =
com mittee Of the new movement.
The plan of the bimetallists is to start
out in each county with general county
committee of three, " and such committee
| they hope to form by associating a Popu-
list, Republican and Democrat together.
1t might be said of Mr.. Ellis that he could
hardly now be selected as a Democrat, at
least if the very letter of Chairman Pep
per's typewriter instructions is to be fol-
lowed, because Mr.. Ellis, since President
| Cleveland's connection with the gold
power seemed to be indicated in the last
big bond contract, has kicked clean over
the traces of his party and AYERS that he
| has cut loose.
In this connection a recent visit may be
| mentioned of Mr.. Chilstrom to Morris NJ.
Estee, the Republican candidate for Gov
ernor in the last campaign. Mr.. Estee has
| published a pamphlet in which he has
taken an emphatic stand for silver. That
was right in line with the ideas OF the BIZ
metallists, but Mr.. Chilstrom's visit fur
nished Mr.. Estee with an opportunity for
saying that he ibid not want anything to
do with the Republican machine in this
| State any more"
| The end aimed at is the free and unlim-
| tied coinage of silver at the ratio of Is to l,
and it does not matter what the political
means used are so long as that end is real
| lied.
The membership of these county general
committees will be increased later on. The
| basis of representation in them which the
executive committee has established in
the country districts is one member for
every fifty votes polled at the last election.
The plans of the new party contemplate
| tho organization of ward and township
| leagues, too, and the incidental co-opera-
| ton of all the presidents of such sub
| leagues as a aboard of presidents" with
| the general committees.
Chairman Pepper has written to Mr..
| Chilstrom with reference to the coming
| silver mass-meeting here, at which Presi-
dent A. J. Warner of the executive COM
mittee of the American Bimetallic party
and Senator Stewart of Nevada are booked
| to speak. If General Sibley can get back
| from Pennsylvania in time he is certainly
| to be on the programme as a speaker.
Committeeman Chilstrom will commence
preparations at once for the event.
The platform of principles of the Silver
League is being circulated and eanvassed
for in the form of pledge of membership.
The position of the bimetallists is plainly
defined, and the three closing paragraphs
make interesting reading. They are:
We believe that in the effort to secure public
reforms it is the part of wisdom to consultthe
state of public opinion and to unite in taking
up that question first upon which there seems
affirmative action OF a majority of the voters
We believe that public opinion is now
ripe for action upon the measures of reform
which it is the object of this league to accom-
plish, and that success in effecting these re-
forms will be easy If those who think alike can
be induced to vote alike.
We believe it to be Apresent duty, enjoined
alike by patriotism and philanthropy, for all
voters 10 ignore their present party affiliations
and, for the time being at least, to unite in
electing to ofice those only who are unequiyo-
cally pledged to-at the earliest practical mo-
ment-give the people financial legislation of
the kind herein outlined.
A manifesto calling upon all Populists
to concentrate their whole attention upon
the financial question has been issued by
the party leaders in Washington, D. G. 1t
bears the signatures of LATE Pence, O. NJ.
KEN, 7. ]. Hudson, William Baker, w.
A. McKeighan, William V. Allen, John
Davis, W. A. Harris, Jerry Simpson, John
G. Bell, James H. Kyle, Haldor E. Boen,
III. E. Taubeneck, ]. III. Turner and General
James B. Weaver. These names are famil-
lar to Populists, being of men either repre-
senting the party in Congress or standing
well at the top.