The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-25
CY. THoMPsoN's SPEECH.
He Harangues a VeEy Small Crowd IN
the Courthouse on Hard Times.

DIR. Cyrus thompson speech neL0 iaoI
night was not much Of a success. lie
had no appointment, but stopped over,
and circulars advertising that he would
speak were gotten out late; consequently
his crowd was small and at no time
amounted to more than one hundred.
He spoke in the courthouse, and was
introduced by Mayor Guthrie, who said
that he would address the audience upon
the ''Tenets and Principles of the ALI
ance." In this the Mayor made mis-
take. as the speaker had vely little to
say about the Alliance, but made an out
and political speech, having in view
the advancement of the silver party.
He prefaced bis remarks by saying
that it was time Of great political I'M
rest and uncertainty; that if he were
asked what the political complexion of
the State is to day he could not tel.
Hard times and distress financially is
the wall that is heard from one end of
the land to the other, The cause OF 1t
all is the astonishing fall in prices of all
commodities. He said that he would
take broad view Of the subject The
nation, as whole, is in debt, and to
say to them that one dollar now buys as
much as two did formerly, is cruelty.
Under the gold standard a return to
barbarism is staring US in the face.
Cheapness, he declared, was a curse and
meant retrogression.
He read from the Philadelphia Ameri-
can figures to show that while prices of
our exported articles had declined 80
per cent. the decline in prices Of i'm
ported articles had experienced no such
decline. He declared that we were no
nearer out of debt as a nation than we
were twenty years ago and that the i'm
minent danger was that we will become
bond servants Of England-under gold
monometalhSm.
"What will help us? Where shall we
locke The sensible way to restore
prices of products, flabor, is to reverse
the process by which they have been
lowered. "
He then Went into a discussion as to
what it was that had depressed prices.
First he took up the tariff and satisfied
himself that it had nothing to do with
the trouble and that it was the alliance
that had educated the people to think
and showed them the truth and brushed
the tariff cobweb out Of the way. Then
he again proved to his own satisfaction
that cheap production through the use
of inventions, and cheaper transporta-
ton did not affect the case
Then 'overproduction" was dealt
with-he declared there was and never
had been any such thing and that it was
blasphemy to say 50, as it was charging
crime on God, as it was only through His
blessings that large crops were produced
and He alone was responsible If we were
suffering from any such cause. He here
referred to the fact that he had been
charged with being unfriendly to the
church, and said trust I an a Christian
and am not unfriendly to any church
Why, he asked, is it that we hear no cry
of overproduction in prosperous tines
Production, he declared, was not con
trolling factor in fixing pricee-in fact
he seemed to think that it cut no figure
worth mentioning, as he declared that
the quantity on the markets did not exer-
else much influence on prices. Money, he
declared, was the prime factor that fixed
all prices, and here he exclaimed, paren-
thetically, that be was proud of the fact
that he was an Allianceman, as that or
ganization bad brought out the money
issue years before it would otherwise
have been recognized. All men should
forget party and stick to their principles;
bus they will not do it, he declared, and
here warned the people that the partisan
press and paid editors were preparing to
appeal to the race prejudice IL order to
keep silver men in the Democratic party.
The Democratic party had been unchris-
tiau in it's treatment of the negro and
would be punished by Providence on
that account. He declared that we
would not be able to get social equality
for the negro for perhaps generations to
come owing to this race prejudice.
The amount of money in circulation
fixes prices, and it makes no diff renee
what that money is made of, it has no
exchange value in itself, but its value
comes from the fact that some one else
is willing to take it,
1.-THE supply of gold is short and hence
the price has gone up. The demand
for silver has been cut off and prices went
down" Here he used the very law he
said did not exist.
He explained the rise in the price of
cotton and wheat as due to he rise of
price of silver, caused by the demand of
CHINA, for 5000, 900 900 of that metal to
pay Japan's war indemnity. Not enough
silvermen in the Populist party to elect
a President Silver men in all parties
must get together under any name they
choose and save the country for the good
of humanity and Gods g DRY. He gave
the Democrats lick on every opportun-
ity, but had nothing to say Of the Re
publicans He claims that the restora-
ton of silver is necessary to save US
from barbarism, and would be for the
advance of civilization, Christianity and
the glory Of God.
Marriage of Mr.. TX. G. Strong Today.
Judge Bobert W. Winston and family
left to day for Oxford to attend the mar