The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-25
The Nebraska Champion of
Silver Makes an Able
Argument.
DRAWS THE DEADLY PARALLEL
Utterances Of the Secretary of the
Treasury In 1878 and at the
Present Day.


the agitation of the all-absorbing currency
question. Close upon the events OF yester-
days ''sound-money" convention at the
Auditorium, at which the economic views
of the Secretary of the Treasury were ex-
pounded to large gathering of men from
all parts. of the South, comes q Fouslng
meeting tonight of an equally numerous
class of citizens, whose slogan is 'Honest
Money" and whose guest of honor was the
eloquent young Nebraska Congressman,
William ]. Bryan.
Shortly after the sound-money conven-
ton was called the silver people got to
work upon counter demonstration, with
the result that Mr.. Bryan consented to
reply to the speech of Secretary Carlisle.
The meeting was held at the Grand Opera
house tonight. That structure seats only
about one-third as many people as the
Auditorium, in which yesterdays conven-
ton was held, and large number of peo-
pie who sought admittance could not be
accommodated.
Mr.. Bryan was introduced by Mr.. Car.
mack, editor of the Commercial Appeal,
and received an enthusiastic reception. A
considerable part of his speech was taken
up with comparisons of Secretary Car
isles last speech with utterances said to
have been made by him in 1878. The tell
ing points in Mr.. Bryans speech were
loudly applauded. He was followed by
Congressman ]. NJ. Allen of Mississippi in
humorous and interesting speech.
Mr.. Bryan said in part:
1 have read the speech delivered by Mr..
Carlisle in this city, also that delivered by him
at Covington last Monday evening, and have
compared them with the speech delivered by
him on February 81, 1873, in the House of
Representatives, and l am reminded of the
language used by David in lamenting the death
of Saul, Chow are the mighty fallen"
In 1873 Mr.. Carlisle was hurting the pebbles
of truth at the giant of the Philistines, John
sherman; to-day, as Goliath, he daily issues
challenges to his former friends. Mr.. Carlisle
did not refer while at Memphis to his speech of
1878, but he did refer to it at Covington, and
said: "Some OF the opinions then expressed
have been modified, and some of them have
been changed altogether by subsequent events
and by more thorough Investigation of
the subjects to which they related, but
on the question Of free coinage my
convictions have never been shaken for a
moment" But he did not state, even at
Covington, what parts of his former speech he
served in the House and Senate for about fif-
teen years after the making of that speech, and
never upon single occasion did he attempt to
withdraw the utteranees of 1878, or to
modify the emphasis with which he then
spoke. He explains that he voted for free
coinage in 1878 in the hope that it would
be amended in the Senate, but he never voted
against Tree coinage until after the nomination
OF Mr.. Cleveland in 1892. 1t is true that in
CQrlic1o COW hat ho
to the free coinage of silver; but he ought, in
all fairness, to have stated that he was at that
time opposed to the free coinage of gold also.
He said in his speech in 1878: 81 am opposed
to the free coinage of either gold or silver. but
in favor OF the unlimited coinage of both
metals upon terms of exact equality" Not
only was his present language contradicted by
his former speech, but letter written in 1890
by him says that he was at that time in favor
of free and unlimited coinage of silver.
Mr.. Carlisle in 1878 said: 'tThe struggle now
going on cannot cease until all the industrial
interests of the country are fully and finally
emancipated from the heartless domination of
the syndicates, stock exchanges and other
great combinations of money-grabbers in this
country and Europe" Now he is the honored
guest at a convention attended by bankers and
financiers who are opposed to the use of silver
as standard money. Mr.. Carlisle asks why the
the restoration of silver gradually
What mockery this is. Did they not secure
the passage of the seigniorage bill after the re-
peal OF the Sherman law, and did not Mr.. Car
isles chief, Mr.. Cleveland. veto this bill, not.
withstanding the fact that it was voted for by
more than two-thirds of the Democrats OF both
houses? Did not the advocates of bimetallism
in the Senate offer to support a bill provid-
ing for the unlimited coinage of silver,
with the provision that the Government
should charge seigniorage equal to the
difference between the bullion and coming
values? Did not the opponents of silver CD
pose the measure as violently as they did the
free coinage of silver? In 1875 when Mr.. Car.
Isle was in sympathy with the masses of the
people, he said: "Let US, if we can do nc
better, pass bill after bill, embodying in each
some one substantial provision for relief, and
send them to the executive for his approval
If he withholds his signature and we are I'M
able to secure the necessary vote, here or else.
where, to enact them into laws Notwithstanding
his veto, let US, as a last resort suspend
the rules and put them into q general appro
priation bill with the distinct understanding
that If the people can get no relief the Govern.
ment can get no money" These are the words
Of the same distinguished statesman, who, al
Memphis and Cov1ngtOn, assures the people
that there is now no need of relief, and that we
have only to enjoy the prosperity guaranteed
by gold standard.
Mr.. Carlisle in discussing the legal tic
assumes that the United States can accomplish
no more by free coinage than our little neigh.
Dor, Mexico, and overlooks entirely the effect
which will be produced upon the value Of
silver bullion by the unlimited use of 1t in the
United States. In other words, he does not
take into consideration the fact that the
United States is, in commercial standing, many
times as great as Mexico, and he does moi
take into consideration the fact that an in
creased demand such as would be furnished by
the United States will affect the price of that
portion OF silver which falls upon the market
In estimating the amount of gold available fol-
coinage annually he fails to consider the great
increase in the consumption of gold in the arts
and the increase in commerce in the last 1OC
years. Mr.. Carlisle holds out no hope of inter
national bimetallism, but insists that it is the
duty of this Government to maintain a gold
standard, and tries to show that it will cause
an appreciation in the value of the dollar.
AT the Memphis convent Mr.. Catchings
insisted that opponents of silver were expect
ing international bimetallism. This seeming
conflict between Mr.. Carlisle and Mr.. Catch
ings can be easily explained. Mr.. Carlisle
believed that the Government should buy
whatever silver it needs, and, therefore. nigh