Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-14

The honest election and free silver conference called by Captain Kolb, S. M. Adams and others came off on schedule time yesterday, and as forecasted in the State Herald yesterday morning, was of the stormy order.
 The only speech of any consequence was delivered by Ex-Congressman Jo- seph c. Sibley of Pennsylvania, who ad- vocated the free and unlimited and inde- pendent coinage of silver at ratio of 16 to in a very able manner. He did not touch upon the subject of elections, but devoted his whole speech to the money question.
 The storm burst upon the conference at the conclusion of MT. Sibley's speech and for while it looked as though the object of the conference would fail of ac- complishment The leaders of the fusion and anti-fusion elements of the populist party locked horns early and for almost an hour the wrangling continued, the chair striving in vain to restore order
 P. G. Bowman's resolution declaring honest elections paramount to all other issues pitched the meeting, which hith- erto had been quiet and orderly into the midst of wrangle that apparently would
 
 terness
 It was not the intention of the leaders to effect an organization, their desire be- ing to hold an informal conference for the purpose of considering matters per- taining to honest elections and the free coinage of silver. But the chaos into which it was thrown by MT. Bowman's resolutions rendered organization imper- ative.
 The election of MT. Adams as tempor- ary chairman restored order for while, but at the afternoon session, when the committee submitted its report on per manent organization, the storm broke out 0 fresh and another half hour was passed in running debates between the fusionists and the anti-fusonists. At the forenoon session the defeat of Mr. Bow mans resolution was construed as de- feat for the fusionists, but they appa- rently took advantage of the recess, and in the afternoon united their followers and won victory over the antis. s. M. Adams was recognized as the candidate of the antis for permanent chairman, and his defeat registered the defeat of his faction.
 The conference was apparently har- monious at the close, but underneath the surface were several sores that may cause trouble to the leaders in the com ing campaign. Some were heard by a State Herald reporter to say they never would vote for a republican no matter by whom he was nominated.
 MT. Sibley's Speech.
 The conference was called to order in Seals hall shortly after II o'clock by State Senator A. T. Goodwin, who in troduced Ex-Congressman Joseph c. Sib- ley of Pennsylvania, who said:
 It is a pleasure to be with you in this great state of Alabama. It has been a great pleasure to me in the national con- gress to refer to this as one of the three greatest states in the union. You are rich in minerals and agricultural products. I believe today there is a more hopeful feeling throughout the United States, and I believe times are improving some. What has caused 1t all? Why prices have gone up little. That's all Iron is up, so is cotton cloth. Wheat is a little lower. but cotton is up some In 1893 you mar keted over 9000,000 bales of cotton, against about 100000 this year. You have kept it from the speculator. That's what put up the rise.
 Silver bullion rose up a little before wheat. But when 1t was found Japan would exact a bounty on silver the bull lion went up a little and wheat followed soon after.
 The volume of money governs the value of products. This principle was laid down 2000 years ago by Aristotle and over 300 years ago by Watts. Until this came to be burning question in the United States there was never writer that did hot lay this down as fundamental prin- ciple.
 MT. Cleveland recently said in letter to E. c. Benedict, Wall street banker, that if the democratic party put free silver coinage plank in the platform he would quit the party.
 The conditions that have confronted the. agricultural production so much did not spring fully equipped and take the world hy surprise. No. it was foreseen years ago. A writer twenty-four years ago said because England had f1ourshed un- der the gold standard the gold stand ard did not argue that all others would. He said the troubles that would follow the depreciation of the silver bullion would destroy the United States.
 John G. Carlisle is more responsible for the present condition of business in the United States than any other man.
 Extracts from a speech made by Sec retary Carlisle in 1878 was here read by the speaker, who said the secretary had changed his views on the money question more completely than any other man.
 Carlisle, he said, in that speech de- nounced the scheme to demonetize silver, and recently he stumped Kentucky plead ing with the people to consummate that scheme. We could go on and show dem- ocratic light after democratic light who, had advocated free silver, but they are now gone off-been deflected.
 If you were to wall in Birmingham so that money could neither get in nor get out and you had only $300,000. that $300,000 would measure the value of all your property. Retire $1000O0 OK that and the remaining $200.000 would measure the value.
 We've had two years of single gold standard and some people have tried to make us believe we are nrosperoua. hut