The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-06-13
WORDS OF THE BRAVE
Sparks Of Silver From the Honest
Money Convention.
CLEAR, EARNEST SPEECHES
Hundreds Of Delegates In M emphis.
Among Whom Are the Most
Eminent Statesmen on
Earth-Work Of a Day.
CLEAR, EARNEST SPEECHES

Memphis. Tenn, June 1a-Friends of
silver. representing 20 states of the
South and West. began a two days
convention In this city to-day. Fifteen
hundred delegates. comprising demo-
Gratis. republicans and popullsts, but
| with honest money" as the slogan of
| all, filled the Auditorium. where the
gathering was called to order this
morning. On the stage were. with
very few exceptions. all of the leading
| advocates Of the free coinage of silver
| in the United States. A permanent or
| ganization was effected, with Senator
| Turpie OF Indiana as chairman. and
| addresses were delivered by that gen.
tleman and Alexander Delmar of Cal
| ifornia in the afternoon and by Con-
gressman Sbley of Pennsylvania and
c. s. Thomas of Denver and Anson
Wolcott of Indiana in the evening.
| Politically. the most significant Incl
| dent of to-day's proceedings was the
clear and emphatic statement of Sem
| ator Harris of Tennessee. who Is the
controlling spirit in the management
of the convention. as to the object OF
the gathering, and the single subject to
which it is expected to confine its de-
liberations. The strength Of the men
who are for silver first. last and all
the time. and whose purpose to ad-
vance the candidacy of Congressman
Sibley Of Pennsylvania for the presi-
dency has been frequently manifested.
| and 1t is formidable, and the result Of
the encounter between these two OPP
| posing forces. the conservative and
| radical silver men. as Ii will be shown
| in the declarations of the convention.
is watched with great interest.
| Fully 1000 delegates were present in
the Auditorium when President Brown
Of the Central Bmetallic league of
| Memphis called the convention to Or
der and introduced Judge l.. II. Estees
Of Memphis, who offered up a prayer
President Brown then called for NOM
nations for permanent chairman. and
Senator Harris, the ante-bellum gov
ernor of Tennessee, was given an en-
thusiastic reception when he arose to
present the name of Senator David
Turpie Of Indiana. Mr.. Harris said he
had no idea of making a speech; that
he only wished to state in a word the
purpose and object Of the convention.
It was called by the Central Bimeta
league of Shelby county, a strictly nom
partisan organization. Its doors were
thrown open to every American citi-
zen who honestly believed in the pro-
priety. advisability and necessity OF
the rehabilitation of silver. Their
doctrine is bimetallism. and by bimet-
| allism they mean the free and unlim-
tied coinage of all the gold and all
| the silver produced in this country.
I'VE are here" concluded the sena-
tor. ''as a band of free men. to con-
slider this all-absorbing question which
now confronts the American people.
We are here to consider the coinage
question and that question only.
beg now to present to you the Hon.
David Turpie of Indiana. whom place
in nomination as your presiding off,
GER, than whom there Is no truer or
ADLER bimetallist in the United States. -
Great applause)
The distinguished senator from Indi-
ana was warmly received.
After Senator Turpie had been elect
ed by acclamation he assumed the
chair and addressed the convention as
follows:
"The coined money OF the govern
ment in full meaning stands four
square to all commercial transactions
of the people. II has four functions or
uses-it is medium of exchange; it is
a measure of values; ii is a means of
reduction of its paper proxies; 4 is a
legal tender for the payment of all
debts. There are many things besides
coined money that have some Of these
powers and uses: II has all. OF these
functions. two are created by law
those of legal tender and redemption:
those are artificial. The other two, of
exchange and value measurement, are
natural. There is no doubt that the
coined money existed and was used to
effect the exchange of commodities
and to denote values long before legis-
iation was had concerning redemption
or debt. But. although the natural
functions Of coined money are older.
much older than its artificial functions.
yet both these classes or functions are
very ancient, almost coeval with the
commerce of civilization.
"The natural functions of such mon
ey in designating the price and effect
ing the transfer of commodities do not
depend wholly upon law. they have
never so depended, but they depend
also upon usage and agreement. They
have no natural or necessary existence.
they are artificial functions depending
wholly upon law. When an article is
sold and delivered and the price Is paid
and received, this is a finality, but II
increases the need that some measure
shall be enacted by the public provid-
ing for the payment Of private notes
and of the redemption of the public
note in the coined money Of the coun-
try.
This need is not a natural one II
is next to artificial. and 1t is caused
by the thing which is called credit.
Credit. that creature Of legislation.
that product Of the statutes; credit.
the promise Of to-day. the cash Of to-
morrow. looking to the power Of the
government for the collection and en-
forcement Of its obligations. cannot
gainsay the right Of the same power to
enact what sort and what quantity of
coined money shall be paid and shall
be received in discharge and liquida-
tIon of the same. Such is the legal
tender quality. And. though IL is high
| Ia, ar,iticiaI IN is doubtless one Of the