Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-06-20
GREAT SILVER RALLY
ENTHUSIASTIC FREE COINAGE
MEN AT MEMPHIS.
Fifteen Hundred Delegates from All
Sections of the West and South In
Attendance-Senato Turpie, of In
diana, In the Chair.
Meet Was a success.

Friends of silver representing twenty
States of the South and West held q two
days convention in Memphis. Fifteen
hundred delegates, comprising Democrats,
Republicans and Populists, but with hon
est money" thereby meaning gold and sill
yer, as the slogan of all, filed the lower
floor and large portion of the balconies
at the Auditorium when the gathering
was called to order. On the stage, be-
sides the officers of the Central Bimetallic
League of Memphis. under whose aus
pices the gathering was held, were many
of the leading advocates of the free coin
age Of silver in the United States. They
included Senator'S Bate and Harris Of
Tennessee, Jones and Berry of Arkan-
sas, George and Walthall of Mississippi,
Marion Butler of North Carolina, Till
man Of South Carolina, ex-Gov. Prince OF
New Mexico, Senator Turpie of Indiana,
Gov. John G. Evans of South Carolina,
ex-Gov. Eagle of Arkansas, ex-Congress-
man William j. Bryan of Nebraska, Gen.
A. ]. Warner Of Ohio, G. s. Thomas anu
Alya Adams of Colorado, Alexander Del
mar of California nd Congressman and
bankers from Tennessee and adjoining
States by the dozen.
A permanent organization was effected
the first day, with Senator Turpie OF In
diana as chairman, and addresses were
delivered by that gentleman and Alexan-
der Delmar Of California in the afternoon,
and by Congressman Sibley Of Pennsyl-
yania, G. s. Thomas of Denver and Aaron
Wilcott of Indiana in the evening.
At2 2:15 o'clock President w. n. Brown
Of the Central Bimetallic League of Mem
phis called the convention to order and
introduced Judge l.. ii. Estes of Mem
phis, who offered prayer. President Brown
then called for nominations for perma-
nent chairman and Senator lsham u.
Harris, the ante-bellum governor of Ten
nessee, was given an enthusiastic recep-
ton when he arose to present the name OF
Senator David Turpie of Indiana.
Mr.. Harris said he had no idea of max
ing a speech; that he only wished to state
in a word the purpose and objects of the
convention. 1t was called by the Central
Bimetallic League Of Shelby County, a
strictly non-partisan organization COM
posed of Democrats, Republicans and
Populists. Its doors were thrown open
to every American citizen who honestly
believed in the propriety, the advisability
ana the necessity OI tue DECENTRALIZATION VI
silver. Their doctrine is bimetallism, and
by bimetalism they mean the free and un-
limited coinage of all the gold and all the
silver produced in this country. 1--WE are
here" continued the Senator, "ns u band
of freemen to consider this all-a5sorbing
question which now confronts the Ameri-
can people. We are here to consider the
coinage question, and that question only"
The Senator from Indiana was warmly
received. After he had been elected by
acclamation he assumed the chair and
addressed the convention.
At the evening session Senator William
NJ. Stewart of Nevada presided, and in
troduced Congressman Joseph G. Sibley
of Pennsylvania. Mr.. Sibley was greeted
with thunders of applause, and in II two
hours speech aroused his audience to a
high pitch of enthusiasm. He made an
earnest appeal for independent political
action in 1896. His auditors were evil
IDENTIFY with him, for every attack upon
Secretary Carlisle. the President or Sen
ator Sherman was greeted with noisy
demonstration.
The second days session was devoted
to speeches by some of the most distin-
guished of the visitors, and the considera-
ton of the report of the committee on
resolutions.