The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-05-25
BEFORE A VAST MULTITUDE
General A. J. Warner and Hon. }. c.
SibIey Instruct a Vast and Ap.
preciatiVe Audience.
Spokane, Wash, May 81.

Auditorium last evening. MI. olDlSy
spoke first, occupying the rostrum two
hours He paved the way in an alto
gether clever. entertaining address for
his confrere in the cause, who spoke an
hour. 1t was nearly IL 80 p. m. when the
audience was dismissed, but there were
no signs Of Impotence as the hours New
by, and the few gaps in the sea of faces
were speedily filled by acquisitions from
the outside, for in all that expanse OF
floor space, orchestra, dress circle, bal
cony and gallery, there was not seating
room for those who came to listen and
to learn.
1t was an exceedingly impartial audi
ence, a composite of all parties and all
creeds Indeed it was, as an audience,
fully as impartial as the speakers, and
that is saying a great deal, for Mr.. Sib-
ley and General Warner both devoted a
great deal Of attention to all the polit-
zeal parties now in the field. With good
humored stories they attacked the 'old
parties" and made the populists in the
assemblage fairly Shrek with delight
and then they went for the new party
until the noisy element subsidized into
stiffness for which the hour before the
crack of doom is entirely inadequate as
a smile, that was broken at the end by
laughter from the republican and dem
ocratic side. There were some popu-
listic Interruptions, but they were of the
exuberant, good-humored sort, and only
showed that all parties in Spokane, old
and new, felt a keen sympathy for the
doctrines that the speakers came from
the far east to preach.
Mr.. Sibley talked finance" as might
have been expected, and little else. Cen
eral Warner talked finance" too, but he
concluded with a little exposition of
what he termed practical politics" He
had discussed the issue in its various
bearings. coming UP by early stages to
the practical query:
And now the question is: How can
we do it? What shall we do to be
saved?"
Come into the populist fold" yelled
q big-lunged man in one of the orches-
ira chairs.
Mayor Belt, from his front seat on the
stage, applauded vigorously. The pop
ulists-and there were many of them
cheered Justify. An old gentleman from
the country who had a seat in the flies
leaned forward in intense excitement as
his hands came together in a succession
of thunder claps that rent the atmos-
phere.
eff the republican party can win, -
General Warner continued, IF it can
adopt an unequivocal platform and
nominate a man whose reputation,
whose past record, is unmistakable,
and who is outspoken for free silver
that is the shortest road, and that is
the road 1 am going to take. Oaugh-
teri But, mind you, there can be no
straddle, no international agreement
In mine. I am not going to submit the
question to any foreign power. 1t was
not submitted to England 1903 years ago
when Washington was president, when
the first mint was established, when
Alexander Hamilton was made secreta-
ry of the treasury. I don't object to let
ting the others in; not at all. If other
nations want to join US, they are wei
come to come in. but don't believe thai
is a possibility. England for one viii
never consent to 1t. But we must have
free silver-silver in the candidate. al
we'll as in the platform of the party
Can you do it? (Cries of No, Yes, We
WILL Never and You bet from boil
sides.)
Il wish you could" the speaker con
tinued, but you ought to go east will
me. Our forefathers might as wei
have fought for liberty in the British
regiments during the war Of the revOlu
ton.
'And now to my democratic friends
This is a condition to which the repub
lican party brought us in 1873, and yol
didn't have sense enough to help
when you had an opportunity. 1 an
compelled to say that in my judgmen
there is no hope there. In the first plac
you are hopelessly divided on the ques
ton in nearly every state Throughout
the union. The two-thirds rule woul
make it impossible to nominate a sill
yer candidate without breaking tn
party in two. And If the Democrat
party is broken can it win? VIII tn
republicans go over to division of tn
democratic party any more than tn
democrats would go to a wing of tn
republican party? That's the questio
now"
There was more applause from Mayo
Belt, more cheers from the populist
and the old gentleman from the rur;
district grew fairly frenzied in his al
plause.
Then the speaker referred to the POI
ulists.
ct have been all over this country
continued the speaker slowly, "and
see that least of all there is any hoI
whatever there"
There was a sudden cessation Of ii
vigor that had marked Mayor Belt
actions, while the change in the old gel
tleman was ludicrous to see. He stoppe
with his opened hands foot and ha
apart. His chin dropped and the smi
of joy faded like a dissolving view an
turned into a wrinkle of woe. Repul