Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-22
FOR SOUND MONEY
The Convention to Meet Tomorrow
at Memphis.
NOT A GATHERING OF THE BANKERS
General Business Interests of the
South Represented.
SILVER MEMS CONVENTION
Special From a stan Correspondent.

MEMPHIS, Tenn, May 22.-The sound
money convention to be held in this city
tomorrow is regarded by politicians as one
Of the most important movements inaugur-
ated in the south since the war. 1t is con-
ceded that the results following the con-
vention may not only have important bear
ing upon the business interests of the
bearing upon politics.
From advices already received, being the
answers to the call for the convention. 1t
is estimated that between COO and 500 dele
gates will be present when Secretary Car
Isle faces the audience. Every city and
every town of Importance in the southern
states has forwarded lists of delegates who
are to represent them.
The silver men have purposely given out
the impression that these delegations will
represent solely the banking interests and
the boards of trade An inspection of the
lists of delegates refutes this assertion. A
majority of the communities sending dele
cations have no organized business asso-
Citations. In those places mass meetings of
citizens were held and from the conser-
vative element present representatives
were chosen. There will be men from the
lumber, mining, manufacturing and agri-
cultural sections Of the south.
The fact that a bankers convention is
to meet here the day before the sound
money convention meets has been used to
stacked movement The call for the
convention stipulated that it was to be
composed of delegates chosen by the peo-
Pile. of the southern states who believe in
the necessity of a sound and stable cur
| rency and better banking facilities, in order
to fully restore, and in the future to main
tain prosperity among the people, and TO
this end, the cooperation of all CONNER
cial. manufacturing, agricultural and in
dustrial organizations. as well as the CO.
operation Of all good citizens. is hereby
earnestly invited" The call was made by
Cotton Exchange, Merchants Exchange,
Lumber Exchange, Manufacturers Asso-
citation and Young Mems Business League.
1isnifcnncc of the Gathering.
The significance of this sound. money
convention lies in the fact that its partici-
pants will be representative of all business
interests, and moreover, typical of the
most influential elements in the new south.
If 1t were merely meeting of bankers its
work would be discounted
The liberal responses to the call show
that there exists in every business COM
munity in, the south at least a small ele-
ment of sound money believers, the germ
of greater possibilities. These people will
hereafter be the little lump Of leaven in a
very big mass of free silver dough- 1t is
conceded by even the sound money people
that IL a popular vote were taken now
Tennessee, and probably the whole SOUTH
would vote for free silver 1t is thought
that even Memphis would vote for silver.
1t is said that portion of this sentiment
is the growth of recent months, and the
result of the general popular movement
throughout the west and south. What is
hoped for the sound money convention is
this: sThat by inaugurating a movement
among all business interests, including the
merchants, the lumber men, the miners.
the manufacturers and the most conserva-
tive of the big planters, a campaign of
education will be begun which may be ex-
pected to have its influence upon the
masses before the year is out.
Southern business Interests.
The business interests cut a great figure
with the people of the new south. The sue
cessful business man, promoter of enter
prise and employer of labor is beginning
to have weight with the people, where
before the politician and the county orator
held sway. 1t is becoming moro and more
a business community, and men are look
ing to their pecuniary interests, where
formerly party sentiment nodded them. 1t
is this factor of the situation in the new
south that is expected to be utilized to
good effect. 1t is true the sound money
men realize they have hard fight be-
fore Them 1t is true there Is a powerful
timent fostered by the Blackburns, the
Harrises, the McMillins and the Richard
sons, and fomeuted by the catchy free
silver arguments. But it is to be pointed
out to the people that there is something
else to be done besides electing leaders to
office, and that because a political leader
echoes what he thinks is a popular senti-
ment does not make that sentiment always
right.
1t is the idea of the promoters of this
movement that the sight of all of the bust
ness interests of the south combining
against free silver and setting forth plain
reasons therefor may have the effect of
causing the thinking people to pause and
ask themselves if they are not being led
away by the politicians.
Not Like Illinois.
The presence of Secretary Carlisle as
representative of the administration will
have a good effect, 1t is believed, among
the democrats. There has been no organ
lied effort in the south as in Illinois to
work up feeling against the administra-
ton. While the free silver people differ
with the administration in the financial pol
icy they do not carry their difference to
the point of personal hostility to Presi-
dent Cleveland, as in Illinois, and there is
still respect for organized democracy, and
Secretary Carlisle's speech will carry a
great deal of weight even among the free
silver people.
1t is explained by the sound money peo-
pie that this movement is sure to have a
good effect upon one class of people. This
Is the element that 'goes with the crowd"
as a rule-the people who take the silver
uprising as the general verdict of the
masses and therefore likely to be right
1t is pointed out that they will now be met
with arguments to cause them to think
awhile for themselves before drifting with
the crowd.
''The uncertain ones, who do not know
which way to turn, when they see the best
business people of the community, on one
hand, and a collection of citizens on the
other. no better Informed than themselves,
will be pretty likely to follow the business
men," This is the reasoning of one of the
sound money men.
Call for n Silver Convention.
The free silver people have issued a call
for silver convention to be held here June
IL and 13, to counteract the effects OF to-
morrow's meeting. They want to make a
great popular demonstration, to show the
strength of free silver, and thereby make a
play to catch the uncertain element that
might be Influenced by a popular move
ment. In the Cotton Exchange, the organi-
zation which started the sound money con-
vention, there is free silver element, said
to amount to about 10 per cent of the mem
bership, although they claim a greater per-
centage. These people are at the head of
the effort to assemble free silver meet
ing. They advance the claim that a strict
vote of the Cotton Exchange would have
made this more of bimetallic movement
than sound money convention. They
declare that some of the members of the