The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-29
FALLING IN FOR SOUND MONEY.
THE OPENING Gun OF THE CAM
PAIGN IN THE EAST.

OF the city in Attcndance-Ex-Scn
ntOr Edmunds. eX-COntrOlIer of the
Treasury Trenholm, ex-COnEress-
man Hnrter and Charles Emory
Smith Among the Speakers.
Philadelphia, May 2S.-The opening gun
Of the campaign in the east against free
silver was fired this evening at meet
ing held in the Academy of Music in
favor Of sound money"
The meeting was held under the aus
pices OF the leading business and profess
sional men of Philadelphia, and party
lines were obliterated and democrats and
republicans. who have always been ar
rayed against each other on all national
qrestions, testified by their presence their
opposition to free coinage.
The non-partisan character OF the meet
ing was further illustrated in the list of
speakers. These were ex-United States
Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont,
William L. Trenholm Of New York. who
was controller of the currency during Mr..
Clevelands' first administration; ex-Con-
gresham Michael d. HarteT of Ohio ana
ex-Minister to Russia Charles Emory
Smith, Besides these gentlemen there
were several other speakers prominent
in the business life Of Philadelphia
The Academy of Music. while not crowd
ed, was well filled. The character OF the
audience was worthy of any speaker
being much superior to the usual crowd
that attends a political mass meeting.
An fnfaIlIgaut aud otf.uti,,o rheor,,att..,
was given TO the various speakers and
their exposition of the financial question
was listened to with the deepest interest
by the audience.
George b. Roberts, president of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company. was
made chairman of the meeting.
The meeting adopted with a long pre-
amble, the following resolution;
Resolved, That a sound money league
be organized in the city Of Philadelphia
for the purpose of assisting in the devel-
opment of an intelligent public opinion
upon the question of the currency. and
that all citizens be invited 10 become
members of the league upon the basis of
the principles herein set forth.
After adopting the resolution and the
election of officers for the league, the
meeting adjourned.
Senator Edmunds spoke for nearly an
hour
Mr.. Trenholm was the next speaker.
His address was an able and comprehen-
sive exposition Of the financial conditions
existing to-day. He said; There is no
need to exaggerate the crisis we are up
on. We are here tonight because we rec
ognize the gravity of the situation and
appreciate the importance OF dotng all
we can toward bringing about O right So
luton OF the free silver coinage system.
1t Is serious thing when men diff
FER as TO the ideas that underlie their re-
liglous and moral convictions their lib
critics or their material welfare. All the
great conflicts which by their results have
the most profoundly Influenced the des-
TIMES Of our race have been conflicts as
TO such Ideas. Not to go further back In
history. we have had In this country great
conflicts between adherents to opposing
ideas. Our revolution came OF the conten-
tion between the monarchial and the re-
publican idea. Nothing but the civil war
put an end to the long conflict between
the slavery Idea and the abolition idea.
To-day two fundamental ideas are
struggling for supremacy in controlling the
future destinies of all our Industrial and
commercial interests. For brevity's sake
let us call them the gold idea and the sill
yer idea. These two ideas are declared by
their respective advocates to be irreconcil-
able with each other hence If one Is true
the other must be false, whoever adopts
the one must discard the other The time is
at hand when every citizen Of this coun-
try should form his own judgment in the
light of his own reason and under the sane
tion Of his own conscience as to which is
right and which is wrong No one can
morally dodge his duty or disregard his
conclusions, because every vote will count
and on a question like this he who votes
against his convictions votes against his
country.
"These two ideas are contending eacn
for exclusive application to the questions
of right, of Justice, Of contracual obli-
cations and of public policy, which are
inextricably bound up with our none
tary system. The decision as to which
of these two ideas is the true one must lie
reached by reasoning, predicated upon
facts and guided by logic the decision
as to which shall be adopted rests with
the people If the people adopt that which
is true all viii be well; If they adopt
that which Is false disaster and ruin viii
cover the whole face Of our land"
Mr. Trenholm had no hesita ton in de-
claring his firm belief that If the gold
idea planted in 1873 had been left in sole
possession of the soil OF our national
finances we should to-day have been far
more prosperous and far more wealthy
than we are. He described the growth
and spread of the silver idea until IT has
become so prevalent so strong that IL
threatens to overrun the whole country
1--WE who believe 1t TO be wrong in prin-
ciple and disastrous in application now
perceive that It must either be eradicated
or we must abandon TO its destructive as
eendancy all our property, all our means
of livelihood and all our pride in our coun-
trys place among the foremost nations
Il of the earth. VIII you abandon these?
Can you as citizens Of Philadelphia remain
passive spectators Of a conflict upon the
issue Of which depends SO much that you
value most dearly2
LET us consider the means where by
this contest may be decided as we think,
nay as we know, II should be decided.
First we must recognize that the ranks
of the silver party contain many thou
sands of our fellow citizens who are Just
as good Americans as we are, just as de-
voted to the principles, just as firm in
maintaining what they believe right To
these we must address arguments IN favor
Of our views. We must appeal from their
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