The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-21
SILVER ORATORS IN THE SOUP.
THE SOUND MONEY MAN KNOCKS
OUT TWO OPPONENTS.


Joseph +. Johnston and Jesse r..
StaIlings beaten out of TheIr
boots in n Joint Debate with Rich-
ard Clarke ut Mobue-YIr. Clarke
Points Out That the so-CaIIed Sill
YER Dollar Of the Daddies Is
Myth-GOId Record of the Demo-
cratic Party in Anre-BeIIum Days.
clayton, Ala. July 2O.-The free sllvep
advocates having arranged meeting as
this place to-day to hear Hon. Joseph +.
Johnston. and Jesse +. Stallings. Tho
friends OF sound money asked for a divis-
ion Of time, and II was conceded that Hon.
Richard Clarke OF Mobile should maks
a speech. Messrs. stalling and Johnston
had the opening and closing respectively.
with one hour each. Mr.. Clarke was given
one hour and a half
The burden of Mr.. Stallings speech was
to prove that il had been the settled pon-
cy of the Democratic party to favor fres
coinage Of silver. and that this country
could carry out that policy without tha
assistance Of any other country.
Mr. Clarke gave reasons for having
changed his mind on the subject Of freq
coinage by studying the question. He rst
viewed the coinage legislation of this coun@
try. that the financial contest OF lssi-d
was really to restore gold to circulation
and that the bill was signed by Andrew
Jackson. That was the democratic law
again in 1853. During President Pierces
administration the ways and means com4
mittee. George G. Houston chairman, rec
ported a bill reducing the amount OF sil@
yer and half and quarter dollars and dimes
ana limiting their legal tender quality tQ
50; that few silver dollars had been colnl
ed since 1906, at which time President JEFF
ferson stopped the coinage of silver dol-
lars; that this action during Presidents
Pierce's administration demonetized the
only silver that was being coined, and that
the silver dollar of the daddies" was a
myth. lie showed that the dealings OF
southern farmers were entirly with gold
countries and the risks Of trade under u
deprecated currency would be a burden
calling always on the farmer He power
fully presented the way in which creditors
would swoop down on debtors before freg
silver could be adopted, contrasted the
conditions here with Mexico and silver
countries, and showed how laborers re-
ceived far more wages and comforts OF
life here than In silver countries.
Capt. Johnston closed the debate. His
remarks were in eulogy OF silver as a
money. remarking that gold intrinsically,
was worth no more than iron. He prayed
for a shower of silver and had no fears
Of any deluge from it. He declared that
in paying debts, as between a J0-cent dol
lar, which some said the silver dollar
was, and a 200-cent dollar. which he said
a gold dollar was, he preferred the JO-cent
money. He labored to show that the peo-
pie were Impoverished there was no de-
mand for what they made, and he charged
Il all to the money power. which, he said,
was expressing the country. He said the
country required now two billions OF sill
yer dollars to pay taxes and ordinary
debts, etc.
The honors of the discussion we're cas-
ily worn by Mr.. Clorke. Capt. Johnston's
speech was a positive disappointment be-
cause of his calamity pictures and appeals
to the passion more that the reason oe
his hearers. The discussion was extreme
ly courteous and nothing unpleasant oc-
Cured. The people were urged by all
three speakers to make their fights inside
the Democratic party and to abide by its
decisions.