The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-30

that at about noon on the long porch
Of the office of Marshall and Settle.
there were gathered quite a company.
including Congressman Lock hart. and
other good Democrats who had come
to hear. OF course the whole village
seemed to be out in front, and the
elm trees overspread the walk and
nearly half of the street. Under the
row of trees on the opposite side peo-
pie sat ON office pOrches. or leaned
against the trees. The main crowd,
however, reached a little over half way
across the street, and to within hear
ing distance on either side.
There must have been 500 people:
Certainly not more. From a careful
summary of the crowd, / should say
that quite 90 per cent, if not more, were
negroes. The sky is eye-blue and the
air is ripping with fresh autumnal
wind, and now Major Guthrie came
forward on the little piazza to lead Off
in the 'meea.n'."
Mai. Guthrie struck his crowd right.
He dealt much in Bible references. i'm
which he is a humorous master. ami
seemed to reyel in the "Ameus!" that
the negroes sent up. He devoted his
eNordium largely to telling how his
changes IN politics had been caused
by the parties having left him instead
Of his having left the parties,
He WenC into money figures, but
soon dropped them against the seem
ingly dense lack ot perception i'm
front Tor example. the Major once
spoke about some people being with
Mckinley and gold, and a chorus went
no from the negroes with guifaW:
"Tas, sab! we all wild you on da5."
This staggered the Major, and he went
into the Bryan matter, saying that il
the Democrats were patriots they
would take down Sewall and put up
Watson. He had his ''niggers' well
in hand. TftnaNas of course humorous
as the Major can't help being.
He finally landed: ''Nhat.' he eN-
claimed. lis the meaning Of the free
coinage Of silver?"
we Dunno" sa q many voices.
Let me tell you."
Then the Major went into the regu-
latlou definition Of free coinage, mt
the end of which the audience Re
sponded:
Yes. sab. dat's right"
Then he asked: ''Were any of you
ever IN a m;nt?" No answer.
This was the first stumper.
WELL" said the Major, Il have been
in the mint" and ne told all about the
process of minting money. He explain
ed seigniorage as toll, and told a story
about his going to mill when ne was
a boy. which was very funny and made
everybody have a good shaking laugh
The Major here took out two silver
II - 4
die, all three linked together One was
a trade dollar (420 grains), the other
a standard silver dollar (4121a grains),
and said he had bought the trade dollar
for 50 cents, while the other silver
dollar with less silver was worth as
much as the gold dollar. The speaker
explained the reason: because one was
a legal tender and the other was not.
He gave the history of the trade dollar
and said that he remembered the time
when it was worth $1.25, the amount
he had once given for a trade dollar
He said there were $27,000,000 of these
trade dollars now outstanding, and he
denounced the Republican party in
saying it was in favor of every dollars
being equal to the gold dollar, adding
that that trade dollar wasn't equal to
gold. There was no marked response
to this criticism of Republicanism. but
when later the speaker sneered at the
Democrats, there was laughter and
ooh yaases."
But the Major w6s over the heads OF
his audience. / tried to estimate by
the responses whether the negroes
we're Populst or Republican in their
sympathies, but they seemed to agree
with everything the Major put at them
more, perhaps, because he put it palat-
ably than because they knew what
he was talking about, or as whole
endorsed him. For example, he eX-
claimed, 1--WE want more money!
"You talkin' now!'' Oats whar we
want!' .'Yah! YAH" Come along!'
Would you rather have two eyes or
one!'
.Two, Boss" "Oh. Yaas!"
Then he concluded, would you
rather have silver and gold, than just
have gold?'
I'VE want bofe!"
Any of you got plenty of money
At this an explosion of derisIye
laughter went up at the very thought
of such biting irony.
"Any of you got Il $50 gold piece?
At this question the crowd OF ne
grOes almost dropped in their tracks
with heart failure, and it was full
moment before a heinous laugh of i'm
possible yearnings went up with bar
barrie unanimity. The truth is the ne
groes didn't have an idea of all the doc
trine the Major was eXpounding, clear
as it was.
Next: ''The white man ought to raise
the black man up; if you don't, the
black man will pull the white man
down." A hum Of Amen approvaIs
greeted this-"Dat's right" You
sut'n'y is right bout dat!" The Mag
continued thus to jolly these respon-
sive negroes in his wen known artistic
fashion, and it must be said that 1t was
all intensely funny. When one of his
white friends on the porch would eaten
his eye he would seem to chuckle HIM
self. Rue after all the whole perform
ance was in a very pleasant vein and
amusing.
Speaking of Cyrus Watson, the
speaker said he was going to meet him
next week and ask him some questions
As to Russell, he was in the bushes and
wouldn't come out. C'Why don't You
shake him out?") Neither the Repub-
lican or Populist party owed Russell
one debt of gratitude. The Major spoke