Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-09-04
DEMOCRATIC RALLY,

to hear Rev. Sam Small and others
who had been advertised to speak.
General DUNCAN, who was expected:
was thrown from cable car in Wash
ington yesterday and was unable to
fulfil his engagement, and Mr.. Stofer,
who had also been expected, was sud-
denly called away from Washington on
newspaper business. But Mr.. Small
was on hand, and for two hours and
half he entertained the audience with
an interesting and convincing speech in
which he excoriated the republican
party and gold bugs in general.
Mr.. M. B. Harlow, president of the
Bryan-Sewall and Rixey Club, presid-
ed, and called the meeting TO order,
after which Mr.. Frank E. Anderson in
PRODUCED Mr.. Small to the audience
In doing so Mr.. Anderson referred to
the speaker as gentleman ever ready
to respond to the call of his party-one
who having passed through the try
ing days OF reconstruction knew the
woes of republican rule. Great APP
plause followed.
Mr.. Small began his address by
reference to the late Chicago conven-
ton and the desertion of some of the
party because they were not permitted
TO foist upon it republican platform
platform the outgrowth of years
which had finally headed up in repub-
licansm under democratic name He
alluded to the passage of the Bland.Al.
lison act by the votes Of democrats, and
disected the platform ofthe party. He
then read from the official records oil
1878 to show that free coinage was
democratic measure, and declared gold
democrats inconsistent in their present
bolt. The speaker referred to federal
interference in States and denounced
the sending of government troops into
States without being requested to do so
by the respective governors. He told
OF having to walk TO the polls between
bayonets in by. gone years, and showed
that southern democrats for the past
third of Century had justly condemned
federal Inference. Mr.. Small then
passed on TO the railroad magnates OF
this country who were condemning the
free silver movement, and said one
third of the railway property was in
courts or in the hands of receivers, and
the companies had issued gold bonds
for which they alone are responsible. He
mad travelled all over the country with
railroad men, aud greatly misuuder
stood their independence if they would
allow such men as President Ingalls,, oil
the big Four" and others to ku kluX
them into voting against their con-
sciences. He declared that 1884 rail
road men were thrown out Of employ
ment in 1894 in order that railroad
Presidents and officials might get high
priced salaries, and TO use money in
lobbying. He recited several cases
where the salaries of the Presidents had
been increased, while those of conduc
tors, engineers and fireman had been
decreased. The bonds of the govern
ment, he declared, were payable in
coin, and in referring to the Mexican
dollar (the peso) he said it was not
dollar, nor was there anything on it to
denote that it was. The constitution
of the United States provided that the
money of the country should be coin
gold and silver. He passed Mexican
peso around in the audience and asked
his hearers to show, if they could, any
thing on it to cause it to rank as dol
lar. Daniel Webster had said Congress
was not empowered to demonetiZe
either gold or silver. The command to
Congress is to coin money, not to des
troy it. Mr.. Small then passed on to
the crime of characterization of silver in
1873; referred to statement made By
John Sherman in Columbus to the eff
feet that United States bonds
were payable in gold, and produced
letter from the Senator, written to
the speaker, in which the writer ad
mitted the bonds were payable in coin.
He cited the fact that Mckinley voted
for the concurrent resolution offered BY
Stanley Matthews 10 pay the obliga-
tons of the government in silver dollars
of Alp grains, which was 16 to l. 1t
had been said that gold was the money
OF the rich and silver that of the poor,
and proved that John Sherman was the
father of the expression. When he
asked if there was goldbug in the au
dience who would lend him gold dol
lar in order that he might make COM
parison with a silver dollar, some one
called out that there was no railroad
magnate in the audience. He said if
some one loaned him gold dollar he
would not destroy it. as he believed in
Scriptures and would not destroy Curl
osity. Mr.. Smallin the conclusion of his
speech said bushel of wheat was at
one time worth an ounce of silver. 10
1000 this cereal was the unit of COM
modities-equal to one ounce of silver.
Both had gone side by side, and with
the free coinage of silver wheat would
advance with it and all other commod-
tiles would necessarily do 80. He con-
Guided by reference to Senator John
W. Daniel, and asked if any one in the
audience was prepared to brand him as
an anarchist because he was believer
in free silver, as others of the party had
been. Uproarous applause followed
when the speaker ceased speaking.
Three rousing cheers were given him,
after which the meeting adjourned.
THE RATE WAR.