The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-17
FORM A DEBATING CLUB.
One is Organized by Free Silver Men
Saturday Evening.

About thirty men who are anxious to
see free silver adopted at a ratio of 16
to met Saturday at D. G. TillOtsOn's
law office for the purpose of organizing
a free silver debating club. Before
the evening was over there were fifty
there The club was organized and
Few short speeches were made.
The Topeka Free Silver Debating
club was organized with a membership
roll of over 200.
T. r. Hawks, who is a teacher of elo-
cutiOn, called the meeting to order He
called for nominations for permanent
officers and he was elected president,
with A. d. Campbell vice president,
John Il. LagerStrOm secretary and I. J.
O'Day treasurer
Committees were appointed for pro-
gramme and executive.
It was decided to use the Trades As
sembly hall on East Seventh street a s
q meeting place. The next meeting will
be held next Saturday night at which
time the officers say there will be some
able speakers.
One of the members told the club that
ex-senator John Martin and John w.
Breidenthal had promised him that
they would furnish all the litera ture on
free silver that the club might need.
Mr.. Breidenthal, he said, would also
furnish some money if desired.
President Hawks made a short ad-
dress just after being elected as presid-
ing officer, and said: Tt is said that
we have money enough. We find all
the money tied up in the banks. How
l. Y,
there are checks on the banks for more
than double the amount of the money!
N1nety-hve per cent of the business of
the country is done on credit Brad
street and Dun tell US that about 95
per cent of the merchants fail at some
time. Let US turn things over and do
per cent of the business with credit
and 80 per cent with coin.
I am ashamed of the American citi-
zen who will come up to me and say
that we must wait until some other
country decides what monetary system
We must adopt The man from Canton
who was not man enough to come out
on the money question until after he
was nominated, viii be showed under
next November so badly that he will
have to be dug out like the ruins of
POmped and Herculanedm. >"
A list of names OF the men who
wished to become members was circu-
lated. 1t had been circulated previous
60 the meeting and contained some
thing over 200 names. The State Jour
nal reporter asked that a. list be given
for publication, but two or three arose
and objected. One man said that he
was opposed to it because it might
cause somebody trouble.
we will give the reporter the num-
Der of Names" said Mr.. Hawks, ''and
we thank him very much
W. r. Hazen was called forward and
he explained that he could not make
speech, he had OVertaXed his voice
in speaking in the open air He told
the members that he would be glad to
do anything he could for them, and for
them to work hard in their good cause
In speaking of the money question. Mr.
Hazen said: There is no argument on
the other side. I heard Thurston over
at the park the other day and paid very
close attention. He didn't make a sin
gle point that a dozen men in this hall
could not refute''
Mr.. Hazen- said that in years gone by
he had stunped this county for the Re
publicans and advocated the free coin
age OF silver. And for him now to
turn around and stump it for the gold
standard and thereby to admit that he
was either an ignOramus or a liar was
more than he could swallow.
4 have never voted anything but the
Republican ticket" said he. THE
prOudest moment of my life was when
I followed in a Republican procession
in the campaign of 1860.
I wished for a long vision the night
OF the Republican ratification, so that
the Iczelheimers and the MOrgans could
have looked up Kansas avenue that
evening, and I think smile would have
come over their faces and they would
have taken another bottle of cham
payne"
A few short talks were made by some
of the members, and the club adjourned