The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-22
WHAT MR.. POWDERLY
SAID AT CLEVELAND
Text Of His Address at the Big Rally
Saturday Night.
WHY HE ONCE FAVORED SILVER
Like Many Another Man He Was Dc.
ceivcd by Plausible Statements
Which Proved Upon Investigation
to be Devoid of Truth. Mckinley
us n Friend Of the WOrkingman.

Following is the text of the speech
delivered by Terrence V. Powderly at
Cleveland, o., Sept. 19:
1t appears that no little Importance is
attached to the fact that ] at one time
favored silver SO much has been said
about the matter that you will. | hope,
pardon me for briefly alluding to IL in
passing 1t is a fact that favored silver,
and 1t is also true that labored earnestly
TO keep 1t in Its proper place as money In
the currency of the United States. 1t Is
not true that | ever made speeches on the
question or that | ever favored the free
and unlimited coinage of silver at the
ratio of l6 to |. will confess that ut that
time l was in the position which a great
many of our free silver advocates now
find themselves in, l did not fully under
stand the question. That / may be op-
posed to silver is not so important as that
Mr. Bryan, in his letter of acceptance. ig-
nores the question. 1t is fair to presume
that he, too, has been studying and If he
has he can, as an honest man, come to but
one conclusion; that the free and unlimited
coinage of silver at the ratio of l6 to VIII
place us on n silver basis In the United
States, drive gold from circulation, and
that. too. without asking the consent of
any other nation.
In the December number of the North
American Review, 1891. I wrote an article
Ivy request OF the publisher, on the work.
ing man and free silver. Up to that time
] had given no attention to the subject,
ana III WTltiS iIt paper l. WIS Sulltl
largely by statements made by Senator
Stewart of Nevada. that at the behest Of
the owners of gold "silver was secretly
and stealthily demonetized." When that
article appeared. John Jay Knox, who
was the sub-comptroller of the treasury
In 1873. wrote me, and among other things
said:
TOLD OF HIS ERROR.
you are in error, however, in your
statement in refernce to the surreptitious
passasc of the coinage act of 1873. ! send
you herewith n history of the legislation
upon that act and request you will read
the brief paragraph which I have marked.
and then be 50 kind as to write me if you
are not fully satisfied that every effort
was made by those who prepared the act
and discussed 1t in congress TO have the
proposition for the discontinuance OF the
coinage act fully understood. If any one
Is to blame for the discontinuancc of the
coinage of the dollar 1t is the senator and
representative from the Pacific coast who
well knew the contents of the bill and
never at any time proposed the continu-
ance Of the coinage of the present silver
dollar"
When I reached home and read Mr.
Knox's letter l could not find the matter
he alluded to- and on the day l wrote him
for duplicate / learned OF his death. Up
to that time no action had been taken by
any organization with which | was con-
nected on the silver question. Subsequent
" conferences were held between the
lance. and out Of these conferences grew
the platform Of the Peoples party. which
In the main was based upon the preamble
Of the Knights of Labor.
And. by the way, in that preamble you
will find no reference whatever to the
silver question; on the contrary II, II car
rled out literally, would be opposed to the
free and unlimited coinage Of silver at any
ratio. for 1t insists upon the government
having absolute control and regulation Of
the issue Of all money. In July. 1893, re-
ceived several communications from men,
bers of the knights of Labor in the silver
conference to be held in Chicago on Aug.
Of that year and there represent them
as favoring the coinage of silver at the
ratio of 16 to l. I complied with their in
structions. and based the remarks made
by me at that convention entirely upon the
statements contained in the letters and
kilograms which / received. The speech
which I made at that convention was
never fully or fairly reported. and in it I
expressed the sentiments of constituency
without regard to my own views of the
matter At that conference I was told
that Frederick A. Luolsenbach had
made affidavit to the fact that the con-
gress of the United States had been sub
sidzed 10 demonetze silver in 1879. I
wrote the clerk Of the Supreme court Of
the state of Colorado. who sent me a
printed copy Of the. affidavit and certin-
cate over the seal of the state that II
was genuine. ! received from another
SentleU1dH JdtUeS f1tnSndll, unSn
residing in Denver, a letter in which ne
gave me Mr.. Luckenbach's address, and
on Aug. 81. 1893. / wrote as follows:
NO ANSWER.
Frederick A. Luckenbach, esq.--Dear
Sir: During the canvass of 1892 I saw.
in the western papers, what purported
to be an affidavit made by you before the
clerk of the Supreme court of Colorado.
The affidavit gave the details of an in
terview between yourself and Earnest
Seyd, of London. ! inclose with this a
copy of that affidavit and request that
you certify to me over your own signature
whether It is the one YOU swore to. Do
me the favor to return 1t with your an
swer, for, as you see. ] have marked 1t so
that may continue the thread of an in
vestigation l am prosecuting upon this
subject. Mr.. Miller, clerk of the Supreme
court Of Colorado, has been kind enough
to send me a similar one and certificate
stating that It IL genuine. Assuring you
that will make good use Of the document
and thanking you In advance for your
favor, remain,
Every truly oyurs.
1T. V. Powderly."
70 that letter received no answer, and