Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-24

derwood. Let every man co ms Whole
duty in this contest
democracy should have the best going
in everything. When the law says when
the party in power shall have two mama
gers in the election and the opposing par
ty one, l want the democracy to nave
those two If they are entitled to them.
when they say we are anarchists, we
say we love the same principles our
fathers loved and propose to stand BY
those principles
w. H. DENSoNS SPEECH.
The audience cheered loudly when
Chairman Roden announced that Col. w.
H. benson, who had just come among us,
would address them.
Colonel benson said that he could only
sing the doxology to the strong efforts
made by the young man who had pre-
coded him.
That never since the cycle of time has
passed over the country has there been
such contest before the people of this
country. There is more at stake than
during the dark days of the revolution.
Only 100000 people were then involved,
and there are 70,000,000 now.
"Never before has there been such re-
sort to corruption. Men never before APP
pealed to force and coercion to secure
votes.
1.-The issue is not alone silver and gold,
but is conflict with privileged few on
the one side and the masses of the people
hood of the revolutionary fathers.
mo nation ever demonetized silver by
the voice of the people. 1t is the march
of the imperial host to circumvent the
voice of the citizen. Their purpose is to
take your money away from you, for
they know what will follow, the people
will be enslaved. The purpose to destroy
money is to destroy liberty. Our oppo-
nents call such expressions anarchy.
Well, If that is anarchy 1 am an an
tc fIn
cause in this contest, the victory for it
is the, liberty of you and me.
Il understand that man named ker-
noodle-Doodle has been putting some
questions forth to be answered, and III
wager he can't get upon the stand and
give an intelligent view of single ques-
ton he asks. But I will not criticise the
man. I sympathize with him for allow
ing himself made tool of. But do say,
If man must be cast off upon the barren
fields, let him still be man.
However much our opponents may is
sue proclamations such as our friend has
just read, under the law you can cast In
free and secret ballot, and when you go
to vote on the 3rd day of November cast
that ballot for Bette and the baby.
'If this campaign accomplishes no
more 1t has purified the party in this
state by getting rid of Tom Jones and
his crowd. 1t was a good trade to swap
Jones for K6lb, and Governor Smith is
worth whole regiment of the Tom Jones
persuasion.
TON Jones, when governor used to
float around as the generalissimo OF the
state military, but he is now in the Nc
Kinley horse-holding crowd.
1.-The very name of national democrat
indicates that the party will fade away.
Democracy means local state govern
ment, and the name itself bellies its pur-
pose.
II will tell you what I mean by horse
holding. When in the war 1t was the
practice of the cavalry to select every
fourth man to hold the horses. The fell
lows selected were generally fellows who
wouldn't fight. This is the class our
Palmer and Buckner friends belong to.
And our great governor, who paraded as
the head of the Alabama military. has
gone back to holding the horses for the
enemy Gentlemen, we can't afford to
let these fellows float with US any more.
"What about the newspapers that have
gone into the horse-holding business?"
said a. voice.
"There is no law governing newspapers.
I used to run one myself.
t'There are several officers to be selected
by the democratic party in Alabama; and
1 want to tell you there are some seeking
to be solicitors who. while they say they
will cast their vote for Bryan, are oppos-
ing him wherever they can and doing
nothing to forward his cause. These Of
flee hunters will never feed at the demo-
cratic trough--mark the prediction. Their
names are ON the list, and IL they expect
that the simple vote for Bryan Will OBJ
tain for them the office they seek, they
had as we'll go along and vote for McXin-
ley--follow the dictates of their heart and
head.
"If gold standard man had been NOM
mated, who of us would go around abus-
ing him? We would have the manhood
of our convictions and vote for Mckinley
If he represented our principles, and not
take subterfuge to hide behind to ac-
complish like result.
'Now those old men, Palmer and Buck
ner, are going about making speeches to
prostitute southern manhood. l for one
am going to stay with and follow my peo-
pie il they go to hades. You will never
convince the majority of the old Con-
federate soldiers that they are wrong.
This majority are for Bryan and Sewall;
"I don't know what kind of a soldier
made, but with all my efforts for fame
and honor upon the field never had the
exciting chase of dashing along at full
sweep and saving a poor, innocent child
from instant death.
"If we can get the enemies out of the
camp and get back all the old soldiers in
the democratic party we have accom-
plished much good, even If we lose free
silver.
"If there Is enough of money in the
country, as claimed, open the Golfers and
give honest laborers now tramping over
the country work to do. Three to four
million tramps, many with wives and
children, are starving because that in
strument money is locked up in the bank
ers' shop or pawn office. We don't want
your money. If you have it, give us work
to do to make 1t.
Nothing is prosperous now but the
money-lending interest. Go to borrow
money of your banker and offer him land
for collateral and he will tell you land Is
not in demand. Ask him for loan on
$4,000 life policy ten years paid up and he
will loan you $500 on thirty days. Who
could pay that amount back now in thir-
ty days? The result would be the policy
would be sold and the money-lender
would pocket the policy. That is what
he was bidding for when he made the
loan"
Colonel benson here spoke at length on