Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-08-14
WEST BRATTLEBoR0 RALLY.
Ex-GOv. Dillingham; Addresses a
Large Audience.

Flag Unfurled Amid Hearty Cbeers--
n Bright Speech by w. p. stafford of
st. Johnsbury for a starter---Ex-Gov.
DnIIngham's Able and Illuminating
Discussion Of the Silver Question,
An enthusiastic Republican rally and
flag-raising was held at West Brattleboro
Tuesday evening, there being between 800
and 1000 people present. Ex-Gov. William
p. Dillingham; was the principal speaker
of the evening, the other speakers being
W. p. Stafford of St. Johnsbury and DR..
II. d. Holton of Bratteboro. A large
number of West Brattleboro residences
were brilliantly Illuminated. The services
of the First Regiment band, which had
been engaged by the West Brattleboro
people to give a concert, were kindly Civ
en- for the occasion. At 1880 o'clock the
band gave a selection, which was followed
by the unfurling in front of the Stockwell
store of flag Is by 30 feet in size bearing
the names of the Republican candidates.
Gen. j. j. Estey called for cheers for the
flag, and then for three for Mckinley and
Hobart, and they were given heartily. The
remainder of the program was from the
band stand, upon which were the speakers
and other Republicans, and the band.
Gen. Estey took occasion to thank those
who had elected him president of the club
and then made few remarks, calling at
tention to the comparatively small num-
Der OF western people, whom he met on
his three weeks visit in the West, who
were in sympathy with the Chicago plat
form. Gen. Estey introduced as the first
speaker, w. 7. Stafford of st. Johnsbury,
who made brilliant ten-minutes speech.
10 -
Bryan would probably come to Vermont
and warned the people not to accept his
declarations, which were declarations only.
without getting a satisfactory explanation
as to how those things could be possible.
Mr.. Bryan says this country is large
enough TO have a financial policy of its
own, but he doesn't tell us how that can
be true and his merely saying so doesn't
make 1t true. Mr.. Stafford closed by re-
peating some of Secretary Carlisles utter
ances, among which were these: "There
is not free silver country in existence
where the currency per capita amounts to
more than one-third what it does in the
United States" There is not a silver
standard country in existence where the la
boring man gets fair days pay for fair
days work"
DR.. Holton was next introduced and
spoke upon the influence of Vermont's
vote. He said it was possible to give Can
didate Grout majority of IS, 600 for gov
ernor and he hoped the women of every
household would see to it that their hus-
bands and fathers voted as they sbould.
He said there was not a plank in the So
called Democratic platform that was Dem
ocratic and he did not think the women of
Vermont would be carried away by any 16
to policy. As to the free coinage of sill
yer, there is not a free silver country in
the world where labor gets the reward that
it does in the United States.
Ex-Gov. Dillingham;, who was next in
troduced, devoted himself to the silver
question. He proposed to disprove some
of the assertions of the Democrats
which said he, "are without fact or
fancy to authorize the conclusions which
they draw" His address was clear and
logical, and was delivered with marked ex-
preston and in round, full voice which
was perfectly audible at the extreme end
OF the grounds. He gave history of our
silver dollar coinage from the beginning,
fully explaining the cause and effect of the
various acts. He gave comparison of the
cost of production and the amount of silver
produced before and after the year 1873,
showing that 10 times as much had been
produced in the last 20 years as in the so
years proceeding, and that it was the i'm
mense quantity of unused silver in the
United States and the other commercial
nations of the world that had reduced its
value in all the worlds markets. He
answered the claim of the silyerites that
the legislation of 1873 had reduced the
value of commercial articles, explaining
that those articles had reduced in value for
the same reason that the value of silver
bad declined-on account of the immense
production and the low cost of producing.
There is no truth" he said. sin the
claim that the bonds which have been
issued by the government have been issued
TO maintain single gold standard. The
government issued bonds for the reason
that the Gorman-Wilson tariff failed 10
yield an income sufficient to meet the gov
ernments bonded Indebtedness" Gov.
Dillingham; then showed how, under the
Mckinley act, the government had not
only been able TO pay its expenses, and the
interest on its public debt, but had reduced
its debt.
Mr.. Dillingham; then alluded to the
"crime of 1873" the claim of the free
silverites being that the bill demonetizing
silver was passed as quietly as the ''soft
tread of cat" He showed, that, on the
contrary, the bill was before both houses
of Congress for three years and was act
ually printed for examination IS times.
The band gave selection between each
speech and at the close.