The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-01
Preached T rec Silver Doctrine
Last Night.
a BIG CROWD HEARD THEM
A Goldbug Candidate Without
Any Gold.
TWO VERY ELOQUENT SPEECHES
Both the Popuist and Democratic Eiec-
tors Advise the People Against
Any Scratching on Next
tuesday,

fun in the atmosphere because Col.
Bent Afford was in town; it may
have been to hear two of the best cam
paign speakers in North Carolina; it
may have been party feeling, pure and
simple; but whatever it was it drew
as large a crowd as could well get into
the hall, to Metropolitan Opera House
last night. 1t was beyond all question
the most enthusiastic political meet
ing that has been held in Raleigh dur
ing the campaign. Hon. Locke Craig,
of Asheville, and Capt. r. B. Davis, OF
Wilmington, electors ON the Bryan
ticket, were the speakers.
The first speaker was Capt.
Davis. He was introduced by Chair
man Aver, of the Popul:st State COM
ntittee.
Capt. Ddvis spoke most pleasantly
Of his appreciation of the opportunity
to speak to a Raleigh audience and
said that he only regretted that there
were no ladies present, and paid an
eloquent tribute to the Southern wo-
men. whose tireless fingers and aching
hearts are ever with the gallant men
of this country in their efforts for
the upbuilding and progress Of hui
manity.
He said he had tried to do the work
entrusted to lnim in a clean and con-
scientious manner. and he had tried
to place before the people a rdlson for
the faith that was in him.
He said that in this discussion he
would bring in but two propositions:
/. The absolute and vital necessity
to the people of tine free and unlimited
coinage of silver.
2. The duty of every patriot to
stand by the cooperative electoral
ticket arranged by the Democrats and
Populists.
Under the first head Capt Davis re-
viewed in detail the Chicago platform
and said that it contained every good
thing that had ever been in the Omaha
platform.
He said he had advised, in every
speech he had made, that every Demo-
crat and every Populist stand by
the fusion electoral ticket and insure,
beyond all peradventure, the election
of William j. Bryan.
The history of the demonstration of
silver was reviewed and in most elo-
quent words Capt. Davis described the
how the "crimegof 10" was committed.
s.The purpose of the conspirators who
committed this crime was well dis
guised No better time for its COM
mission could have been chosen. 1t
seems that every sentinel of the peo-
pie had gone to sleep upon his post.
The bill demonetizing silver passed
with the stealthy step of a cat through
the halls of Congress, and now, like
the hungry, furious beast of the jun
gle, this same power is waiting to
spring upon and destroy the people"
The goId-bug thsn received Capt.
Davis attention. He said they were
a contradiction, and there were too
many of them. . They are like the
frogs in Egypt-a plague now, and af-
ter Nov. 3 they will be stencil"
The ordinary arguments of the gold
men were taken up one at a time and
answered in a most able and conclu-
sive manner, and the speaker
was often applauded for the
apt illustrations with which he punct-
uated his remarks.
He showed that silver coinage would
neither reduce wages or drive gold out
of circulation. He pointed out that
while the gold-bug objected to the
proposed ratio of 10 to 1, he suggested
no other or better ratio. 1t was also
true, he said, that while the gold
standard advocate acknowledged thai
times were hard, he proposed no other
remedy for the relief of the people.
He denounced Grover Cleveland
amid great applause and said he had
led his party down slippery, serpen-
tine path of dishonor and double deal
ing, and was now calling upon hand
full of Democratic gold-bugs to stand
by him and indorse his course He
denounced in unmeasured terms the
charge that The silver cause was a
scheme of the silver miners, and show
ed that it was a sophistry of the
fimsiest kind without a particle of
reason or argument to maintain it.
ssBut there is one gold-bug argu-
ment, my fellow citizens, THAT [ want
in conclusion to refer to-and it is
a strong argument, the strongest they
have-that they have the money of
the country on their side, and that
money is the money of Hanna" (voci-
ferrous applause and cries of "Right.')
Here Col. G. Benton Afford, the
gold-bug candidate for Congress,
came into the hall, walked down
the aisle and took his seat upon the
rostrum amid applause.
SoPo' DoFAs pIOC6cueQ TO pay Ills res
poets to Hanna and his crowd and
SAID he hoped on next Tuesday the
poor mans wrong would not be strick-
en- down by the poor mans vote.
Capt. Davis closed his speech with
a reference to the cooperation be-
tween the Democrats and Populists
and said that he had until recently
been Democrat and if now be were
called upon to define his position he
would say he was such Democrat as
is Thomas E. Watson and such a Pom
ulist as is William J. Bryan. He de-
clared, amid great applause, that Me-
Kinley was mortgaged candidate and
predicted Bryan's triumphant election.
Eve are standing amid the pillows
of great revolution and there is no
ebb in the tide that bears him on to
victory. (Applause.) States that were
homeless 30 DAYS ago are doubtful noyv