Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-27
HON. GEORGE DUNCAN.
4 MaenIHcent Address at Martins Ferry
Last Night

Last Night
The Martins Ferry Democrats held
another large and enthusiastic meeting
last evening in the room OF the Bryan
Bimetallic Club, that was addressed IN d
mastery manner by that sound and log.
fcal fellow thinker and toWnsman o.
tneirs. George Duncan. When the
meeting was called to order the hall
was crowded. George Cooke was mada
chairman and he, in few well-marked
words. on the political situation, IN
troduced MI. Duncan 10 the audience.
Owing to lack Of space only snort
sketch of Mir. Duncan's excellent speech
VIII be given. He wen, back to eight
cen years ago, when he spoke in Martin 5
Ferry. and it was in that speech ne told
the people what was in store for them
should silver not be remonetized, and
they failed 10 realize the truth or MS
statements until now, and if we can get
az the cause of the trouble and It is re-
moved. then, said he, the trouble Will
disappear.
He expressed his disgust for any party
wra the stamp Of Wall stree; and LCm-
bord street. and said that if the Demo-
cratic party keeps in the path it has
now started on. he would stay with il,
but when i, gets off the pain that is 20
the interest and benefit to the majority
Of The American people, then | will go
back to the place l have been the past
twenty-f0ur years, and that is, vote
for no party.
England. he said. set the example ii
1916 bv damOHe,izing silver TO benefit
the bondholder. and there is a class OF
people in the United States that follow
English ways to such an extent that
they followed her example, and conse-
quently the results were that our cur
renoy was contracted.
Such legal lights as Gray and Mr..
Weems are going around through the
county cling The people thai We have
a larger circulation now than we did
before the decentralization OF silver. He
said ne did not see how they could make
such assertions of that kind, for the per
capita jus. after the war was from S53
20 s57, while now i, was only $21. This
was proved in a most convincing manner
as il was also proved that the per capita
now was not more than S13 or S14, on
account Of a large part of the money
being out Of circulation.
The legislation was taken M from the
slow contraction of the currency after
the war until '73.When silver was demon
e.ized. the record of John Sherman, the
Band-Allison bill. and the Sherman
purchasing act, all were taken up and
discussed from a nCn-partissn sJ3nD-
point, showing jhst Wall street had had
a hand in the whole business from be-
ginning to end
The cry of The gold standard advocates
thai there were $500. 600 of silver n
the treasury that nobody wanted, was
,s ken up. He said if they would send
him a large amount of that silver to
distribute he would not doubt thsl
Judge Gray and some other people on
me Republican party would take him
aside and say: "I believe | will take a
little of that silver"
The entire trouble. he said. is due to
an insufficient circulation. and if We
could raise the per capita to $40 by
larger coinage OF gold, which IL is i'm
possible to do. because we have not got
It. I would he in favor Of it. If we
can raise il 20 $40 by a larger circula-
.ic1 Of silver. which we can do. then
an in favor Of that; and no, until orr
circulation is enlarged viii the smoke
Of prosperity issue from the stacks Of
ycur mills and workshops.
They sey that the depression Of bus
mess is due to a lack of confidence. I
say thev can have all The confidence
they want. hu' IT viii do them no good
unless they have basis for that conf
deuce.
Nr. Duncan took up the subject Of CO.
ercica and how The gold advocates were
irving 20 clear their skirts Of il. The
action Of the Standard Oil Company in
sending out slips with Bryan's md Nc
Kinley's names on them. asking their
emnlOyes 40 mark which way they were
going TO vote. and one Of the trust. When
asked why they were doing Il. said:
eve understood that there were large
number of our employees for free silver
and we wanted 70 find out the exact sit
uatiOn."
Mr.. Duncan closed his convincing ad-
dress with a few brief words on voting
Vote. said he, for principle, not for party
That is why I have not voted for the
pas. twenty-four years. for It has been
a conspiracy all the way down for the
benef, Of the rich Bryan and the Dem
ocraJic party are looking to the interests
Of the majority Of he American people
mis- year. and that is why I am going
to cast the frs; vote that | have cast
For many years for him, rs all others
that are looking TO the same interest are.