The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1896-10-17
The single Cold standard Ms.,,n.


Inc gold standard meeting at the pa
,nion Ihnrsday evening. addressed BY
VIC. blerboweE. gold candidate for
neu'enant governor, and John A. Bag.
icy gold candidate for attorney general
-OoIh Tree silver men until four months
AsO-was not bowling success. The
Crowd did not oil the building TO one.
.ouftn It's capacity and several attempts
70 raise . little enthusiasm fell fat
nom gentlemen are fair takers, and IN
discussing the popular side Of question
would create interest enough TO hold
'hear audience; but under the circum.
stances the speakers could not conceal
'he iact that they were talking for a
cause with which they were not in
sympathy Their arguments were
,Aoored and weak. such as one would
look Tor In person who was compelled
against his judgment, to say something.
ID. r. Mason acted as chairman OF the
meeting and W. A. Hart, a defeated
candidate who took part 10 the August
convention held In the same building.
no" gold bug nominee for the same
once, occupied place on the platform
and II was evident that he too was not
Al ease. for his mind evidently turned
oaek TO that memorable August even.
ing when he met defeat and pledged
himself TO support the nominees OF the
convention. A ghost of the past seemed
70 haunt his vision and occasionally his
eyes closed as il in deep meditation over
bis double dealing.
A sort Of q funeral like feeling
perVAde. the whole audience and before
the speakers had finished half Of those
present left the pavilion.
Mr.. Bierbower fist addressed the
meeting by admitting that he never
knew anything about sixteen TO one or
free silver although a believer in it
until four months ago, when the ST.
Louis convention declared for the gold
standard, when he suddenly discovered
that he had been wrong and ignorant
all his life. The glitter of the gold
plank had been q beacon light TO him,
The scales fell from his eyes and he
became an intelligent, well posted gold
bug. The Transformation was 50 sud
den that Nic's nerves have not vet
fully recovered from the shock. lie
presumed that his audience was still
cropping In the dense ignorance from
which be had 20 mirac0lously escaped
and proceeded 10 tell them that we had
three kinds OF money. paper. gold and
silver: that 10 10 meant sixteen onces
OF silver 70 one ounce Of gold; and
many other things known 20 every
ten ysar-old school boy in Idaho. lie
made u number Of mikstatements,
among them he said that from 1899 10
1919 but $s.0O.0Jo in silver had been
coined by the United states. The facts
are that during that time the silver
coinage amounted 10 sIt3.sI3.59s. This
Is the result Of = sudden attainment OF
knowledge. lie then tried 10 show that
Sinoe is15, when silver - as demoneiiLed.
the coinage had been over sJn0.om, 90;
but be failed 10 state that the coinage
Of gold In that time Was 81 90, 0O0D0o.
lie did not tell his audience that from
1877 10 1919 the bullion value Of silver
vas greater than its coinage value,
which prevented IL from being coined,
and that after 1873 II began 10 fall In
price. lie did not say that in 1873 the
commercial value Of silver produced in
that year was S.. 1905 sou while its coin.
age value Was ISL 5000 and after
decentralization the values began 90
vary until 1886 when the commercial
value OF silver produced In the world
wAa sic. 2s7 !o0O and its coinage value
e296. nooD, These are the results OF
demonstration. but no gold bug will
quote the truth in presenting figures.
Mr. BAgley nsXt addressed the meet.
ING. deSoting himself TO woman suffrage
the tariff issue and personal abuse OF
senator Dubois. His arguments were
simply the threshing over Of old straw
and had nothing Whatever TO do with
the issue. II was noticeable that both
speakers avoided any reference &c
bryan or the use of his name, expert.
snce having taught them that any
reference TO the silver champion meant
buns, Of applause and cheers.
II is evidently uphill work for gold
hug 70 address an Idaho audience.
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