Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-09-23
DEMOCRATIC MEETING.

cratic meeting, held under the auspices
of the Bryan, Sewall and Rixey club to
hear Judge W. B. Fleming, of Ken
lucky, and Judge S. S. Yoder, of Ohio,
speak. President Harlow of the club
presided and introduced the speakers,
and several members of the club and of
the democratic committee occupied
seats on the stage. The Third Regi-
ment Drum Corps furnished music for
the occasion.
Mr.. Harlow said since the last meet
ing of the club the citizens of Alexan-
dria had had the ho-or of hearing
Hon. w. ]. Bryan address them. the
committee appointed by the club had
escorted Mr.. Bryan from Fredericks-
burg to this city and he had sent mes
sage to them telling them if they were
true to themselves and true to the
cause success was assured in November
if money did not influence the voters
| Mr.. Harlow then introduced Judge
Fleming.
Judge Fleming, after saying that he
was glad to meet and greet the people
of Alexandria, resd what Mr.. Hobart
had said about depression in business
and then said all knew and felt
this without being told of it EN-:
ployment was hard to secure and
times were so hard that young
people were too poor to get married.
He said his party came not to destroy
but to build up; to protect the doctrine
of the fathers; to defend the consti
tuition and the laws, not to overthrow
them. The republicans, he said. up to
short time since favored just what
they now opposed. having declared in
their platforms in favor of both gold and
silver. He said there was really but
two parties in the field and ridiculed
the sound money democratic party, say
ing it died before it was born. This
party, he said, never came into the tight
expecting to carry single precinct
in the country and that their candi-
dates entered not to win but to prevent
some other candidates from winning
they should get out of the way for
Bryan. The paramount question be
fore the people, he said, was whether
thu owners of the silver mines should
have the same rights as had the owners
of the gold mines, and showed the in
Justice of allowing one metal to be
coined free to the detriment OF the
other. He said of all the trusts in the
country the worse was the gold trust
and if the key stone, the gold
trust, could be displaced, then the
whole arch would fall. He then enter
ed upon the money question and said
the people were told that they did not
understand the question and must tol-
low those who did, forgetting that all
questions were finally submitted to the
people. He, himself, did not want to
trust this question only to those who
seemed so much interested in it; it was
not necessary for the people to under
stand all the phases Of the financial
question, but he thought that when all
the millionaires we're going on one side
it was time that other people were get
ting on the other side. The quantity
of money, he said, controlled the
prices of commodities: the laws make
money and money makes business:
when money is diminished the price OF
commodities is diminished; the circu-
lating medium has been contracted and
prices of commodities have been dimin-
ished, while money has advanced -
when money is increased in value pros
perity would follow and labor would be
employed. Silver had been in use
with gold from 1893 to 1873 and
though the relative products OF the two
metals had varied, still the ratio OF
values had been maintained. He said
silver could not be downed; even
after the denomination, the demand
was greater than the supply, and that
every statement he made he could
verify at the Treasury Department. II
there was free coinage, silver would go
back to where it was in 1878 at pre-
MUM; if silver and gold were stamped,
one as the other, one dollar would be
as good as another; gold and silver had
gone hand in hand for 1000 years,
scattering blessings upon all, and what
God had joined together no man
should put asunder Since 10 prices
had been declining; the army of the I'M.
employed had grown, and misery had
resulted. The farmers, business men
and laborers mad not asked for its de-
monitizaton, but the bondholders and
plutocrats had; they had dominated
legislation for years and had held this
country by the throat since the Roths-
childs 10 1865 bought 100000 of its
bonds. Now 81, 900 people owned one
half the wealth of the country, which
had q population of 100000, and
they also wanted to get the other half;
they were so mean that they did not
even want to pay small income tax
to help to pay the expenses of the gov.
eminent. There was Gen. Sickles,
who professed TO be demo
crat, who drew pension Of
$1,000 year, a salary OF $1,000
as Congressman and owned 81 5000 900,
yet he was going around saying his con-
science would not let him vote for free
silver. Mr.. w. P. G. Breckenridge also
had conscience which prevented him
from voting for free silver
He then discussed bonds, and said
| the weight of the payment of interest
| on all bonds rested on labor. This
thing of classes being arrayed against
each other, which the republicans said
should not be done, was ali brought about
by class legislature, for the benefit of the
rich. The amount Of production, he
claimed, did not account for the fall in
prices, IS the quantity of cotton, wheat,
&C.. raised now was practically the
same as that of 1885, He ridiculed the
h. nfria