The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-09-24
FRANK BERGEN 4 FROST
Elizabeth's Monopolist Throws
a Chill Over a Republican
Meeting Gilbert COL
Inns Speech.

In ST. Bridget's Hail. at Mercer and
Brunswick streets, the Fifth Ward Re-
publican Club held a mass meeting last
night Considering the fact that the hall
is situated in a Democratic locality, the
meeting was remarkably well attended
The halls seating capacity is eight hum
dred, and at no time in the evening were
there more than fifty vacant seats. There
were few men standing in the aisies.
The audience was addressed by Frank
Bergen, ex-Mayor Gilbert Collins and
Henry Gruber,y as President of the club
under whose auspices the rally was held
Occupying seats on the platform weret-
Ex-Aldreman Harry Hill. ex-Asse sembly-
man Harry Holmes, John P. Landrine
and John A. Walker, superintendent of
the Dixon Crucible Works
MIR. Bergen was the first speaker He
talked for more than an hour, and in
that time jumped from the tariff TO the
money question half dozen times. He
was loaded with statistics. which did not
interest the audience. There was not the
enthusiasm shown that might be reason
ably expected from such a gathering.
Mr.. Bergen tired the audience, and he
was somewhat unnerved at times by men
leaving the hall in trios and quartettes
a better disposition was shown when MI.
Collins was called upon. Those present
himself mainly to the discussion of the
money question, which he said ne con-
sidered of far more importance than the
tariff
Don't let our opponents befog you.v
ne SAID. If have the slightest doubt
about the result of this contest in which
we are now engaged, / would apprehend
the most disastrous panic in the history
of American government 1 trembIe when
! think of 1t, but American favors homes
". (Applause) This contest is, I think,
already decided. What we want to do, is
TO bury our opponents so far out of sight
that we will never have to be troubled
with the discussion of the silver heresy
again. 1t is the old Greenback party in
a new aspect The argument of our OPP
ponents is the same. that could be used
to advocate the making Of shin plaster
dollar. The simplest mind can grasp
the situation"
the word money, showing that it is a
medium of exchange of products exchange
tor services and SO on. He declared that
that medium must have an intrinsic
value: II it was to be both gold and sill
said.
If all the natiens on the earth agreed
that flye ounces Of silver should be worth
an ounce or gold, and silver in reality
was not worth it, all the nations on the
earth couldn't make it SO. 1t must de-
pend on the law of supply and demand
should some extraordinary demand arise
Tor silver to be used in the arts and
sciences, law could not fix the bullion
value of silver. Laws passed by men
cannot cnange human nature or natural
laws of trade. The stamp upon a metal
dollar merely testifies to its weight and
hneness and that is why laws were passed
to punish those who mutnate Government
corn. In olden times mutilators of the
coin Of the realm were punished by
death,
Mr.. Collins attacked Mr. Bryan's asser-
ton that the farmers will be better able
TO pay off their debts in silver. and in
the same breath asserting that the free
coinage of silver will raise the price of
silver. One argument nullified the other
ne held. He said a cheap money would
drive gold out of the country and put US
on a silver basis.
TT will bring ruin" continued the
speaker, ito hundred thousand bust
ness men,. Our savings banks will he
closed, and / tremble to think of the panic
that will ensue. And all of this will
come of benefiting a few rich silver mine
owners and the few men they employ
We may have more currency but cnr-
rency is not wealth. Since 1873 we have
had some of the prosperous years in the
history OF the country
The question has ceased to be one
party; There are no parties now. II
was ike 1t was in the days of the Rebel
lion when one was either Unionists or
Secessionist. Patriots voted and fonpht
together to preserve the Union. and hon
est men must do that now"
Local issues were not discussed