The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-28
A CENTRAL CLUB.
Free Silver People Organize
Their City Club,
With the Names of 1 ,4O4 Mem
bers on the Rolls.
WEBB M'NALL TALKS.
Tells Why He Had to Bolt His
Party.
A Large Audience Present and
an Interested One.

The Topeka Bryan Free Silver club
was organized last night at Hamilton
hall with membership of 1,404. About
1,500 people attended the meeting,
among whom were some women. There
were some gold bugs there, too, to hear
what the free silver fellows were going
to say. But it was a free silver crowd,
and an enthusiastic one Hamilton
hall was cOmfOrta bly, filed. There were
vacant chairs at either end of the hall,
and some preferred to stand up back
of the seats in the rear of the center
block of chairs
]. J. Hit raped for order with a
lead pencil at half past o'clock and
called for the nomination of presiding
othcers- There didn't seem to be any
slate made up, but when a nomination
was made it was closed. w r. Hazen,
who used to be a Republican cam
paigner, was elected president of the
club After telling the audience that
he felt highly hOnOred at being elected
to such a position, he said: There are
honest, sincere men in the gold party.
When you see men who have worked
with the Republicans and have been
taught by them that the free coinage
OF silver was right, brea king away from
the old party; when you see all these
men uniting on one great issue, it shows
to you that we who are here to repre-
sent those who have the honesty, sin
cer1ty and patriotism of their cOnVlc-
tions, are right. We say to you that
the cause of hard times is the demone-
tization of silver, and the remedy the
reconciliation of silver. They point
to their leader, who holds alOft the
golden star. We point with pride to
our great leader, who tonight holds aloft
the flag with the silver and golden
stars in it." (Applause)
J. M Padgett was elected secretary
of the club, with power to appoint an
assistant secretary in each ward in the
city.
A. w. Branaman was elected treas
urer, and a vice president for each
ward in the city, and one to represent
the cOlOred members, was elected. The
vice presidents are as follows: J. J.
Miller, First ward; John Schmidt; Sec
Ond G. E. Purviance, Third; Frank
Herald, Fourth; Sam Jones, Fifth; J.
R. Lytle.
Mr.. Hit then appeared on the plat
form and announced that the member
ship roll had reached 1,40z, and that
there were yet eight lists to be heard
from.
Webb McNalI, the silver Republican
from Smith county, was the principal
speaker of the evening.
Il am Republican Republican" said
he land 1 am a silver Republican.
shall speak tonight of political aero
bats and shall give bill of particulars
as to who they are, and whether they
have remained true to their faith after
teaching the people Mr.. McNan spoke
of the references which the opposition
was in the habit of making to the free
silver people as being anarchists and
clltthrOats. ''I suppose they will get
up some more epithetS to distinguish
US from the common nerd nave Deen
looking up a little ancient history to-
day to find out the records of the Re
publfcans and the Republican party for
years past. Senator Ingalls, says that
the Republicans are acrOba In the
past twenty years he has been for and
against the free coinage of silver, but
he has changed with the party. Let
me ask you if that wasn't a nice thing
to go out in this campaign with. Con-
gressman Dick Blue was nominated on
a platform favOring the free coinage of
silver
Mr.. McNall then read a letter which
Mr. Blue had written to Ex-Governor
Felt of AtchisOn, in which ne declared
himself to be in favor of the free
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1.
Richard fell from grace" said the
speaker HE must have gotten into
the hands of the plutocrats when he
went east"
In speaking of the change in thev views
of the other party, Mr.. McNa1l said:
THE bankers of London declared that
we must submit to the gold standard;
and we submitted" (Applause)
He then read a letter which Governor
r. n. Morrill, had written to be pub
Iished in the Atchison Champion in
which the governor declared in favor
of the free coinage of silver.
Just listen to that, will you?" said
voice from the audience: How is
ne Ven Wei come to him after bit. Every
thing comes to him who waits And it
will come to our friends, the enemy
after next November.
He then read a clipping from the
Topeka Capital which was published
on the editorial page a couple of years
ae.o which starts out: The Capital
wishes to send a short message to con-
of the free coinage bill and other mat
ters.
Mr.. McNan THAT is the teaching of
+be Republican leaders, the Republican
press and the Republican party"
Joseph G. Lowe made short speech
in which he said: Mr.. Bryan's age is
the same as that of the immortal
Shakespeare when he wrote his great
est of plays, Hamlet Thomas Jeher-
son drew up the Declaration OF Inde-
pendence at the same age. The Son of
Man. who died for men was of that
age The crown of thorns was pressed
on his brow at the age of 3d.
About money, Mr.. Lowe said: THE
free coinage of silver is the paramount
metallism except as dictated by the
American people" (AppIause).
sOne more thing before I close: The
fact that you have the victory already
won in this state should not deter you
from vigorous effort: Don't be content
with the $4,000 majority which is as
sured, but make it $4,000 next Novem-
ber.'' (Cheers).
A NJ Harvey was introduced to the
audience as the next lieutenant COVER
"A Republican pamphlet was sent to
me the other day by some unthinking