The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-11
COL. DoCKERY AT LEXINGTON.
Arraigned the Republican Leaders fol-
Deserving Their Principles.


Lexington, N. c., Oct. 1o.-(SpeciaD
On the Sth inst, the people of David
son had the pleasure of hearing Mr..
w. S. Bailey and Col. o. II. Dockery
speak at Lexington.
On account of the very short notice,
only three or four days, the crowd
was not large, but respectable in num-
bers. Mr.. Bailey, elector ON the Bryan
ticket for the Fourth district, lead off
in a short speeen of about 90 minutes,
in which he made a clear and forcible
presentation of the necessity of free
coinage of silver, in order to insure
returning prosperity to the country,
and he enforced his argument with
facts and figures that impressed his
hearers and viii do good for the cause.
He was followed by Col. O. H. Dock
cry in an able and convincing speech,
mainly on the silver issue; and it is
pity the whole county could not have
heard him.
After reading the warning of the
great Vance, justbefore his death.
against the danger to our liberties of
aggregated capital and consequent cor
ruption in the administration of our
government, he proceeded to show how
the money power, ever since the war,
had influenced and controlled legisla-
tion in it's own interest, first, by retir-
ing greenbacks that cost only an aver
age of 60 cents in the dollar, and is
suing government interest-bearing
bonds in their place, payable in gold,
silver and other lawful money; then
how they made these bonds payable
in coin-then how, by decentralization
of silver and the practice of the gov
eminent, these bonds are now all paid
in gold, in spite of the Mathews Joint
resolution of 1878 which declares that
the contract, on its face, requires the
bondholder to receive coin-gold or
silver-in payment of his bonds And
he made it plain that the money power
by thus manipulating legislation had
made money scarce and therefore dear,
had enhanced the price of gold and
deprecated the price of every thing
else. Silver included, and brought the
people into a condition of suffering
and heaped burdens upon them until
there is no hope of relief unless the
people, themselves, without regard to
party names, unite as one man and
march to the election and settle this
great question in favor of the free coin
age of silver; then we will once more
be a free people, no longer under the
baneful influence of foreign pow
ers; and with gold, silver and proper
amount of paper money in circula-
ton, the farmer will obtain renumera-
tive prices for his products, the laborer
employment at good wages, and a sea-
son of general prosperity and happi-
ness, once more dawn upon the coun-
try.
He showed that both gold and silver
were the money of the Constitution,
that they had been maintained at a
parity by the fathers of the Republic
through free coinage of both and he in
sisted that we could do what our faith
ers did. He emphasized the fact that
it was the demonetization of silver
that had sent it down, or rather had
sent gold up, and that the parity could
and would be restored and maintained
by the admission of both metals alike
to the minis
After showing the inconsistency of
Mckinley in being for free silver up to
a recent date and then suddenly favor
ing the gold standard when nominated
for the Presidency, he declared that
he himself stands where he always
stood, for free coinage of silver, and
that he could not vote for Mckinley,
but would vote for Bryan.
He arraigned Pritchard and others of
the Republican party's would-be lead
erS in North Carolina for their recent
desertion of the cause al free silver and
asserted and proved that they had
gone back on their own record, and
that they and not he had deserted the
Republican party on this vital issue.
This is but a meager synopsis of his
speech, which was one of great force
and will do good; and such speeches
and he will doubtless continue to make
them-will accomplish much for Bry-
an and free silver in North Carolina.