The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-10-14
GENERAL" WATTS

=
IND Dir. Penili.ton Also Spoke.
The unterrihed Popocracy to the num-
Der OF 200 assembled In an old church
building at Benwood TO listen to speech
SoyE"Gen." c. c. Watts and other leading
lishts Of the party. last night. and gave
vent to their pentup enthusiasm in large
sized chunks for time. but finally
Sapsed into a state OF silence where an
Z occasional cheer from some more enthu-
s,astic and ardent brother, would sound
rather out OF place.
Inc meeting was preceded by n short
sturnout-short In length-but the rain.
no uoubt, was the cause OF the lack OF
numbers. The Young Mems Democratic
. club. OF this city, numbering nineteen
men. went down on an electric, car MS
far as Boggs run, where they were met
Z by the Sherrard band and several gem
&tlemen with red fire: They formed q
procession and marched to the meeting
place. where the band discourscd a few
selections and drew gond crowd, Con-
siderlng the weather.
The meeting was called TO order by
Mr.. Peter Mercer, who introduced as the
Chairman, Sfr. Joseph Mahood. cx mayor
or Benwood, who In turn introduced ex-
STATE Treasurer W. T. Thompson, OF
Huntington. who said he would occupy
the time by making a few remarks until
( the arrival of the star attraction OF the
evening. He took up a circular which
he said had preceded Cen" Waits ut
all his meetings throughout the state.
stating he was against free silver. He
said th.t before the Wheeling conveI-
stion the same charge was made, but 1t
no fANtN al Ia fol In M
ticular. HE COULD PERSONALLY
aEOUCH FOR MR.. WATTS BEING
I AN EXTREMIST IN THE MATTER
: OF FREE AND UNLIMITED COIN
AGE OF SILVER.
The speaker then took occasion 10 de-
fend Mr.. Watts attitude toward the coal
miners. and said that any man who said
he was not their friend was either IN
ignoramus or fool. In speaking of the
money question he said the hard times
had existed since 1878, when the demon
getization OF silver took place. He said
the assertion that we had prosperous
times up to 1892 WAS lie and the only
good times the country. saw after the
Decentralization" OF silver was during
Sthe brief period OF the Sherman pur-
chasing act. He lauded the Sherman
purchasing act to the skies and said that
no bonds We're issued from 1878 to 1893
all because silver IVES being coined.
while in another breath he said silver
was demonetized, in 1873 and after that
time was not legal tender.
Then he talked about confidence and
said there was no such thing as conf
dence required In business. He COM
mented on the times existing at pres
ent and said merchants and manufac-
Sturers would not invest their money,
when all things were declining in
value with no hope for improvement,
still there Is no such thing as confidence
required.
Thomp,on Mixes Things.
His talk began to crate on the ears of
his hearers and they showed signs of
restlessness, bud the SPEAKER didn't
notice 1t, and went on with his speech
and again tackled the crime OF '73. His
assertion at one moment that silver was
demonetIz,.d in 1873, and in another that
from 1873 to 1893 silver was coined in
large quantities and was Legal tender,
mixed his audience up little and they
didn't know just exactly where he was
at" He said that when he saw the
business revive after the act OF 1878 and
get still better after the passage OF the
Sherman purchasing act in 1890, and
how business was depressed after the re-
peal OF the Sherman act, he could not
see how any man could be an enemy to
silver.
He spoke OF General COTS campaign
for. governor OF West Virginia and said
he had often listened with pleasure to
that geDtleman's speeches in which he
said he was for America 265 days IL the
year. He recalled General Goffs state
ment that he believed in protecting the
American workingmen by the broad
shield of American law" and said the
Republicans did not believe that now.
It was the Democratic party who Is
now In favor of protecting the American
: workIngman .inder the broadshleld Of
American law When he mentioned
Cons name the audience broke out in q
hearty round OF applause. as 1t did when
he referred TO Major Mckinley.
At the conclusion OF MS- TEompson'a
remarks, the chairman introduced Mr..
&C. Watts. who was greeted with n
hearty round OF applause and three
cheers.
Watts on Silver.
Mr.. Watts at once took UP the silver
question and said n great crisis con-
fronted the Country and 1t was for the
people to decide It. He said that here
tofore both the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties had been dictated 10 by
Wall street, and Its candidates had been
suggested by the money kings OF Wall
street and Lombard street, In London.
General" Watts said he was sure
BRYAN would be elected because 30 many
Republicans had Topped" He named
three gentlemen that he knew OF In his
own county who had always been red
hot Republicans. VINO were now support
Ing the national and state Popocratlc
ticket. The speaker said silver would
bencflt labor because Wall street was
+ againgt 1t. that Wall street gamblers
always were against labor and labor
shollId be against Wall street. He said
the Republicans did not like TO discuss
the money question but wanted to make
the tariff the issue. We can FIX the
tariff some other time, :" said he. but
B we must fix the money now" The gen
eralv saId his condition would not permit
4 him 10 make Hong speech, but he desired
tosay before he closed TINT he was proud
q o. be n friend of labor. II have always
been the friend OF labor, and always
will be-" lie might have, In this con-
Snpction, explained why the coal screen
MI he drew up and which passed tho
Legislature, failed TO hold water when
! out into practical operation.
The speaker, % did Mr.. Thompson.
criticized the action OF President Cleves
land In chilling an extra session OF the
4 Conrrcss 10 repeal tho Sherman pur-
chasing act, and condemned Congress
: for repeating It, not directly. but In an