The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-31
MANUFACTURERS AND MONEY.
THE PHILADELPHIA CLUB PUTS
ITSELF ON RECORD.


UnaIterabIe Opposition Declared to |
the Free Coinage of silver by the |
United States AIOne-An Interna-
tionaI Agreement the Only Means
of Permanently Settling the Ques-
ton of BimetaIIism.
Philadelphia, March S0.-Since the meet
ing in Washington about two weeks ago
between certain manufacturers of this city
and the western silver senators, the Man
ufacturers' Club has been agitated by the
reports sent out of that meeting. Some of
the gentlemen present al the meeting had
not hesitated to say that they were fairly
"buncoed" by the silver men into meet
ing them, and that the alleged report OF
the meeting was misleading and in many
essentials false. Then the club determ-
ined that its position should be made fairly
known. special meeting for that pur-
pose was called for tonight and it was at
that meeting that the club lodged the
issue. The assembly rooms of the Manu-
facturers' Club not being large enough to
accommodate all who wished to attend
the meeting. 1t was held in the banquet
ing hall of the Union League Club. When
President Robert Dornan called the meet
ing to order he faced what was probably
the largest assembling Of manufacturers
which ever gathered together in Philadel-
phia. Fully 600 men were present, and
hardly a great manufacturer Of Philadel-
phia was absent. A list of those at the
meeting would be little more than a di-
rectory of the various manufacturing in
| terests of Philadelphia. The silver men
and bimetallsts came to the meeting fun
of fight, but the gold men were all power
| ful and carried things through with a
rush.
President Dornan in calling the meeting
| to order, stated that it had been called for
| the purpose Of discussing the subject
| which has been agitating the country for
| many months, but particularly on ac-
| count of the reports that have arisen out
| OF the recent meeting in washington. Mr..
| Dornan stated that il was only fair to say
that those manufacturers who went to
Washington and met the silver senators
went there Individually and not as mem
| bers of the Manufacturer club, and that
nothing that was done at that meeting
committed the club to any line of policy.
| At the conclusion of Mr.. Dornan's re-
marks the gold men offered a resolution
| limiting all speeches to five minutes This
was adopted by an overwhelming majori-
| ty.
| Then the gold men opened their attack
| under the leadership of Rudolph Blanken-
| burg, manufacturer of yarns. Mr.. Blank
| enburg stated that he agreed with the
| opening remarks of the chair that the Wis
| il of the gentlemen to Washington should
not be construed as Representative Of the
capital the friends of free silver were max
| ing out of this visit" said Mr.. Blanken-
| burg, TINS meeting was called 70 put on
| record the irrevocable opposition of this
| club to free coinage. That visit to Wash
| ington has been spread broadcast over all
| the country and has placed us in a wrong
| position. 1t was only a deep laid scheme
| of the free coinage men to affiliate the
| manufacturers of Philadelphia with free
| silver, when on the contrary the manu-
| facturers club is emphatically opposed to
it"
Then Mr.. Blankenburg presented Sc
| rieS of resolutions which were ultimately
| adopted and presumably define the posi-
| ton of the Manufacturers club on the
| currency question. The resolutions follow:
| Whereas false and misleading reports
| have been spread broadcast over the
| country as to the conference at WASH
| ngton on March 10 between number of
| Philadelphia manufacturers and those
| free silver senators, who, though elected
| as republicans and avowing themselves
| protectionists, decline to vote for the re-
| publican revenue measure known as the
| Dingley bill unless coupled with free
| silver coinage amendment, and,
| Whereas, these reports have created the
| impression that the friends OF a pro-
| tectiVe tariff are willing to compromise
| the cause of protection by indorsing the
| free and unlimited coinage OF silver at
| ratio of 16 to J. in exchange Tor addltlonal
| protection, and,
| Whereas, these statements are not only
| compromising to the integrity anu patriot
| ism of our manufacturers as individuals,
| but especially so as members OF the Man
| ufacturers' Club; therefore be it.
| Resolved That the Manufacturers
| Club, speaking for its members, emphat-
| ically denounces, as false, the statements
| made by the friends of free silver and
| echoed by those of free trade, that our
| Philadelphia manufacturers are willing to
| barter with the silver senators for the
| free coinage of silver in exchange for ad-
ditional protection,
| Resolved That the question OF bimet tai
| lsm can be permanently settled only
| through an international agreement, and
| that the Manufacturers Club declares its
unalterable opposition to the free coin
! age of silver by the United States alone,
| firmly believing that such policy VIII
result irs disaster at home and dishonor
| abroad and would only operate to place
this country upon the basis of silver mono
| metallism.
Friends of silver offered amendment and
| substitute after amendment and substi-
| tute but all to no purpose. When all of
| these had been voted down, Robert Nc
| Wade, editor of Wharton Barker's free
| silver paper, endeavored to secure a yea
| and nay vote, but that effort also was a
| failure. A viva voce vote was taken and
| the Blankenburg resolutions were adopted
| by a practically unanimous shout.
| A motion to adjourn quickly followed
| and was agreed to as quickly as offered.
| The meeting was in session just about an
| hour and a half
A RECIPROCITY COMMISSION.