The San Francisco call., 1896-11-03
THE CREDIT OF THE NATION
SHOULD BE PRESERVED.
Wage-Earners and Farmers Will Be the Most In
juriously Affected Should the Free
Coinage Issue Win.

Oakland extended hearty greeting to
Thomas Bracket Reed OF Maine yester-
day.
He spoke TO ten thousand people on and
around the grand stand at the new race
track-one of the most enthusiastic as
sem blages he had met in this State, and
his speech was one of the best he has
made since he arrived here.
Special trains were run from the Oak
land pier to accommodate the crowds
from Oakland and this City, the regular
trains being altogether inadequate fol
that purpose. In addition the streetcar
lines from Oakland were running to their
full capacity, while the resources of the
livery stables in the way of horses, buggies
phaetons and carriages were taxed to the
utmost.
The grand stand was crowded and the
space beneath, also all the ground on
both sides of the speakers stand erected
for that purpose.
Among the invited guests on the speak
ers'. stand we're ex-Congressman HIlborn,
United States Senator Perkins, Professor
kellogg of the University at Berkeley, to-
gether with several of Oakland's leading
Republican politicians.
Up in the grand stand group of Berke-
ley students enlivened the pauses between
the music with college yells and songs for
Mckinley. On the opposite part of the
same structure knot of Oakland High
School students opposed the noisy Berke-
leyans with their war cry. and made the
welkin ring for the Republican standard
bearers.
F: L. Fletter introduced w. II. Chick
ering of Oakland as chairman of the meet
ing, who proposed three cheers for Mr..
Reed, and they we're given three tim es
three, the audience rising in their seats
and waving handkerchiefs and golden
chrysanthemums with enthusiasm.
When Mr. Reed stood up to speak the
audience cheered and cheered, so loudly
and so long that it was nearly minute
before order was restored sufficiently to
enable him TO be heard. He spoke as fol-
lows:
I thank you very much for your kindly
greeting. could hardly fail to feel at home
in California, for was here when California
was very young, and this audience reminds
me very much OF it [laughterl, because when
/ was here In the earlier day this magnificent
Oakland, so splenddly represented by this
great audience, was only a town OF scrub oaks
and possibilities. The oaks were small, but
tAAN RSSoAOAAt NASS AOSuilg were large. Laugh
ter and applause1
find myself also surrounded on all hands
by Maine men-a Senator from California
from my district, member of Congress from
my district who studied law in the same town
that did when we were both very much
younger. Laughter and cheers.l
About the Senator 1t would not he nronar
Tor me to speak, and he does not need it. 1ne
Der also does not need IT, but l am going
10 crafty myself by saying that hope my old
friend will be returned to Congress by such a
majority as will show your Appreciation NJ
his worth. [Applause.l
have come to discuss with you the oues-
tions of the day, TO lay before you certain
propositions which 1 believe in aud certain
opinions which l entertain. OF course they
will amount to nothing unless they pass the
test OF your good sense.
In order to make this world progress In
reasonable and sensible way God has created
men of two classes. One class is that of pio-
neers and inyentors-a progressive people
The other class is the conservative multftude
which, fortunately for US sometimes in our
history. is the class that is most numerous
Men very often bring to US, especially in no.
Htical life, theories which they want us to
test. 1t costs something to test theory
and therefore all theories have to be submit
ted to the intelligence OF the people of the
country.
1t sometimes happens that theory which is
presented with great deal of noise goes out
of existence with a great deal of silence.
Laughter and applause.l
The proposing class is very excellent class
and deserves all the credit and praise it gets
q
whose hands are very far ahead OF their brains
[laughterl and who have to be exam ined very
carefully as to the propositions they bring for
ward. lApplause.l
Now, we had few years ago lot of gentle
men who thought they were full of ideas.
Laugh teri 1t turned out they were full of
mistakes. lGreat applause and cries of "Thats
right, Tom.'1 We were in very fair condition
four years ago; there WAS chance for an hon.
est man 10 get days work most anywhere in
the whole expanse of this country, and espe-
ciaIly in the State of California. Applause
Capital was at work, N ills were open and
labor had its day. They were struggling not
for jobs but for higher wages. Some gentle
men saw this condition of affairs and declared
would be better off. Well, we were as foolish
as'thc Spanish grandee on whose tomb was
this inscription: 81 was we'll. wanted to be
better. / took medicine, and here am
lUproarious applause and laughter, mingled
with shouts OF "What's the matter with Reed
He's all right.''l You, fellow -citizens, have
mad that medicine. and where are you? lCrfes
OF dead" and I'm the soup."l
These gentlemen were mostly silver-tongued
world that they were able to make descend
upon earth the heavenly Jerusalem, provided
they. could take charge of IL when 1t de-
sSended. lUproarious laughter and applause.l
4hey said that we were nation OF consumers
Sano that what we wanted was TO buy things
az low price. They said that If we could
have things cheap we could be happy. They
piause.l
AS told them at the time If their theories
were correct all the American and his wife did
was 70 slt IN rocking-ch air, teeter backward
ano forward and Consume things. (Laughter.I