The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-09-05
AT 0HI0'S STATE CAPITAL
WILLIAM j. BRYAN WAS AGAIN
THE HERO OF THE HOUR.
Columbus Citizens Turn out En-
Masse for an Address by the
silver Candidate.

silver campaign in Ohio touched its
high water mark in Cleveland last
night, but the outpouring of people to
see and hear the democratic presiden-
tial candidate at the state capitol to-
night was greater in proportion to the
size of the city than that in the north
ern metropolis had been.
Mr.. Bryan had the state capitol
grounds for his forum, and the MEM
DRY of the local politicians contains no
such demonstration as the one in
which he played the star part. Inhab-
itants say that no other attraction has
ever drawn so strongly in Columbus,
except Il display of fireworks in connec-
ton with the state fair on the same
ground two years ago, when 40 per cent
more people We're gathered.
A fiag-draped platform faced the
eastern front of the capitol building,
and as Mr.. Bryan looked down from
its height 20 feet above the street he
saw the steps and terraces packed in
solid rows, with the gloomy stone wall
for the background, while about the
other three sides of the stage, across
lawn of several acres, to the street
beyond, stood regiments of which an
accurate estimate was an impossibility
and which a careful guess would place
at 10000.
Looking down from the roof of the
capitol building an hour before the
candidate arrived, one saw the whole
place on all Sides swarming with men,
women and children, a large part of
the city's population, reinforced by Wis
itors to the state fair now in progress.
They josted and pushed about the
grounds, and poured through the COR
ridors of the building in kaleidoscope
currents, cheering the sky rockets
which popped in the air and the brass
bands stationed on the steps for their
entertainment
From the Chiffon hotel half a mile
away, Mr.. Bryan came to the capitol
in barouche, drawn by four white
horses and under the escort Of several
free silver clubs of Columbus and
neighboring towns, enlivened by bands
and unique campaign devices in which
the silver dollar shared consplcuously.
A shrill cheer marked his progress
along the street and, multiplied in it's
intensity announced his arrival at the
platform, thereafter beating the air in
wave after wave throughout his
speech. on account of the size of his
audience. Mr. Bryan adopted a novel
method of speaking, talking to sections
of the crowd alternately from each Of
the four sides of the platform. Even
then not more than a tenth of the peo-
pie could hear him.
He was introduced by Hon. Allen G.
Thurman. the son of the "Old Roman"
who has been lighting for free silver
in Ohio for years, and after the candi-
dates speech the democratic nominee
for congress in the Columbus district,
Hon. j. l.. Lentz, addressed the re-
mainder of the crowd
Bryan's Largest Audience.
In beginning his speech Mr.. Bryan
said this was the largest audience to
which he had ever tried to speak He
had on other occasions talked where
the audience filled the house, but never
where the audience filled all outdoors.
In the course of his remarks he said:
Il desire to impress upon your minds
the fact that the enemy we are fight
ing is an enemy which has never gone
into an open battle. The advocates Of
the gold standard have never dared to
submit the gold standard to the arbit-
rament of the ballot. Every step .hat
has been taken has been taken by
stealth, and without the approval of
the American people.
In 1890 the opponents of free coin
age, being afraid of the passage Of a
free coinage bill, secured another COM
promise which was known as the Sher-
man law. In his recollections, publish
ed a few months ago, you will find that
Senator Sherman there says that he
was in favor Of the sherman law sim
ply to prevent free coinage and that
he was willing to vote for it's repeal
the day after ii was enacted, If he
could prevent the substitution of free
coinage. There you will find the chief
supporter of the gold standard policy
in the United States supporting a bill
because it gave money to the Ameri-
can people, and then declaring that he
would have voted for the repeal of II
the very next day.
Effect of Free Silver Coinage
There are some people who have an
idea that the free and unlimited coin
age of silver would bring ruin to this
country. Did you ever try to figure
out just how a man was going to cure
us by bringing silver here. If not. sup
pose you examine the situation and
see whether you can find any way in
which you will be injured Let rs
suppose that you mad free and un-
limited coinage Of silver at the present
legal ratio of 16 to l; then any person
in the world owning silver bullion
could bring that bullion to our minis
and have it converted into legal tender
silver dollars, just like the one that
you use today. Now, how could Won
be injured?