The Monitor-register., 1896-10-16
The democrats and Free SILVER.


The Democrats and free silver advo
Gates opened the campaign in Woodstown
last night with a meeting in the Opera
House and an audience that packed the
building. Lawrence T. Atkinson, OF
Burlington, was the speaker, and ]. Wal
ter Pancoast presided. The Democratic
candidates, M. F. Riley, j. Ford Thonp.
son and VIM. johnson, and DR.. J. E.
Jaquette, Jas. Sharp, Jos. B. Cobb, Clark
Petit, Daniel Conover and others occu-
pied seats on the platform. Music was
furnished by the Woodstown Band.
The speaker took over two hours to
exhume the records of dead Republicans
in favor of silver as money and to set
forth the golden & that will dawn with
the passage of the free coinage act. His
audience gave him a respectful bearing,
though many of them were opposed to
the doctrines he presented. He opened
with a vehement denunciation of the
national banks and the National Bankers
Association, saying hat the organization
of the latter was identical with the al
legged decentralization of silver in 1878.
which he denounced as a crime, aud
quoted from the Congressional Record to
prove that the coinage act of 1878, which
OOhlOuobiLo0 DiiVOit W6o PoSoou tuFOuRl
Congress surreptitiously by John Sher.
man, at the instance of the gold standard
advocates of Europe and Wall street.
He took particular pains to besmirch
Gov. Griggs for claiming that the coinage
act was passed without connivancs, and
also took occasion to berate the news
papers-a ~favorite method of orators who
are short of material. The speaker
argued that gold is a dear money, because
of its scarcity. and that silver was struck
down in order that the bankers and brok.
ers might corner 6 I'D and thus bear down
prices and cause hard times.
To illustrate his statement that gold is a
dear money, he held up a gold dollar, which
he claimed to have had a hard time in getting
in Philadelphia, and when he did find it, had
to pay 81. 40 for it. Then he tried to deposit
it in a bank, he said, for 81 40, but the bank
would only receive 1t at its face value. This,
he alleged, robbed him of forty cents to en-
rich the bankers. While his illustration, per
haps, enforced the point he was making, it
was misleading, because it presented only half
the truth. Everybody knows, or ought to
know, that the small gold coins have been
Withdrawn from circulation. and S pieces are
the smallest coined, in order to give the sub
sldlary silver coins a chance, hence a premium
on them, just as there is on rare silver coins
and the shinplasters of war times.
A prominent Democrat of the county, who
is connected with a leading bank, after listen
ing awhile to Mr.. Atkinson's TRADE against
the banks, disapproved of such attacks, and
said that if it was not for the aid of the banks
now many of the farmers would be in the
hands of the Sheriff.
The speaker decried the need OF more tariff
as a protection to our industries, and said that
instead of a tariff, which was a tax on the
necessaries Of life. it was more money that
was needed, which free coinage would give
and that would restore prosperity. He said
the money we now have is too dear; we want
cheaper money. He defended the income
tax, endorsed the Chicago platform, and said
Bryan was as pure as a star.
Chairman Pancoast spoke a few words,
endoring the county candidates, and Empson
Atkinson gave notice that Mortimer White
head, lecturer of the Patrons of Husbandry,
would speak in the Opera House next Tues
day night. and the meeting concluded.
Enthusiastic Mckinley and Hobart follow
ers made the night air reverberate outside
with cheers for their favorites.