The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-29
THE SILVER DEMOCRATS ELECT
THAT MANY DELEGATES TO
STATE CONVENTION.
ADDRESS BY J. w. LAWRENCE.
SOME OF THOSE WHO TOOK
PART IN THE DAYS'S PRO
CEEDINGS.
SHOUTS FOR SIXTEEN-TO-oNE.
George Blocker Precipitates
Short-Lfved Fight Over
Delegates.

The sixteen-to-one fellows had every
thing their own way in the Hennepin
county Democratic convention, and
they ran the gathering from the start
without as much as protest from the
sound money people, The sound money
men gave up the fight weeks ago, and
none of them appeared at the primaries
or in the convention. Among those
present in the convention as delegates
were Capt. o. c. Merriman, Capt. D. NJ.
Gilmore, Col. w. NJ. Glenn, Ed A. Stew
ems, Joseph H. Rolfe, Judge John P.
Rea, F. B. Long, Robert Reed, P. P.
Swenson, Alonzo Phillips, Ed w.
Murphy, Pope" Gooding, Charles
Cornman and Mace Eustis.
The one set speech of the convention
was that of James w. Lawrence, who
was chosen chairman. After thanking
the delegates for the honor of presiding
over their deliberations, Mr.. Lawrence
said the Democratic party always
claimed to be the party of the COM
mon people, of the middle and lower
walks Of life, and that in the main it
had more nearly occupied this position
than any other great party. But now,
for the first time, the Democratic party
had ceased to be dominated by the
same moneyed influence which has
dominated both the old parties, and
becomes in fact the party of the peo
pie as against the favored classes, the
rich and the federated corporate infiu
ence.
'For the first time in many years. said
Mr. Lawrence, party lines have well nigh
vanished. At our caucus last night there were
IOoho nf uyhO hpr6fnfOr1
identified with the Republican and Populst
parties. They said they could not take part
in the caucus because they had participated In
the caucus of the other parties carrier IN the
campaign, but that they were on hand to show
their sympathy with us and to assure us that
they were intending to vote with us In the
November election.
''There are new isues before US, during this
campaign; first, a contest for money Of the
people, and second, a battle for the national
independence of the finances OF the American
people. The silver movement Is no craze. It
is not dishonesty. 1t is not reputation. 1t
is a movement among the people which says
the gold shall not be the god, which demands
that silver shall have its place in the money
of the country. I heard, last night, speech
by one of our opponents. He kept talking
about the so cent dollar.
ut is not true that we are advocating 80
cent dollar. II it were true, where would we
find great corporations, who could pay their
employees in this deprecated money? Would
they oppose the silver movement? They now
frequently stand the cost of labor strikes, in
volving hundreds of thousands of dollars, for
the purpose of cutting wages 25 cents day.
Would they be on the side of the single gold
standard If they realized they could employ
their men at half the wages?
1.-THE Republican party has been filing its
papers with predictions of dire ruin and dis
aster. and of money panic such as this coun-
try has never seen, if this country should de-
clare in favor of free coinage of silver at 16
to /. They do not understand the American
people. He who appeals to the cowardice of
the American people must surely fall. The
Republican gold press seems to have forgotten
that the American people were always great
enough to legislate in their own interests dur
ing all the troublous periods of our national
existence. They have forgotten 1776. They do
not know that the voice Of the people is the
voice of God. No American popular move
ment has ever been carried forward, obliter-
ating party lines, forcing upon the considera-
ton of the people one great question: like the
movement which has resulted in the nomina-
ton of William ]. Bryan (Cheers).
Reforms do not go backward. The pluto
cratic papers say that the silver movement
is but craze, and that the single gold stand
ard is the only safe and honest basis for cur
rency. We have, in our own party, some who
believe with them and will leave US in the
coming campaign.
'Some of these men have been prominent in
our party, but, as rule, they are not in SYM
pathy with the common people Of the country,
and their action has been brought about to
further their own personal and financial inter
est or to protect the same, rather than be-
cause of disposition to serve the public good.
where we lose one who goes to the gold
party we gain ten from the Republican and
Populist ranks. This is fight Of the common
people against the corporations and the money
power Money will be spent without stint to
make the people believe that this silver move
ment is only a temporary craze, but l have
faith in the people They are now in the sad
die. Party lines are obliterated and thousands
of votes will be cast for William J. Bryan by
men who have never voted the Democratic
ticket"
Tno dino raph ~ NJ
rence's speech was declaration in favor of
uniting all friends of silver in the state upon
John Lind.
A. D. Smith moved the appointment
by the chair Of a committee on resoIu-
tons of one from each ward and three
from the country. This was adopted
and the chair appointed: First ward,
F. G. Griswold; Second, H. P. Herring;
Third, Geo. NJ. Blocker; Fourth, T.
Connolly; Fifth, 0. B. Clarke; Sixth.
Matt Walsh; Seventh, o. H. Shelley;
Eighth, A. J. Ankeny; Ninth, F. e.
Hobbs; Tenth, Henry Oswald;
Eleventh. A. Sigmund; Twelfth. S. A.
Stockwell; Thirteenth, Isaac Bates:
county, Ed Egan, A. D. Smith w. J.
Milno.
George Blocker sprung a motion
which brought about the only real
fight Of the convention. Mr.. Blocker
moved that the convention resolve IT.
self into ward delegations for the pur-
pose of selecting their proportionate
share Of the delegates to the state con-
vention. This was not according to the
slate made up by Quist, Davy johnson
and others. They had arranged that
the chairman of the convention should
appoint a committee Of one from each
ward to nominate the 112 delegates.
This gives the party bosses a better
chance to manipulate matters to suit
themselves.
d. B. Johnson was ready to introduce
such motion and it was offered as a
substitute for the Blocker motion.
Johnson advocated its adoption warmly.
and said that it was precedent which
was established at the previous con-
vention, when delegates were sent to
st. Paul.
The Blocker motion was adopted.
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