Smyrna times., 1896-10-14
REED AT WILMINGTON.
Heard by Number or Smyrna's Citizens.

the issues of the day. The party was
attended by several ladies. All of those
who went from here were well pleased
with the occasion as well as the sound
and logical address of Speaker Reed.
Our fellow tOwnsmen and Candid ate
for Governor John H. Hoffecker was
OF the committee who helped entertain
the distinguished statesman and had
the honor of riding with him about the
city. The occasion was one of marked
interest.
An audience which packed the large
Auditorium to the doors greeted
Speaker Thomas B. Reed and hundreds
OF people were unable to gain admis-
sion to hear the words of advice which
were given by the man from Maine.
The meeting was very enthusiastic.
and Mr.. Reed must have been gratified
with the reception he received. The
meeting was also a well-managed one,
and though the crowd was so great
there was not half the difficulty in
handling it or half the dissatisfaction
expressed over being unable to get in
as there was at the Bryan meeting.
The officials of the Union Republican
party, under whose auspices the meet
ing was held, wisely left the handling
of the crowd to the police.
The doors were opened early and
when the hour of the meeting arriv-
ed the great building was filled.
People were standing in the aisles and
about the sides, and every seat was oc-
cupled. The seats ON the old stage,
which has now been discarded because
1t is impossible for a speaker to be
heard from it, had been filed with
chairs and all of these chairs were oc-
cupied. In the audience were a large
number of women, who showed their
interest in the affairs of the nation bv
the closest attention to the address
which was made by Mr.. Reed. Long
before his arrival the building had been
filled and hundreds had gone away un-
oDlC W gam uululSSlOQ.
The building had been beautifully
decorated. Over the electric lights
Japanese lanterns had been placed and
these served the two-fold purpose of
decorating the building, and also keep
ing the glare of the lights out of the
eyes of the audience.
The small stage on the end of the
auditorium was used by the Grace
Church Orchestra which entertained
the large audiance while waiting for
the arrival of Speaker Reed.
The Speakers stand was decorated
with red, white and blue bunting taste
fully arranged. On the sides of the
stage were the pictures of Mckinley
and Hobart and in the centre the
picture of Congressman Jonathan S.
Willis.
No speaker ever received a greater or
more hearty welcome in Wilmington
than did Mr.. Reed, and no speaker
ever made clearer and more striking
address than the man from Maine.
GREETED WITH MUCH APPLAUSE.
The entrance of Speaker Reed was
the signal for wild applause. He was
accompanied by Stansbury J. Wiley,
and they were followed by Candidate
for-Congress J. S. Willis, Candidate
tor-GovernOr John H. Hoffecker, Ste
phen Downey, DIR. Geo. W. Marshall,
Dr. G. R. Layton.
Chairman Wiley presided. He said
that those present had assembled to do
honor to Speaker Reed, and to hear
from him the reason why the principles
OF the Republican party were those on
which the perpetuity of this nation de-
pended. No one is better qualified to
speak of them than Thomas B. Reed of
Maine.
Mr.. Reed opened his remarks bv
dwelling upon the need of faith at this
time by the advocates of sound money
and national honor. What this country
needs now is confidence. That makes
good times, and the lack of it bad times
Since 1892 this country has been in a
condition of distrust and the trouble at
PRESENTS that we are only "maring
time, and not marching" Business,
IN view of the hope of Republican adj
ministratiOn, had begun to revive.
Then came the Chicago Convention
that threw a wild frenzy upon the con-
fidence of mankind and business drop
ped like a plummet into the ocean.
There was a time, he said, when only
the rich loaned money and only the
poor borrowed, but now the rich bOr-
rowed as well. Borrowing meant more
business and confidence. The whole
business to-day is upon credit. The
man who to-day could lend dollar with
expectation of getting back only so
cents was fool. In caustic vein he
classed the argument of free silver men
as based solely upon ''we believe. y
That might do, he said, for theology.
where the question could only be set
tied in another world. But it would
not do for this world. He wanted to
know why silver men did not prove
their contention. 1t was not for others
to disprove it, but yet it could be and
was being disproved. He did not wish
to revert to Mexico or China to illus
trate. Wage-earners in this country
had experience enough to prove that
silver was not the relief needed. He
briefly reviewed the expressed opinions
OF the silver men that the price of
silver would go up even when the
Government was buying 4,5OO, 900
ounces q month. Six hundred million
ounces had been brought, bat the price
kept going down. If that was the case
under the act of 1890 what would be
the result under free coinage? The