Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1896-10-22
A GRAND RALLY AT HOQUIAM.
The Town Out En- Massc to Hear James
Hamilton Lewis.

| Hamilton Lewis.
Hoquiam did herself proud Tuesday
night on the occasion of the great dem
onstration in honor of James Hamilton
Lewis, and Mr.. Lewis, who wos at his
best, won Il place in the hearts OF his
hearers. A crowded boat went down
from Cosmopols and Aberdeen, which
was met by the Hoquiam Bryan club. A
torch light procession was formed with
300 torches, and about three men in line
for every torch, headed by the Cosmopo-
lis band and a wagon containing sixteen
girls in white and one in yellow, which
marched through town to the opera
house, which was packed to its fullest
capacity, and hundreds turned away, un-
able to gain an entrance.
The rising curtain disclosed flag
draped stage, with the sixteen little girls
in white and the one in yellow, 1G to H.
arranged in front. each OF whom, upon
the appearance OF Mr.. Lewis presented
him with a boquet Of flowers. C. w.
Hodgdon, candidate for superior judge,
was chairman for the evening, and intro
duced the speaker as our next congress.
man. An effective part Of the program
was the rendition of silver song by Mrs.
Hopkins, u Salvation Army woman, to
the tune "My Ain Countrie."
Mr.. Lewis speech was mastery ora
torical effort, backed up by indisputable
facts and logic. He dealt heavy blows
upon the Republicans for trying to ignore
the main issue and force the tariff ques-
ton to delude the people. Tariff has been
their cry for these many years, and still
conditions grow worse. He scorched the
congressman from this state for their
failure. if tariff is the issue, to place
tariff upon lumber in the bill that passed
the Republican house two years ago.
He showed the absurdity Of the Repub.
lican contention that the laboring man
would gain nothing under the higher
prices brought about by the coinage of
silver, while at the same time contending
that the high prices which they claimed
higher tariff will bring would bring to
them gain.
Coming to the main issue he laid down
the principle that this was fight between
the great masters and the great people.
Rome fell when her masters secured con-
troll Of the money, and so too will this if
the great money powers secure control of
our money. He quoted Harrison and
Jerry Kusk to show that they attributed
the rise in wages and products in 1892 to
the increase in the currency under the
Sherman law. He ridiculed the preten-
tensions Of the gold bugs in claiming that
gold was the only Sound" money, and
called attention 10 the fact that they pro-
proposed to get that "Sound" money by
mortgaging the country for it.
He punctured the claims of the treas
ury department that there were over two
billion dollars in the country by reading
the admission of the comptroller that
this sum was arrived at by adding to-
gether all the money that had ever been
issued, making no allowance for that
which had been destroyed, made into
jewelry, or exported during these one
hundred years. Also Eckels' recent re-
port showing that all the banks OF the
country contained but 1858, 1877 900; to
which add the money in the United
Cfofo Il NIL L; %, octi
mate OF an average Of five dollars in the
possession OF every family, and throw in
fifty million more for good measure and
the sum total of all the money in the
country is found to be only 5000, 900 900,
or less than half the amount claimed.
Upon the question of ratio he argued
that there was no justice or truth in the
contention that the present value OF sill
yer, with the law saying it should not be
coined as money, was the real value, but
that with the coinage restored it would
return to its former value. Take away
from gold it's coinage property and what
would be its value. In support OF this he
quoted DR.. Spar, the German economist
whom Carl Schurtz quoted a few weeks
ago as gold standard authority, but
who has since come out for b-metallism,
declaring that his last lingering doubts
have been removed.
The speech made good impression,
prominent Republicans Of Hoouiam ad-
hitting that it has lost them votes be-
cause they cannot answer it.