The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-17
Financial Debate at the Court
House Last Night.
COLONEL 6. BENT Afford
He Spoke Almost Continuously
For Over Two Hours.
THE SNOWMAN CIT no ICE
II was this First appointment the Col-
onet HAD Ever rad and rte Did
His Best to Satisfy His
Audience.


There were three attractions in the
court house square last night when the
town clock struck Sa brass band
with its blare and noise, Rabbits
soap wagon with a stereopticon outfit,
and last, but greatest OF all, Col. q.
Bent Afford, the original and only gold
candidate for Congress ia this district.
Col. Bent arrived early and stayed
late, and he didn't lose much til (
while he was there. He brought =
grip with him and i'm it was stuffed
gold-bug literature galore, of which
the audience received abundant evil
dence before the orator of the evening
had bid them reluctant goodnight.
[ say reluctant advisedly, for the
statesman from Holly Springs began
his scattering remarks at S O'Clock and,
with short intermissions, spoke till
lO:30.when the crowd, sore with laugh
ter. went home to sleep and dream OF
silver-bugs as Col. Afford had described
them, and gold-bugs as Rev. Meacham
had pictured them. and straddle-bugs
as drawn by Mr.. Pou. They all had
their say last night, but Pou and
Meacham didn't amount TO much. The
people came TO hear the Colonel and
it MAS the Colonel who received the
applause and held the crowd. Meacham
and Pom were listened to as If they
were only ordinary everyday political
speakers, but Col. Affords remarks
We're greeted with a continuous roar of
laughter and hand-clapping.
The crowd was pretty evenly divided
between COL Afford in the courtroom
and the soap-n1an with his show on
the lawn--about $50 each, white and
colored 1t must be stated just here,
however, in justice TO Col. Afford. that
the soap man had an organ concealed
in his wagon, and after Mr.. Afford had
dismissed his brass band and com
menced his speech this soap man
brought out the aforesaid musical in
strument and playes on it in order to
keep his part Of the crowd from de-
seTsting to the yellow-hammer politi-
clan in the hall above. This soap ven
der did this with malice aforethought,
and if Col. Afford did not get mad at
the scurvy trick it wasn't because he
hadn't a right TO do SO.
The strains Of the organ fioated in
through the windows. the crowd with
out yelled with delight at the pictures
thrown upon canvass stretched near
the court house. But above it all could
be heard the voice of the candidate
pleading with the voters before him.
1t was the crucial test in Colonel Bent's
career and he seemed to realize it and
he rose equal to the occasion. He had
a hand organ, stereopticon show, a
yelling crowd ard cheap soap TO con-
tend with. but he downed them all.
His crowd stuck by him and he re-
paid them BY sticking by them for
two hours and a half.
at first like a rusty wheel, with alter
nate jerks and stops and all the time
creaking He apologized for this, how
ever, BY saying that he was not used
TO public speaking, as heretofore the
Democrats had been ''scrougings him
out and this was positively his first APP
pearance in an appointment of his own.
The speaker began with a broad-side
attack upon the Chicago platform. He
said it meant repudiation-spur
money-and that not a country had
ever been able to make silver good
money. ssThe United States can't do
it. To try it would be for this country
to take upon its shoulders S., 000, 900 of
new debt. This free silver business is
new experiment. Tt means a. bad
dollar applause from two or three
negroes)
Afford '.That done me some good,
gentlemen" (Vociferous applause.)
II now announce myself as an indie
pendent candidate for Congress- be-
lieve / forgot to do that in the be-
ginning of my speech. applause and
laughter.) And If the News and Oh
server will just publish few more of
my pictures / think ! will get there"
(Laughter)
Here four negroes and two white
men came in.
LET them come in, they keep accom-
in And it's not quite time vet by
my watch for the speaking to Begin
The Colonel seemed to think this an
nouncement ought to be a sufficient
excuse for him to take rest and study
what he should next have to say on
the great issue of the campaign But
the audience didn't take that view of
the situation and continuously APP
plauded as they do at a minstrel show
when they are impatient for the cur
tain to rise on the next scene. But
this didn't discomfort the Colonel. His
face was as stolid and impassive as if
he had been at a funeral. He continued
to diligently study his pamphlets,
Finally the applause swelled to tor
rent of stamping and hand-clapping
and Col Bent looked up over his
spectacles and said:
''Don't hurry, gentlemen, don't
hurry; there is plenty of time" Cap
plause.)
But the racket kept up and the
speaker put down his book, took off
his spectacles, wiped them and put
them carefully in his pocket and said:
Fellow citizens you will allow me
to say few words about the funda-
mental principles of this country.
Our fathers didn't fight for money;
they fought for principle. We are
the sons Of our fathers daughter and
applause), but we don't appreciate
what they done for us in 17T6. To try
to pay our debts in silver at the ratio
Of 10 to ] would brand us as repudi-
ators In deed and in truth"
The speaker ELECTED considera-
bic laughter and applause by saying
that be had ''been going around on
the campaign with old man Pou and
n. II ~