The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-08-29
BRYAN AND sEwALL.
Ratification Meeting by the Bryan
and Sewan Club of Westminster
District.

/ orally applauded the telllnS poihs IhduS W
| the speakers.
By request of President Lynch ofthe Club,
| d. n. Henning, Esq, presided. After call
ing the meeting to order Mr.. Henning made
a short speech, in which he showed how close
/ ly the present contest resembled that when
jackson and Clay were the Democratic and
| Wing Presidential candidates, respectively
| He read from Bentons Thirty Years IN the
Senate accounts of business meetings in the
various cities denouncing Jackson and ex-
tracts from the city press that predicted dis
aster and ruin from Jackson's election. The
situation then, he said, was very similar to
the present condition-most of the city papers
| and the money power on one side and the
toiling masses and small business men on the
other. Jackson had faith in the people. He
believed that when they comprehended the
situation they would rise up in their might
| and crush out those who sought to build up
and maintain moneyed aristocracy to live
off the people. The people had to be shown
the danger threatening their property and
liberty at public meetings, for the press was
against them. 1t was filed with vituperatiOn
and falsehood, just as nearly all of the great
city dailies are today. But jackson was right
when he reposed confidence in the people.
| They were not long in discerning the drift of
affairs, and, impelled by patriotism, they arose
| in ,heir might and struck down those VINO
sought to destroy the liberties of the people
and usurp power not authorized by the Con-
| stitution. Jackson had determined to break
| up the national bank, which was centering all
| financial control in itself, and he did it.
We have an almost identical contest on
| hand today, said the speaker, and we have
another bold and fearless leader Of the Jack
son type in William Jennings Bryan. As we
| won in 1882, so will we win in 1896. The
press and money power were unsuccessful
then, and it will be powerless now to defeat
the plain people of this country.
AT the close of his remarks Mr.. Henning
presented the following resolutions which had
| been handed him, and they were adopted
| without dissenting voice:
Resolred. That while open and fair journal
| istic opposition is to be respected, the course
| of the Baltimore Sun and Ne,rs is neither
fair, open nor honest They suppress, alter
and change mere news to suit their editorial
| utterances, and have not only forfeited all
| right bv their course to be called Democratic
| papers, but all claim to fair and independent
journalism.
Resoired. That the thanks of the Democra-
| cy of Carroll be rendered the Ne,c York
Journal for its loyalty to the Democratic
ticket. 1t not only gives full and impartial
| reports of political movements, but IN the
| spirit of true journalism opens its columns 10
! both sides.
The principal speakers OF the evening were
Ex-Congressman William D. U Bnen, OF bal
tlmore, who was appointed Democratic
| Presidential elector IN the place OF Randolph
Barton, resigned, and EX-Ci'y Councilman
William j. Ogden, of Baltimore.
WIN. J. o'BRIEN's SPEECH.
Mr.. o Brien said that this was the first time
he had ever addressed political meeting IN
| Carroll. He had tried three cases IN our
! court, and Won all of them. and had warm
| feeling for the citizens of Carroll and high
| regard for their fairness and intelligence.
After these Introductory remarks, Mr.. u Bren
said that the Democrats OF Maryland were
absolved from the platform OF their state con-
vention by the same rule that supreme court
| may reverse the Judgment OF lower tribunal
the national convention OF the party had de-
| clared for free silver and every true Democrat
should support that declaration.
''The declarations of both the great par
| ties, : he said, ''up to and including the year
1 1896 have been for bimetallism. Even the
l Republican convention said it was preferable
\ to gold, and pledged the party to bring about
| an international agreement on the subject. 1t
| held to the gold standard as political necess-
| ity and not because it was right. The Re
/ publican platform denounced the demonetiza-
l ton of silver in 1873 by indirection as much
| as the Democratic platform did directly. The
press stepped far beyond the Republican plat
form. and the so-called gold Democrats have
invoked 81 doctrine that has no support among
| well Informed men on the subject, by declar,
I ing for Il single gold standard, without regard
/ to international agreement"
/ Then Mr.. O'Brien sought to show how,
when England became the great creditor
nation, she found it TO her advantage TO stop
the free coinage OF silver, but took no active
steps toward imposing her views on continental
| nations. He said that after the franco-Ger.
| man war, when Germany became possessed
| of an enormous amount of French gold, Ger
| many, influenced by the English Government,
was induced to demonetize silver, and about
the same time the Bank of England and other
influential British sources began Il similar
work in the United States. Then began what
Mr. o Brien claimed to be the secret demon
citation of silver by the American Congress;
No great paper, he said so much as referred
to the question, while the bankers gave 1t no
consideration.
"a bill referring merely TO the regulation
of the mint" said Mr.. 0'Brien, was so
/ amended as to establish gold standard and
demonetize the silver dollar. The testimony
| of every prominent member Of Congress dur
| ing the succeeding 10 years who has given any
study to the matter will bear out the fact that
the bill was passed by secret legislation, was
never considered and was practically unknown
to the people. Only two officers of the
Treasury were cognlzant of its passage, and
\ President Grant signed it without knowing of
\ its importance.
at can be readily understood how, with
| England, Germany and the United States
| going to the gold standard, it became impera-
| tive for other states of Europe to follow But
France always preserved the integrity of sill
yer, although her mints have been closed for
a few years to its coinage. The $500, 900, 900
of silver of France is on a parity with gold,
and France has always upheld the optional
\ payment in silver or gold 1t is scientific
proposition which needs no proof that when
| one half of the primary money of the country
was stricken down the other half, gold, APP
preciated and the inevitable consequences
| followed. All articles of property and pro-
duce measured by gold decreased in value.
''The fall in the price of silver was not due
| to overproduction, but to its demonstration.
\ Had it been kept at parity with gold natural
causes could have had little, if any, effect to-
| ward decreasing the price of the metal.
Adverse legislation alone was to blame, and
! should Congress remonetize tilt would at once