The San Francisco call., 1896-07-23
WILLIAM P ST JOHN Permanent Chairman of the Silver
Convention. Who Made an Earnest appeal in Behalf
Of the White Metal

staff at 4 o'clock this morning, talking
Popullsm.
Owing to the intense heat and suItriness
of the weather such of the Texans and Col
oradoans who had inadvertently left their
guns in the hotel safe on the night before
took off their coats and vests and cooled
their throbbing brows with palmleaf fans.
They were indeed picturesque crowd.
They could not sit still moment. Before
the convention was called to order one of
their number mounted chair and made
speech, advising them to stick to principle
and die in the last ditch if necessary.
The opportunity to clear their throats
with coyote yell came when several
workmen proceeded 70 nail a large craycn
portrait of Lincoln 70 the gallery. The
portrait was framed IN the stars and
stripes, and when the, Texas men saw it
they rose to it as a trout to fly, and gave
a whoop, followed by the blood -curdling
bark of the coyote and the war-whoop of
the Apache. They cheered the picture of
honest old Abe again and again. did these
men who wore the blue and gray for and
against him in the dark and terrible davs
of war and desolation. The past was for
gotten, and the loyal souls of Union and
Confederate veterans broke forth in that
hearty cheer.
Break such men as these away from the
middle of the road2 Ah, no, General
Weaver. Not even Cyclone Davis could
do that.
BY the way, talking of "Cyclone Davis" /"
l observed that he KEEP. $50 feet distant
from the Texans during all the proceed
ings. He occupied seat on the platform
beside his colaborer in the vineyard of
political shame, General Weaver and did
not get near his colleagues. The reason
for interposing a considerable wad of
space between his tall figure and the 1O3
sunburned men from the Lone Star State
was perfectly obvious to the sCyclone'
and no diagram was required to explain
it. In this mornings Globe Democrat
appeared a set of whereases and one reso-
luton by the 'Cyclone," the resolution
being TO the effect that it would be well to
make some arrangement on Presidential
Electors with the Democrats. As the
Cyclone" like some others that wot of.
are pretending to be middle-of- the-road
men, the effect of this proposition on the
Texans may be easily imagined.
1--WE will fix Cyclone Davis,'' roared
one Of them this morning.
That was loyal and patriotic speech of
Ignatius Donnelly Of Minnesota. All who
have read his Atlantis" or "Casar's
Column" or THE Great Cryptogram.
will concede at once that he is a man of
brain. a burst of general and spontaneous
applause greeted his appearance. He isa
very stout, short man, with the head of a
Caesar, round and very thick from the
nape of the neck to the chin. It is a stub-
born head, one you might expect to have
butted into your stomach should Won give
it offense. 1t is a face denotIng bulldog
tenacity and fearlessness. A strong.
assertive, bold and self-reliant yisape'
with the history of centuries of oppression
and battlings written upon it. Yet there
Is nothing cross or ungentle about this
man. He has the manners of a GENTLE
man, which he Is, and the appearance OF
student and a scholar, which the world
knows him to be. In a clear, high voice.
and with an expression which left no
doubt OF his sincerity on the minds of his
hearersr he made speech which reached
the very center of their hearts.
He pleaded with them to stand bv tha
Peoples party, and his plea was made
-
more effective than if it were delivered
with all the Delsarte graces OF the profes-
sional elocutionist who talks that which
he does not mean. Nor was it necessary
Tor him to cruelty scarscrow on a gold
brick to win the praise or sympathy of his
hearers. regard it as great speech by
great man. for it is great in its simplicity
and earnestness.
Marion Butler made good speech
which was heard by but few owing to the
door voice and delivery of the gentleman
from North Carolina. But Mr.. Butler
made the mistake of talking for about an
hour and tiring that part of the conven-
ton which could not hear word of what
he was saying. The temptation was too
great for mortal man to withstand.
1t was the opportunity OF his life and he
made the most of it, but he made lifelong
enemies OF the reporters. Mr.. Butler re-