Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-06
BOYS OF BRAUN FOR BRYAN
GoodIy Gathering of Wage Earn
erS at Magnolia Hall.
H0MELY TRUTHS WELL PUT
Why Every Nottingham Should Support the
Chicago Platform and Nominees.
THE ovER-PRoDUcTIoN BoGY RlDDLED
Mexico Is Prospering Under the Silver
Standard and France Paid Her
Enormous War Indemnity
in Silver at Is to l.

local wage earners in behalf of William
Jennings Bryan and free silver.
1t was a representative gathering and
the speakers in using plain, unvarnished
language made plain what they desired
to say.
:. The meeting was called to order by
Hon. d. A. Greene, who named Mr..
George Harrison of Division No. 9, Ameri-
can Railway union, as chairman.
Mr.. Harrison introduced Mr.. W. H.
Stanley, ex-president of the Birmingham
Trades council.
Mr. Stanley, without preface or prefix,
entered at once into the subject to be
discussed and laid before his auditors a
few facts as regards the candidacy of
Mr.. Bryan for the presidency and the
Chicago platform, especially that part of
it pertaining to the free and unlimited
coinage of silver. He said he was glad
to see the wage earners taking action in
the present campaign, as it was of vital
interest to them. He endeavored and sue
ceeded admira bly, in proving that it
would be to the interest of the laboring
classes to elect Bryan and congress
which would stand by the principles
enunciated in the platform adopted at
Chicago
ing A couple of weeks ago there was a
wage earners meeting at Seals hall.
Brothers Ferguson and Weatherly made
speeches. These, he said, were wage
earners, but their organization was not
represented by delegation in the
Trades council. 81 have not heard Of
their organization being represented
there, but if they desire to send delegates
to the council 1 will gladly help them.
.If had money" he said, land plenty
of it, like some people, 1 suppose I would
be in favor of the so-called sound money.
There are others, however, besides the
monied men who class themselves as
sound money men. There is a class who
haven't brains enough to know the differ
ence between sound money and free sill
yer. In fact, they can't tell you why they
are for sound money. There is another
class who are in favor of sound money.
These hang around hotel Hobbies and dis
cusS sound money when, in fact, they
wouldn't know $40 bill If they were to
see 1t.
"Others favor sound money who have
property, but 1t Is in their wives names.
They say free silver would depreciate the
value of their property, when, il you
were to go to the tax assessor and ask
what property they owned you couldn't
find out. This class of people could not
have religion except in their wives
names. These people offer us their SYM
pathies. 1 don't want any of it.
when I hear a laboring man talking
against free silver feel sympathy for
him. He is like a watermelon. In fact,
his roof leaks and he amt got sense
enough TO prevent 1T.
II think Bryan is on the right track to
get matters shaped up for the laborlng
man. Mckinley says If Bryan Is elected
the country will go to destruction. Nc
Kinley some time ago spoke to lot OF
Carnegie's serfs and said the trouble with
Foo Ind oftsia
reproduction. / agree with him in
one way, there is an over-production of
d-n fools. / would like to hear him say
there is an over-production of hogs and
grain when thousands of people in this
country are starving to DEATH / would
like to hear him argue to a mother that
there is an over-productfon of blankets,
clothing and shoes when her children are
bare legged and freezing to death. Bring
a train load of provisions here and add
them to those already in the stores and
there would not be enough, distributed,
to last a week.
There are pictures on walls here and
there representing Bryan standing in the
doorway. of the treasury holding out his
hands to the silver-producing countries
and Mckinley standing in a doorway
with his hands on his hips looking out
upon furnaces and factories In full blast.
The picture has words beneath 1t asking
the people if they wouldn't rather have
the furnaces and factories in blast and
silver from other lands barred out. This
is a trick, a delusion. Let the silver
come, If it will, and the furnaces and fac
tories will be worked to their full capac-
ity and plenty of money to operate them
and for the purchase of their products"
Mr. Stanley spoke of the so-called cheap
dollar. If q person tells you, he said,
that silver dollar is only worth so cents,
ask him II he does not recollect when 1t
was worth $120 and the gold dollar SO
cents The arch traitor, Sherman, was
the cause of the depreciation of silver.
He struck 1t down at the bidding of Wall
street.
''Elect honest men to congress-" he
argued, "and you will find silver to be an
honest money. When you go to elect
man to congress tap him on the head and
see If he is sound. | tapped Oscar Under
wood on the head and found him sound in
frame and heart. Send such men as he
to congress and you will hear no more OF
50-cent dollars.
IT hope the wage earners will turn out
on the day of the election and do their du-
ty. The working men are in line, and
cant be stopped Every head of labor
organizations in the United States, ex-
cept Arthur, is in favor of and advocating
Bryan and free coinage. / am told he
(Arthur) is worth a half million. But
the greatest leader of them all-the man
who has the confidence of more Of the
masses than any other living man--is
using his tongue and pen in the advocacy
of Bryan and free silver. I need not tell
you that man is Eugene V. Debs. Your
support of Bryan will rebound to the hon
or and credit Of wage earners in ages to
come"
The speaker was frequently interrupt
ed with applause, and the name of Debs
brought forth cheers
Mr. Harrison then spoke a few words
favorable to free silver. He said the OPP
position referred to Mexico in their argu-
ments against silver. That country, he
said is on a sound basis financially, and
has made more strides than any other
country in the same length of time. yet
she advocates free silver. France paid
her debt with silver at Is to 1. and today
has the finest trades building in the
world. II am fighting" he said, "for the
women and children of this land, and
that is why 1 am for Bryan and free sill.
yer. There is a CUSTOM" he said, ~
some parts of the country of meeting
congressman and senator's with brass
bands. If they were met with ropes their
successors would look to the interest Of
the wage earners.
Mr.. j. s. Phelps was then introduced. lie