The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-20
TAYLOR TALKED
TO SILVERITES
PlankS in the Democratic
National Platform
Discussed.
MONEY THE ONLY ISSUE
So Declared the Advocate of the
White Metal From Colo
RADIO.
METROPOLITAN HALL PACKED
Prices and Circulation the Main
Themes of the Speaker of
the Evening.
HALL PACKED

There were probably $500 people present
at Metropolitan Hall last night to listen
to the advocates of free silver, and many,
unable to obtain even standing room, were
forced to find their evenings entertain
ment elsewhere. Many ladies were in the
audience.
Across the organ back of the platform
appeared in large letters of silver, evil
liam ]. Bryan, the great defender" and
on an easel on the platform was a life
size portrait of the silver champion
framed in smilax.
Judge Lawlor, after explaining that the
meeting was held under the auspices Of
the California Silver, Campaign Commit
tee, introduced Thomas ]. Clunie as the
chairman OF the meeting, who made an
address touching the money question.
he declared that in the past all the
political parties of the State of California
had always been in favor of the free and
unlimited coinage of both gold and silver
at the ratio of 16 to 1. He claimed that
the Republican convention at st. Louis
was captured by the money power and
that the Democratic convention at Chi
cago was without q programme, and had
as a consequence nominated a man who
try. He named, one after another the
candidates who had been named at the
Chicago convention, reserving that of the
nominee of the Democratic party as the
last. The name of Bryan evoked great
applause, which continued for some time.
The plank of the platform of the Repub-
lican party declaring for free silver by in
ternational agreement was denounced as
placing the country in q position of sec
ond@ry Importance to the other nations of
the world.
After song by the Knickerbocker quar-
tet, NJ. f. Taylor of Colorado, the speaker
OF the evening, addressed the gathering.
In the course of his speech he declared
that he serves his party best who serves
his country best. The money question he
pronounced the most momentous cues
ton ever forced upon the people OF the
United States, not even excepting the
causes which led to the Civil War.
This fight" he said, sis not only to
free the American people from financial
slavery, but to show the people of the
world that the American people are capa-
BILE OF governing themselves.
This year there is no mistaking where
we stand-the platform on which William
J. Bryan stands is clear cut as a crystal.
There are some things in it, perhaps,
which neither you nor l would have put
in it if we had written the PLATFORM
Referring to the assault on the Supreme
Court contained in the Dem ocraUic Ma
tional platform he declared the mem bers
of that body were after all but the servants
of the people. God help this country"
he continued, "when the people may not
criticize the action of even the highest
officer in the land.
81 believe in free silver because / have
been taught that there has not been
enough gold dug out of the ground to do
the business of the world"
He declared that this Nathan should
undertake the reconciliation of silver
without the cooperation of other nations.
and emphatically declared that this could
be accomplished to the benefit of the
country, as the Federal Government has
the right to coin anything into legal ten.
der money that it chooses.
This country, he said, had less than
$500, 000,0 600 OF legal tender money in circu-
lation, that is, gold.
In the East, he said the banks were
winnowing out eli greenbacks and treas
ury notes and paying out only silver, sill
yer certificates and National bank notes,
and that it is i'm possible to get the banks
to pay out single dollar in god, except
where they have to meet an obligation
payable in gold. He told his hearers that
an offer of IA per cent premium was made
in New York City for $4,000 in gold, but
the banks refused to sell.
Assuming the quaint negro dialect of
Alabama he told story of a horse that
had been worked and starved to the stage
of prostration. A neighbor was called in
and expressed the opinion that the horse
looked starved. He was informed that
that could not be so because there was
plenty of hay and grain in the barn. The
neighbor promptly retorted: sit is in
the wrong place if you want that horse to
work. 1t should be in the horse"
$50 it is with the legal tender money of
the country" he continued. cit is in the
banks. Let them put it into the hands of
the people of the country and they will
not lie PROSTATE, but will work for their
interests and the interests of the coun-
try"
Statistics were quoted in the attempt to
show that prices bad fallen by reason of
the appreciation of gold, and the speaker
denounced the gold dollar as the most
"damnably dishonest dollar ever offered
to nation.
Calling attention to the quantities of
silver in the vaults of the Treasury De-
partment at Washington he asked, WHY
don't they give some of this silver to the
farmersP' Then, continuing, he said:
'If this silver is good enough to give to
the men who work in our factories, who
wear flannel shirts, who have boards
through which the wind blows. it ought
to be good enough for any foreign noble
man who ever married an American
heiress-"