The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-01-12

Chamber. The following were present:
ectors-at-Large-R. b. DAVIS, Fop-
Mist. of New Hanover, and Locke Cralg'
Democrat, of Buncombe.
list District-Ralph Rowland pop1
of Carteret. s
2nd District-Howard T. Freeman
Pop.), of Wilson.
Bird District Charles n. Thomas
(Dem.), of Craven. o., ;,
4th District-Wm. s. Bailey lfop'' u
Nash po.,
9Th District-Wm. d. Merritt lPop.h
Of Person. ,c,
9th District Benjamin F. Keith 'oh-
ver), Of New Hanover. ~,
7th District-Theo. +. kluttz tDem''
Of Rowan. ~, 81,
Wilkes n,
9th Dicstrict-Robert d. Glenn (Dem'''
of Haywood. .;a;n,
Cant r. B. Davis acted as presiding
officer. having been elected at the re
cember meeting, and Mr.. VIM u. MERIT.
was secretary, having been elected at
that meeting.
On motion of Mr.. Keith, nominations
for President were declared in order.
Mr. Charles f. Thomas, Democratic
eIector from Craven, placed William Jen-
n;ngs BRYAN in nomination. Mr.. Thom-
as said;
Mr. Chairman:-Wiliam J. Bryan. for
whom to-day we will cast the electoral
vote of North Carolina, in his great
speech in Congress, at the special session
in 1898. against the unconditional repeal
of the purchasing clause of the sherman
law. the last connecting legislative link
between the gold and silver coinage OF
the Constitution, says that Muehlbach
relates this historical incident in the life
of Napoleon, the Emperor of France:
At Marengo. the man of destiny, sad,
and disheartened, thought the battle lost.
He called to drummer boy and ordered
him to beat retreat.
The lad replied: 'Sire, ] do not know
how. Dessaix has never taught me re-
treat. but can beat charge. Oh, can
heat n charge that would make the dead
fall in line.
81 beat that charge at the Bridge of
Lodi; beat it at Mount Tabor; l beat
it at the Pyramids; oh, may | beat it
here?
The charge was ordered, the battle was
won. and Marengo was added to the vic
tories of Napoleon.
On the 3rd day of November last an
other battle was fought in this country
under a civic leader surprising in Peace
the military hero of France in War.
It was the first battle between the
''money power and the people, fought
not with CLEAN of sword and flash or
bayonet, and clash of steel, and shot and
L IL 1, .lxr Af
the freeman's ballot.
A weapon that "comes down as still as
snowflakes upon the sod:
But executes the freeman's will, as light
nings do the will of God"
And in that silent contest, onr noble
leader, William J. Bryan, proved himself
a greater warrior in Peace than Napo-
leon at Marengo.
For never did he falter, never did he
waver; never did he order a retreat; and
though the battle was lost, everywhere
all along the lines, all over this broad
land, his clarion voice and eloquent
tongue cheered and aroused and ordered
the peoples hosts to charge the peoples
enemies, even in their very strongholds.
Never disheartened, even in the bitter
hour of defeat, he has again rallied the
freemen of America under the banner OF
the 'sGold and Silver Coinage of the
Constitution" He is even now appeal
ing to the unpurchased people Of his coun-
try, in the language of the distinguished
Senator from Texas, "again to stand in
the breach, and call the battle on, and
on, and never to leave the field until
the peoples money is restored to the minis
upon equal terms with gold. and mo-
nopoly is crushed to the earth never to
rise again"
Shall we heed his commands? Shall
we follow his leadership?
Yes, Mr. Chairman, in 1900, at the
dawn of new century in our ciyiliza-
ton, progress and National life, there
will be a second battle with the enemies
of the people.
May that Marengo be our glory and q
victory for the peoples causei
Our opponents tell us that we are who'll
" vanquished, that the ''silver craze"
as they are pleased to call it, is at an
end; and they apply to the advocates OF
Mr.. Bryan's election such uncomplimen-
tary epithets as anarchists, revolution
lists, ''silyer lunatics, advocates of repu-
diation and National dishonor.
They say that Mr.. Bryan himself has
been discredited and rebuked by his fe!
low citizens.
If we are anarchists, then the great
Democratic party, which has never TAX
en- position as a party organization in
favor of the gold standard, which in its
National platforms, time and time again,
as in 1880, 1884, 1883, 1892 and 1896
has indissolubly linked together both
gold and silver as the honest money of
the Constitution, and your party, Mr.
Chairman, and the Silver party, and six
and one-half million Of the voters of the
United States are anarchists, including
the people of the great and growing
West, and my people and yours, Mr..
Chairman, the Southern people.
If we are "silver lunatics," then some
of the ablest political economists the
wisest statesmen, and the most profound
scholars in the world who adyo-
cate bi-metallism are insane And
such men as Balfour in England, Ger