The record-union., 1897-07-17
WARM DEBATE
ON FREE SILVER,
California Delegates Make a Gallant
Fight,
But the Advocates Of the White Metal Win
the Day.
The Trans-Mississippi Congress,
by a Vote of Nearly Five to One,
Adopts the Majority Resolution
Declaring for the Free and I'm
limited Coinage Of Gold and
Silver at the Ratio of l6 to /.

Silver at the Ratio of 16 to i.
SALT LAKE, July 16-To-day was a
day of excitement, oratory and at times
confusion in the session of the Trans
Mississippi Congress. The subject was
free silver, and the principal factors
in the discussion We're California and
Colorado. The latter State with host
of silver advocates won the day, and
after a gallant struggle by the Cali
fornia delegates, under the leadership
of T. L. Ford, in opposition to the
measure, the congress, by a vote of
| nearly five to one, adopted the ma
| jority resolution declaring for the free
and unlimited coinage of gold and sill
yer at the ratio of IL to 1, without the
cooperation of any foreign Govern
ment.
This action was preceded by about
twenty speeches, the principal ones be-
ing delivered by c. S. Thomas of Colo
rado and T. L. Ford of California. Hon.
w. J. Bryan spoke in favor of the ma
jority report, and threw the whole con-
vention into a wild state of enthusiasm.
| When the congress met every seat
in the main body of the hall and in the
galleries was occupied. After the dis
cussion closed nearly two hours was
consumed by motions, roll-calls and
parliamentary tactics.
The opposition to the majority report
was led mainly by Missouri delegates,
with some assistance from California.
The delegates were late in assemb-
limo intr Of
minor resolutions, the Committee on
Permanent Organization reported rec
ommending Hugh Craig of California
for President; Charles H. Connel Of
Minnesota, L. Bradford Prince of New
Mexico and Breedlove Smith of Lou
isiana, First, Second and Third Vice
Presidents, respectively.
1t further recommended that each
State delegation choose an additional
Vice President, and that the election
of a Secretary and Assistant Secretary
be deferred until the place of the next
meeting be fixed.
The report was unanimously adopted.
The next business before the con-
gress was the discussion of the ma
jority and minority reports of the
Committee on Resolutions. 1t was ar
ranged taht Dorsey of Nebraska and
Ford of California would control the
time in favor of the majority and
minority reports, respectively, on the
silver question.
Ford said the supporters of the MI
nority report would probably want but
little time, and he desired that an OPP
portunity be given to any delegate to
speak on that side who might so de-
sire He then read the minority re-
port. the chief point of which was that
the silver question was a political is
sue, and therefore should not be dis
cussed in this non-partisan body.
The resolution indorsing the free coin
age of silver reported by the major
| ity of the committee was then read,
and c. S. Thomas of Colorado proceed
ed to address the house in the affirma-
tive. He said that it had been claimed
that all political questions in their last
ANALYSIS were economic. Whether this
be true of all political issues, it GER
| tainly is of the silver question. He
urged reasons why this body should
discuss and express itself on this great
issue: denied that the Republican
party was a single gold standard party,
! and declared that the great Govern
ments of Europe could see the hand
writing on the wall that this giant
Republic was about to restore silver,
| and that they must prepare to tall IN
line.
e. V. Smalley, a delegate from Min
nesota. spoke in favor of the minority
report. He thought it was discour-
teous for the strong silver majority to
force the question on the congress; de-
clared himself single gold standard
man. and repeated number of the Ia
miliar arguments in support of that
position He opposed discussion OF the
silver question by the congress, and
said that if such discussion should be
determined upon Republicans We're out
/ of place in this body, and had no more
right in it than they would have in a
/ Democratic ward caucus.
He protested against crowding this
Democratic partisan resolution down
Republican throats. He entered into
| a long discussion of the merits of the
financial question, and said if this was
a silver convention he did not belong
here. He felt that he would have no
more business in free silver conven-
! tiOn than ne NOulu IN d DennOCIdllC
ward caucus.
De Matos of Montana favored the
majority report, and created much ex-
citement by declaring that the action
| of those who were trying to prevent the
passage of the free silver resolution
was due to a desire to insult President
Bryan of this congress.
Exception was taken to this remark
! from all parts of the hall, and De Ma
| tos finally withdrew his statement.
| Varian of Utah addressed the con-
vention in support of the majority re-
port. He denied that the political
character of the question was a good
reason why it should not be discussed,
and cited the action of the congress
Yesterday regarding the Hawaiian and
Cuban questions, which were purely
political.
| Perkins of Nebraska followed in sup
| port of the minority report He held
| it to be improper for this commercial
congress to discuss question so thor
oughly political as is the silver issue.
| Quinn of Montana spoke in favor of
/ the majority report. He made a fore
ible argument in favor of the feasibility
of free coinage.
! Ford of California, who was in charge