Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-26
A GREAT MEETING.
Auspicious Opening of the In.
dianapolis Monetary Conference.
Attendance Much Larger Than That at
the Convention Year Ago-Governor
shaw's Happy Illustration.

Indianapolis, IND, Jan. 2o.-Four nun
dred delegates were present at the
Grand Opera House today, when Chair
man Hanna. of the executive committee,
called the monetary convention to order.
number of delegates that attended the
first Indianapolis convention of year
ago, and it was regarded as indicative
of the interest which the business men
feel in the movement for a reformation
in the currency laws.
The hall presented the appearance of
a national convention of one of two
great political parties, the various dell
egates being indicated by standards
bearing the names of the various states.
The private boxes and logglas were
filled with handsomely gowned women,
representing the culture of Indianapolis.
The hall was tastefully decorated with
national colors. Governors Mount of
Indiana and Shaw Of Iowa were the
speakers at the afternoon session. Gov.
Mount delivered the speech or welcome.
and Gov. Shaw spoke for more than an
hour on the gold standard, and the re-
tirement Of the greenbacfSs. His home
ly and forcible comparisons of a finan-
cial system with the gradual growth of
a pioneers home, the gradual addition
of lean tos' and thatch roofs, which
ought to be replaced In the more adj
vanced condition by new structure
upon firm foundations, and of hGrmo-
NOUS architecture, caught the audiences
with great effect and brought round af-
ter round of applause. He spoke to an
audience of substantial business men,
who thoroughly appreciated his argu-
ment for an elastic currency based up
on commercial assets.
The delegates, as Gov. Shaw suggest
ed, did not include many bankers, but
included many men of large affairs and
some Of national prominence.
Among those who arrived just before
| the convention met this afternoon, was
Gen. Simon B. Buckner of Kentucky,
the gold democratic candidate for vice
president two years ago. There was also
Gen. Charles Tracey Of Albany Iowa
WED with Indiana for the honor of the
| largest delegation on the floor. There
were about sixty of the Iowa delegation
and there We're also strong delegations
| from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and
Ohio. Franklin McYeagh, who was the
| democratic candidate for United States
senator, some years ago, was among the
Chicago delegates, with H. H. Kohlsaat,
of the Chicago Times-Herald, and Prof.
j. Laurence Laughlin, one of the MEM
bers of the monetary commission. In the
| New York delegation were such men as
! William e. Dodge, Henry Hentz, a rep
resentative of the cotton exchange, Gus
| tav Schwab and j. Harsen Rhodes.
New York was represented altogether
1 by a score of Its own prominent business
men, and many dispatches came from
boards of trade in New York and New
Jersey, which were not able to send
delegates, promising their cordial sup
port.
Taooh T C,,.oa,,a ,,ros;dapt IF fba CoD-
neeticut Mutual Life Company, was one
of the Connecticut delegates, and dele
cations were present from Virginia,
| North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Ten
nessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Mary
land 1t was o'clock when Mr.. Hanna
of Indianapolis called the convention to
order. He introduced Rev. L. H. Haines,
of this city, who offered prayer. Mr..
Hanna next introduced Gov. Mount OF
Indiana, who was to deliver the address
of welcome.
Gov. Mount spoke briefly. His speech
was an earnest plea for the malnte-
nance of the gold standard. He showed
that Thomas Jefferson, the founder OF
the democratic party, had held stout
ly to the belief that the coinage should
conform to the mercantile ratio of the
metals, and he queried how this atti-
tude would compare with modern Bry-
aniSm which insists upon sixteen to
one as the legal ratio. He quoted for
mer Secretary Of the Treasury Carlisle
as contending that there was not free
coinage country of the world that was
on a sound basis; that there was not
silver country in the world that used
any gold along with silver; that there
was not gold standard country In the
world that did not use both gold and
silver and there was not silver stand
ard country that had more than one
third as much money in circulation per
capita as the United States.
At the conclusion Of Gov. Mounts
address, Chairman Hanna presented
Gov. Shaw of Iowa to the convention
as its permanent chairman. Upon the
conclusion Of the speech of Gov. Shaw
Chairman Hanna requested the state
delegations to select vice presidents and
members of the committee on resolu-
lions. The convention then adjourned
until o'clock, when addresses were de-
livered by Hon. G. S. Patterson of
Philadelphia and Col. Jacob L. Greene
of Connecticut.
The executive committee was contin-
ued by unanimous vote Of the conven-
ton today, and will be given power to
add to it's number. The committee held
a meeting in the morning and resolved
to prosecute the fight for currency re-
form
The committee on resolutions selected
by states tonight, includes the follow
ing: Connecticut Joel A. Sperry; Indi-
ana, H. H. Hanna; Illinois, Franklin
MacVeagh; Massachusetts,, Henry l..
Higginson; New York, w. E. Dodge;
Pennsylvania, John G. Bullitt; Rhode
Island, R. G. Hazard.
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