Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-26
-FOUR HUNDRED OF THEM ASSEMBLE
AT INDIANAPOLIS.
TO DISCUSS CURRENCY REFORM
MANY OF NATIONAL PROMINENCE
AMONG THE DELEGATES.
Governor Mount and Governor Shaw
Were Two of Yesterdays Speak
c~rs-Lunches. Dinners and
Receptions for the
Delegates.

Indianapolis, Ind, Jan. 25.-Four hundred
delegates We're present at the Grand opera
house to-day when Chairman Hanna. of
the executive committee, called the mon
etary convention TO order. This was an IN
crease of 100 over the number of delegates
that attended the first convention Il year
ago. and it was regarded as indicative or
the interest which business men feel in the
movement for a reform OF the currency
laws. The hall presented the appearance or
a national convention of one of the two
great political parties. the various deleSa-
tons being indicated by standards bearing
the names of their various states. The pri-
vate boxes and logsias We're filled with
handsomely dressed women. representing
the wealth and culture of Indianapolis, ana
the hall was tastefully decorated with the
national colors.
Two governors. Governor Mount. of In
diana. and Governor Shaw, of Iowa. were
the speakers at the afternoon session, Gov
ernor Mount delivered the speech of well
| come. and Governor Shaw spoke for more
than an hour on the gold standard and the
retirement of the greenbacks. His homely
and forcible comparison OF our iinancial
system with the gradual growth OF Il pio.
neer'S home, with the gradual ADDITION Oh
"lean-tos' and thatch roofs, which ought 10
be replaced, in our more advanced conui-
ton, by n new structure upon Irn 1Ouiud-
tionS and of harmonious architecture.
caught the audience with great erect ana
brought forth round after round OF APP
plauSe. He spoke to an audience OF SUD
~Stantial business men. who thoroughly APP
preci;.ted his argument for an elastic cur
| rency based upon commercial assets.
The delegates. as Governor. Shaw SuG-
| gested. did not include many ankers put
Included many men of large AFFAIRS AND
some of national prominence. AmonG ,n nose
this afternoon was General Simon P. Buck
ner. of Kentucky. the gold Democratic can
didate for vice president, two years ago:
| There was also General Charles Tracey. of
| Albany, who used to represent the CleVe-
land administration in the tlght against
diana for the honor of the largest delega-
| ton on the floor. and her representatives
made an impressive appearance When .nes
| arose ell mass TO cheer Governor Sha".
There We're about sixty of the Iowa deleSa-
ton. and there were also strong deiegatlonS
; from Wisconsin, Michigan. illinois ana
| Democratic candidate for United States
senator some years u ago Nv Vas amor" 70 Kohl
saat. of the Chicago Times-Heraid.. and
Prof. ]. Laurence LauGhiin. one OF the
members OF the monetary com1hisS snh mail y,
as William E. Dodge. Henry Hentz, eH-
president of the Cotton EXCHANGE snr and !.
| ed altogether by a score of its most promi-
rent business men. and many dlspaIches
! came from boards Of trade IN New lo,h
ana New Jersey. WHICH,. NFiS
s]unport. Jacob L. Greene president Of the
| Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance g4m-
Ella "hri North Carolina. kentucky. Missouri
III Ii Vas ; O'clock when Mr.. H. II. Hanna.
Of Indianapolis. the chairman of the eN-
| ecutive committee. called the ConventiGh
to order. He introduced Rex: Mr.. M. ; L.
PRAYER. at the conclusion of which Mr..
Hanna arose to introduce Governor Mount.
OF Indiana. who was to deliver me adof fers
ward TO the front of the platform, he was
greeted by Il burst of applause, which con,
tinued for fully a minute. ana Wht zen
ceased only when It was Obvious that me
recipient was embarrassed by this cordial
tribiH to his personal popularity;
! Governor Mount spoke briefly. Ills speecn
was appropriate to the occasion. and was
an earnest Plea for the maintenance OF
the gold standard. He showed that Thomas
jefferson. the founder of the pemocratlc
PARTY, held steutly to the belief that the
Local ratio of coinage should conform to
| TIE mercantile ratio of the metals. ana
he uueried. in this connection. how ttis
attitude would compare with modern BrN-
2rism. which insists upon Is to l as the
| legal ratio. while the commercial ratio IS
He niIoted former Secretary of the Treas
i,ry John G.. Carlisle as maintaining that
there was not a free coinage country IN the
world to-day that is not on a silver basis:
that tnere Is llDt Il SINt ahh"i
in the world to-day that uses any gold as
money along with silver; that there is not
a gold standard country in the world to-
dav that does not use both gold and silver:
and tia there is not a silver standard
country to-day that has more than one
third as much money in circulation per
capita as the United States. He pictured
the disastrous results which would follow
from the free coinage of silver in this coun-
try. and asserted that capital would seek
Investment in this country only when as
sured of the soundness of our monetary
system.
At the conclusion of Governor Mounts
address Chairman Hanna presented Gov
ernor Shaw, of Iowa. to the convention as
its permanent chairman. Governor Shaw
delivered a strong address on assuming the
chair. Upon the conclusion of the speech
of Governor Shaw. Chairman Hanna re-
qucsted the state delegations to select vice
presidents and members of the committe
on resolutions to he reported before the even
ing session. The convention then adjourned
until / o'clock. when addresses We're deliv-
cred to IA large audience by Hon. c. Stuart
Patterson. of Philadelphia. and Colonel ia
cob l.. Greene. of Connecticut. MIR. Patter-
son spoke on behalf of the monetary COM
mission as one of its members.
The delegates to the convention are cN-
pressing much qualification at the many
courtesies shown them by the people of In
dianapolis. An elaborate lunch was given
to-day by Chairman Hanna to the members
of the executive committee. and to the
heads of the m of citizens who
have aided him in preparing for the recep-
ton of the delegates. Mr.. Hanna enter
tanned at dinner the members of the mon
etarE commission and a few other prom