The San Francisco call., 1898-02-27
He Learned to Revere Lincoln, but He Cannot
 Tolerate Hanna.
Says Goldbugs Prevented Rec ognition Of Cuban
 Patriots.
FEELS SURE OF VICTORY
Firmly Announces That Silver Forces Are Certain to Win Their
 Battles.

Ex-Congressman Charles A. Towne of Minnesota spoke to a large and en- thusiastic audience at Metropolitan Temple last night, his theme being the silver campaign and it's purposes.
 MT. Towne is a man of far more than average ability as an orator. His man. ner is largely that of well-trained actor his voice has great compass and power, and his conclusions are an nounced with firmness and dignity. Though his speech lasted for more than two hours, few people left the house, and he was interrupted by ire Quent bursts of applause.
 This silver campaign has only just begun" was the way he opened. This statement at once showed that he was a fighter, for he followed the asser- tion with the declaration that Bryan had really come out of the campaign triumphant and that the defeated members of the great silver party, nearly 100000 in number, had the air of victors rather than of men who had lost a cause. They were beginning again, he said, to fight for human free dom.
 The speaker held that the great trouble with Mckinley is that he is a goldbug. He appointed a goldbug for his Secretary of the Treasury" said the speaker, then recommended to Congress the plans of the Gold Demo- crats of Indianapolis. Does this look like bimetallism? In fact, there is nothing in all the conduct of the Re publican party to remind one of its glorious past. 1 learned to revere Lin coin and they now give me a Mark Hanna as model This degeneration -I-- of the party. 1 am getting along all right and I have lost no sleep because I was defeated for Congress, for I ex- pect yet to be one of the great throng that will help to escort to the White House the greatest Democrat the country has produced since Abraham Lincoln. I can well call Lincoln a Democrat and Bryan a Republican, for both were, like Washington and lief ferson; men who had faith in the peo- pie and whose doctrines are consist ent with the ideas of a government of the people, for the people and by the people,
 . evening were the well-known assump- lions of the silver men that the appre- ciation of gold is steadily making a race of slaves of all who are not the owners of bonds
 A striking part of the address was that wherein the speaker narrated his experiences as a member of Congress at the time the Cuban question was before the House. He held that there was time two years ago when the country could have done a great deal to settle the question consistently with peace and honor, but the gold power that owns the bonds interfered, as in the case of the Turks and Armenians and prevented the recognition of the belligerents.
 T do not hesitate to say" stated the orator, that some sort of a deal is now on, as reported by the newspapers. whereby Mark Hanna is negotiating for peace in some way that will he agreeable to the owners of Cuban bonds. It is said that the bonds are to .be@indorsed by the United States Gov ernment''
 It. was then attempted to show that there IS every reason to believe that the steady depreciation of the products Of human industry, by reason of the gold standard, will reach a point that the people will not endure He said if was, according to great economists. not a question of gold or silver. but merely a question of how much the people would suffer from the inequalities of the old standard before they would re- volt.
 At. the conclusion of the address there was prolonged applause and much | cheering. The Democratic Central Club attended as a body, dressed in white ducking.