The Elbert County tribune., 1899-04-20
THE DOLLAR DINNER.
Rig Crowd. Great Eatha.i..m. Bus L,st


Democrats at the Grand Central Pal
ace tonight. In point OF numbers, was
one OF the biggest Affairs ever held In
this city.
Nearly 5000 men and women sal
down at long tnbIes In the various
rooms at the big palace. There were
NIL kinds OF people there, dressed IN all
kinds OF clothes. White men elbowed
with colored men, and white women
with colored women. There were -four
Japanese md three Chinese present,
hut the Chinese We're merely specta-
tors and sat In the second gallery.
They said that they had come to see
Mr.. Bryan.
The main hall presented a different
inspect from that OF the metropolitan
opern house nt the ten-d0llnr dinner of
the Democratic club. There were no
flower embellishments. but Just great
long avenues Of tables covered with
plain white plates. The only ornn'
ments were punches OF celery and gran
ltewnre coffee pots.
A brass band OF thirty-five piecos on
the balcony discoursed music through
out the evening. The diners began to
arrive Mt the Grand Central Palnce Mt
3 O'Clock. There were 100 policemen
In and about the place.
There was no concerted attempt to
seat the 1900 diners simultaneously.
All were told to 20 In and sit down.
About o'clock nearly every seat OF
the mems table was occupied and the
service began. Over six hundred wait
crs started out into the main hall with
soup few minutes before Z O'Clock.
Among those who sat nt the guests
table were: James II. Brown, presid-
ing: on his right. w. j. Bryan; on his
left, Charles A. Towne OF Minnesota
o. II. +. Belmont. william ). McNnry.
secretary OF the Democratic state COM
mittee of Minneapolis; Mayor j. l..
Rhlmoohs OF Covington. Kentucky
Bolton Hall, George Fred Williams,
cx- x-Congressman William r. Ryan OF
Rochester. A. \, Townson Of Virginia.
Colonel Thomns Smith OF Virginia and
John Clark Ridpnth.
MFR. Bryan was given very enfhusi-
nstic welcome when he finally rose TO
speak. after the other orators had FIN
ished. Among the things that he said
are the following:
"That platform means something.
md II you ask inc why II was that In
the campaign OF 1890 the hearts of the
people were stirred ms they have not
been lately stirred | will tell you that
II was because the struggling mnsses
found In that platform nm inspiration
and aggregate wealth found In Il u
nennce TO every man who robs his
ncIghbor for his own benefit.'
.rhe Republican party. in NIL OF It's
politics. Is putting the dollar above the
man. and In that Is departing from the
doctrine of Lincoln. its founder. for. In
1850, he said the Republican party be
lleves In both the man and the dollar.
hut In eases OF conflict the man before
the dollar.
"rhc Republican party Is putting the
dollar above the man In all it's legisla-
tion. and nowhere Is 1t more apparent
than In matters OF taxation, The Re
publican party is not trying to restore
Justice iu taxation. The war has.
shown that when this government
deals with mn Individual It's power is
unlimited. but when II deals with prop
erty Its power IL limited. II can draft
the citizen. hut 1t cannot touch the
dollar. In the hour Of peril the nation
can take The son from his mother and
the husband from his wife. and stand
them up In front OF mn 'enemy's gun.
hut It dare not lay It's finger on the
wealth Of the rich and make them con-
tribute their share"
Mr.. Bryan discussed the question of
binctnllism at length. rencntiplF we'll
known argument, and said:
II have been asked why anu not
willing to drop the money question i
reply. Because the money question
won't drop u.s..
II know not what others may desire
/ or what they may be willing to do. but
I am not willing that our declaration
ngainst the gold standard shall be
| dropped as long as n handful OF Eng
lish finnncicrs can determine the flnan-
cinl policy of seventy million Of Amer
lean people. And some say that II we
will not drop the money question. we
ought to drop the ratio OF 10 to 1.
/ ''When you find n man opposed to 10
to I. inquire and you will find that he
was never In favor of II. and then in
quirc again and yoii will find that there
Is no other ratio that he Is in favor of.
We denounced international bimetal-
lisin MS n delusion and snare In 1896.
II has been proved 10 he so since 1896.
We declared for the ratio of 10 to ! in
1896 and no party has arisen TO advo-
cate any other ratio but 10 TO 1.
Until some other party proposes
some other ratio and tries to secure
blmetallism Mt some other ratio. there
Is no reason why we should discuss
ratio with them. The ratio OF 16 to l
was decided upon. not mt the Chicago
convention. but ut the primaries which
elected delegates TO attend the Chicago
convention. The ratio of 10 to l had
been submitted to the people and those
who wanted II In 1896 nrc In favor of
It now. And they know why they are
in favor OF 1t. The ratio of 10 to 1 is
the ratio at which our gold and silver
coins now circulate. We simply ask
reinstatement of the law that was on
the statute books where 1t was before
the act of decentralization was secretly
passed.