The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-16
DEMOCRATS IN DES MONIES.
BRYAN AND WEAVER ARE THE
oRATORICAL ATTRACTIONS.

Democratic State Convention Meets
To-day and Many Prominent Party
Men Present-NOmtnees Cannot Yet
BE Named-Bryan Addressed 1890
People Last NiGht-TnIkcd Money,
Trusts and ImperinIiSm-MOney
Trust the Biggest Trust of All.
Des Moines, Ia, Aug. 15-The city is
full of Democrats tonight to attend the
Democratic state convention and listen to
William J. Bryan, Gen. W. B. Weaver and
others expound the gospel of 16 to l, anti
imperialism and antitrust views
Two great meetings were held this even
ing. the main one at the auditorium,
where w. ]. Bryan spoke to 5000 people,
and the other at the Tabernacle, where
Gen. Weaver held forth for an hour until
Mr.. Bryan came from the first meeting.
Some $1,000 persons congregated at the
Tabernacle, and the two buildings were
not great enough to accommodate the
throng.
Concerning the action of the Democratic
convention which meets tomorrow morn
ms. but little can be said with accuracy.
The friends of the various candidates for
the nomination for Governor have been
hard at work all day, and tonight the
winner cannot be predicted. The action
of the convention on platform and nomi-
nations depends entirely on which wing
of the party, radical or conservative, Is
in control.
Bryan spoke for two hours at the Audi
torium tonight to an audience of 500 peo-
pie. The house was crowded and the aud
ience which included practically all The
delegates to the Democratic convention.
took every opportunity to applaud. MI
Bryan first reviewed the record of the Re
publican party, accusing it of putting the
dollar above the man. He then took up
the silver question, saying prosperity did
not set in until six months after the cleo
ton, when the Klondike gold mines began
to be heard from. The Republicans who
claim that times are better because the
balance of trade is in favor of the United
States give away their own position aud
admit the Democratic view of the quanti-
tative character of money is correct. The
financiers of England, he said, control he
English government, through England the
rest of Europe, through Europe, the United
States.
The 6,5O 900 Democratic voters of the
Democratic party in 1896 were for silver.
The 100000 Republican voters were for
a platform which called for international
bimetallsm. Only the Palmer and Buck
ner voters were for the gold standard
less than 1 per cent, yet now the Iowa
Republican platform goes a step farther
and is making for the gold alone. More
over the Republicans threaten to retire
the greenbacks, though they have never
been before the people on that issue.
The speaker next went after the trusts,
but said if the Democratic party neglect
ed the silver question TO attend to trusts
it would rightly forfeit the confidence Of
the people. The money trust is the big
gest trust of all. He was glad that trav-
cling men were fighting the Industrial
trusts now, but sorry they had not seen
| the logic of events in 1896 and helped to
fight the money trust then.
Mr.. Bryan closed bis speech by a lengthy
discussion of Imperialism. The difference,
he said, between a republic and an empire
| is this republic needs an army of 25Q01
| for 100000 people. An empire needs four
| times that large an army, when 100000
| popula ton is added. This suits the young
men who get fat jobs in the army, but not
the people who pay the $3.50 year need
ed to maintain each of the soldiers in the
| Philippines.
The government, he said, ought to make
a declaration of good intentions towards
! the Philippines as it did toward Cuba. The
President ought 10 have done so, or if he
| did not have the power should have asked
| Congress for ii. Now he might call a spe-
| cial session to ask for the power. A spe-
| ciaf session now would cost much money,
but not nearly so much as the continuance
/ of the war.