The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-20
COERCION.
Sensational Campaign of Coercion and
II Intimidation.
Reform Press Bureau.
st. Paul, Oct. Is, 1900.

st. Paul, Oct. 10, 800.
The sensation of the week has been
the meeting Of the Sound Money
League in Raudenbusch hall in this
city and the campaign of coercion and
intimidation which was there inaugu
rated.
The call for this meeting had been
signed by number Of business men,
mainly members of large wholesale
houses, combines and syndicates, with
hardly sprinkling of middle class
business men among them.
This call came from the class most
directly concerned with the trusts and
money powers that have, determined to
secure the election of Mckinley, by
fair means or foul.
When Bryan made his triumphal
tour of the state and called forth such
an overwhelming and irresistible dis
play of enthusiasm that swept over the
country like tidal wave and carried
everything before it, the Republican
leaders realized that their cause was
hopeless, and seeing that they could
not win by fair means, they deter
mined to fight by foul, and this meet
ing was one of the results.
The sentiments of the resolutions
adopted at this meeting were extreme;
but the speakers were positively rabid.
The chief speaker of the evening was
Mr.. Grover, who was certainly plain
spoken enough and left no ground for
misunderstanding rs to the purpose Of
the meeting. Among other things he
defended government by injunction,
such as was employed on the striking
miners in Idaho. But it was Mr.. Jesse
Gregg of the firm of Nichols & Dean
that expressed it in all it's brutal blunt
ness. Said Mr.. Gregg:
II was in New York last week, and
passing down the street I was surpris-
cd to observe a large banner floating
from Il business house upon which was
the inscription: Bryan's Travelling
Mems Club In our firm we have 20
travelling men at work, and I do not
know how but one of them is going to
vote this fall, but want to say to you
gentlemen that if any one of these
travelling men should vote for Bryan,
and l knew it, would discharge him
Immediately. Don't understand me
to say that would discharge him for
being a Democrat, would discharge
him for being damned fool. would
presume that any man who didn't have
better sense than to vote for Bryan,
didn't have sense enough to represent
our business"
The audience received this speech
with ringing applause, and thus ap-
proved the sentiments expressed and
subscribed to them as their own.
The morning papers brought an ac-
count of the meeting and the speeches,
and soon it become the all absorbing
topic of the streets. Everywhere on
the street corners groups of men were
excitedly discussing it, and when the
papers reached the outlying towns and
country districts, kilograms and let
tiers of inquiry began to pour in at the
Democratic headquarters from all
sides and very soon it became evident
that in the excitement and interest
aroused all over the state and adjoin-
ing states. this incident would surpass
in sensational interest even the cele-
brated Burchard episode which defeat
ed Blaine in 'S4.
Coming in the wake of Roosevelt's
rabid speech here in the Auditorium,
in which he put Democrats on a level