Evening Star Newspaper, October 17, 1896, Page 11

THE .EVENING STAR, SATURDAY; -OOTOBER 11, 1896—TWENTY-FOUR. PAGES. : THUTCHINS.DAVIS FREE COINAGE DEBATE Convention Hall Filled With an astic Audience, = - The Principal Points Made by Each of the Speak- ers---Questions Pro- pounded on Both Sides. Six thousand people listened to the Davis- Hutchins debate,at Convention Hall last night. It was a most remarkable audience and in many respects a remarkable debate. ‘The audience was as nearly equally divided as possible ‘ween the friends of the two champions of the occasion. The audience was more Ike one to be found in a theater at a popular performance, only immensely larger. The features usually noticeable at a politica! meeting were absent, though there was no lack of enthusiasm, and fre- quently -nore interruption than was fair to the speckers, who were talking under a time limit. The two detaters are as opposed in ap- pearance and in method as they are in opinions. Mr. Hutchins, the free silver champion, is a man of athletic build and strongly marked feotures, and has a rugged, choppy manner of speech, with a great deal of nervous vigor. Mr. Davis ts smaller of stature, with an appearance of youthfulness that is toned down somewhat by a bald head and an intellec- tual brow. His manner of speech is that of a trained debater, who not only studies his subject, but also the form of delivery. There was the same sort of difference in the handling of their subject that was so marked in their appearance. Both of the champions got a flattering reception, and there could be no better evi- dence of the popular interest in the sub- ject and the estimate put upon the ability of the advocates than was furnished by early assembling of the audience and character. were admitted except by ticket. The were divided equally between Mr. Hutchins and Mr. Davis, and by them dis- tributed. Three days ago these tickets were exhausted, and the demand for them was not half satisfied. Apparently every ticket was used. The seats both in the body of tre hall and in the galleries were all taken and many persons were standing in parts of the hall where standing was permitted. A few tickets that fell into the hands of persons who could not use them were sold by boys on the street at a dollar The hour set for the debate was 8 5 all the seats in the hall The speakers’ stand was occupied. situated midway of the hall on the west side and was draped with American flags. Close together along the immense spans of iron supporting the arched roof were red, white and blue electric lights. Other- were wise the hall was not decorated. On the balcony over the main entrance was a band of music to entertain the audience be- fore the opening of the debate. About one- fourth of the audience was composed of ladies Among those on the platform were as lector of Customs Dorsey Clagett, Marshal A. A. Wilson, Hallett Kilbourn, Edwin A. Newman, Rudolph Kauffmann, Capt. Jno. S. Miller, Gen. Duncan S$. Walker, Theo- dore W.| No Simon Wolf, Assistant Postmaster General Jones, Commissioner Powell, Nathaniel Wilson, Thos. B. Kalb- fus, Beriah Wilkins, J. Fred Kelley, Em- mons S. Smith, James T. DuBois, Frank Hume, C. E. Phelps, John A. Clarke, B. H. Warner, T. Bryan’ Huyck, Commissioner Truesdell, C. L. Kemble, Lawrence Gard- -nator Faulkner, Myron M. Parker, Wm. Gibson, Com- Maddox, Judge Cole, Cla and Major Powell. ke eape before 8 o'clock cheers about the entrance to the hall announced the ceming cf one of the speakers, and Mr. Davis, escorted by a committee of the Sound Mcney League, each with a yellow badge and a yellow chrysanthemum, walk- ed down the main aisle and took his place on the stand. The whole assemblage stood up and he was given an enthusiastic greet- ing. As he took his seat a large bunch of yellow chrysanthemums was handed him. A few minutes later prolonged applause announced the arrival of Senator Faulkner, who had been chosen president of the meet- ing. It was 8:05 o'clock when Mr. Hutchins arrived. He had declined an escort and he stepped upon the platform at the same time with Representative Apsley of the re- publican congressional committee and Mr. M. M. Parker, also an active defender of the gold standard. Mr. Hutchins was given quite as enthusiastic a welcome as that given Mr. Davis. The hall was a tumult of applause for a minute or two. Then the gavel of the presiding officer sounded for order. The mention of the names of the two advocates In Mr. Faulkner’s brief an- nouncement of the meeting called forth rival demonstrations of applause. Mr. Hutchins, he said, would occupy fifty-five minutes. Then there was wild applause. Mr. Davis, he said would occupy fifty-five minutes. He was interrupted by still loud- er and more prolonged applause. Mr. Hutchins, he said, would close with a twen- ty-minute speech. Then the applause w: louder than before. Mr. Davis would, he said, have twenty minutes in which to close, and at this the demonstration in honor of the silver cham- pion was matched by that in honor of the advocate of gold. An equally balanced au- dience sought to make known their sym- pathies, and there were some hiases mingled with each burst of applause. Mr. Hutchirs, who was first introduced, was given another demonstration as he wiped the speakers’ table with his handkerchief and laid his manuscript on the table. His speech was frequently interrupted by ap- plause, and hisses sounded here and there through the hall. A similar reception was given Mr. Davis, but toward the close of his first argument there was a great deal of willful disorder in parts of the hall, and many questions were fired at him. The two men handled the subject in such a radically different manner as to defy comparison, and Mr. Hutchins had laid out his main argument on too broad a plan to admit of his finishing It in the time allotted him. Mr. Hutchins’ argument approached the money question through a discussion of the distress and destruction of business, which he charged to the demonetization of silver. The first part of his speech arrayed class against class, and dealt generally with the alleged evil legislation in favor of the rich and oppressive to the poor. From this he came down to the proposition that the de- monet‘z:ion of silver was responsible for the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and the impoverishment of the Producing classes. He did not get down to the abstract proposition of what should be the quality of money, or to a discussion of the relative merits of gold and silver. Mr. Davis dealt more directly with the abstract question, and treated money from. the scientific point of view. He went di- rectly at his subject, asking first what money was, and after giving his definition, declared that silver did not fulfill the re- quirements. He argued that money is something that everybody takes in ex- change for his because everybody else will take it In exchange for goods. ‘The necessary quakty, therefore, was that ized at its face value the world over. Its commercial value, he thought, gave it this wide recognition. He lins, “ denied that there could be such a thing as bimetallism, because by- thé operation -of- the Gresham law the cheaper would drive out the dearer. MR. HUTCHINS’ OPENING. Statistics of Wealth and Poverty—The Demonetization of Silver. t When Senator Faulkner stepped to the front of the table it needed repeated rapt pings with the gavel to subdue the ter; ritic applause thet made the rafters of Convention Hail ring as they never rung before. He said that having been invited by the gentlemen who had been selected to discuss the most momentous qgpstion presented to the American pesple ta ide over the debate, that he would per- form his duties with fairness ard impar- and he trusted the audience in the ion of its opinion upon the merits of the debate would show the same justice to both participants. He quieted the nerves of those who had felt somewhat alarmed at the persistent foot applause of the mulli- tude by stating that the proprietor of Con- vention Hall had desired him to say that while the building was perfectly safe, na structure could stand any great or un- sual strain and that continuous stamping would be dangerous. He then presented Mr. Hutchins as a citizen cf New Hamp-~ shire, who had been so long identified with the national capital that he might properly be called a citizen of Washington. When Mr. Hutchins arose there was an- other outburst of applause, which lasted for several moments and was continue when he attempted to speak. When quiet was partially restored he remarked that i cerely hoped that the event of the eve ing might be what he had hoped it would be—a debate between -two gentlemen ¢ the subject of the financial issue instead of a “shouting match.” I address you tonight,” said Mr. Hutch- n behalf of the free coinage of silv: as well as of gold, which I firmly and hon- estly believe will lead to the salvation of three-quarters of the American people.” He stated that he well knew the aversion of audiences to listening to the reading of a speech. but said that in what he was go- ing to tell that before him there were a number of figures and statistics which he could not readily carry in his head, and that as he desired to be responsible for everything he said and was reported to say on the occasion, he would read them. Then, taking up a typewritten manuscript, he proceeded to give the history of the original coinage act passed in 1792, which provided for the coinage of the silver dol- “I hold in my hand,” he said, “a dollar j coined under that law.in 1798. It was made the unit of value and by it was measured the value of the gold dollar and of every other dollar. On its rim is indented the words, ‘One dollar or unit. One hundred cents.’ Crouching Icw, as if to spring at his au- dience and better impress upon it the meaning o° what he was to say, a gesture which he used frequently during his ad- dress, and with nis face flushed with the earnestness ine evidently felt, Mr. Hutch- ins continued: “That dollar was the unit of value from 1792 to 1873, when Samuel Hooper of Mas- sachusetts, in the House of Representa- tives, and John Sherman of Ohio, in the Senate of the United States, deceitfully, clandestinely, and, as I believe, criminal- ly, struck it from the list of coins and sub- stituted a gold dollar in its stead.” There was great applause at this, which was liberaliy flavored with emphatic hisses, and the sibilant siss of disapprobation, which came iurgely from feminine lips, continued after the clapping and cheers had subsided. . The Growth of Debt. From that time to the present, said Mr. Hutchins, the debt of the United States kad continued to grow, until it was now, in his opinion, intolerable. He alluded to a speech that President Harrison made the other day, in which that gentleman said that something must be done to relieve the ccndition of the country, “and he proceeded to depict in strong language the business sluggishness at present prevalent in the United States. No buildings were being erected; there was no extension of railroads or of manufacturing interests. Spacious buildifgs that were formerly the homes of busy enterprises were tenantless, and enter- prise itself was dead. In some of the large Cities there are some-signs-of activity, where men who had more money than they krew what to do with :were: building sky- scraping buildings that were of no advan- tege to the people at large. He declared that stch idespread and universal dis- tress as this must have a common cause, and that there ought to be sufficient wis- dom in the country to find out what it is and enough statesmanship to provide a remedy for it. “Mr. Harrison, the President that was,”, he ejaculated, “and Mr. Hanna’s agent, the President that wants to be, declare that a high tariff will alleviate this misery.” Continuing he said that no one knew to what an extent preferential legislation had impoverished the people of the country, and proceeded to read census figures issued cn the authority of the United States. In 1860 the wealth of the country was $16,000,- 060,000, of which the farmers had $7,000,000,- 000, This was before the war, said Mr. Hutchins, and before Jay Cook had de- clared that a national debt was “a national blessing.”” In 1870 the national wealth was $20,000,000,000, of which the farmers had but $11,000,000,000. In 1880 the proportions were $45,000,000,000 and $12,000,000,000, and in 1890, said Mr. Hutchins, the national wealth was $65,000,000,000, of which the farmers had but $15,000,000,000. “Take this home with you and study it,” he exclaimed. “In thirty years the farmers had lost more than half of their visible wealth, and the money lenders had It.” Mr. Hutchins devoted much of his.time to presenting and explaining statistics regard- ing the condition of the country, claiming’ that it had resulted from legislation in be- half of those who were able to pay for it. | Referring to the demonetization of silver, in 1873 he reiterated the well-known decla- rations about the passage of the | (le- monetizing act of that year, which, he claimed, was brought about under the guise of a law regulating the mint: Gen. Grant did not know the real intent of the bill when he signed it, and he recited the names of all the Prominent, republicans and: democrats in the Senate and House of Rep- resentatives, saying they were. all deceived. in the matter. “How about Stewart?” asked some one in the audignce. There was a roar of laughter and. ap-' plause at this, and Mr. Hutchins in reply stated with much vehemence that Senator Sherman had frequently claimed in the Senate of the United States, and that Sen- ator Sherman had never denied it, that he. was deceived by the latter into voting for the bill under the representation that it was a party measure. Three years after the act was passed, he said, the people saw what tt was and got angry and then in 1878 the Bland act was passed, which continued in force for twelve years. The foreign bondholders felt ag- $100 on an uptown bank cashed grieved and bore it as long as they could and then got up a panic. “Cleveland was induced to write a mes- he said, and then he quickly cor- rected himself. “No, I will not say induced,” he remark- ed drily. “I don’t think Cleveland was ever ‘induced to do anything.” Continuing Mr. Hutchins sketched the history of the remaining financial legisla- tion down to the repeal of the Sherman purchasing law. In 1893 he declared that the bankers got up a panic and there were very few solvent banks, according to their own showing, in the country, and not a man in New York could get a check for down town. The Crime of ’73. He then proceeded to arraign Senator Sherman as the arch-criminal who was re- sponsible for the legislation which had led the country to what he claimed was a false financial basis and its virtual ruin. “I have read every jot, tittle, word, sen- tence, paragraph and punctuation mark of the Congressional Record containing the history of this vicious legislation, and as an honest man, conscious of the responsibility which 1 assume, I declare that if I were in a Jury box, and under my oath to find a verdict according to the evidence presented, I would send John Sherman to the state’s prison for the balance of his natural life. “If he did not know what he was doin he continued after the noise had subsided, “he was not entitled to a seat in that body by reason of his ignorance, and if he did know what he was doing, he was not en- titled to a seat by reason of his dishon- esty.”” Me Hutchins found that he had but seven minutes left, and remarked that he had some questions to put to his opponent, whom he characterized as a “pretty shifty counsellor,” who was well calculated to make a good showing out of a bad case, because it was a part of his profession to. be able to do so. He then read a long se- ries of questions, including the following: Do you know, and, if so, please state, how much uncoined ‘silver exists in the world to be presented at the mints in the event of the passage of a free coinage bill? Do you know of any period or date dur- ing the eighty-one years of free silver and free gold coinage when the market price of silver was below that of gold? Whom does it benefit when you raise the purchasing power of a dollar, the rich man or the poor man, the creditor or the debtor? Will you, or will you not, admit that the purchasing power of the dollar has been doubled in the last twenty years? Which is better for the general public, a plethora or a stringency of money? Are we not now suffering under a great scarcity of currency? Has it not been very much reduced in volume in the last two years? As you supported Mr. Cleveland in 1892 on a low tariff and a silver platform, why do you oppose Mr. Bryan now? Does he not stand for the same policies? Were you misguided in 182 and honest now, or were you honest then and mis- guided, too? Can Mr. McKinley, if he is elected, cause any greater purchase of imported goods under a high tariff by a people who can- not find the money to purchase under a low tariff, and who cannot even buy home manufactures, which are offered to them at lower rates than the same kind of goods can be imported for under a low tariff? And, if he can, will that not be to the injury of the home manufactures and the hcme_ producers? Which would you prefer, free silver and plenty of business at home, or gold mono- metallism and less business? Which would you favor, a policy which starves our own workingmen and enriches fcreign nations, or a policy which foreign nations criticise as unjust to them, but which helps us? If forced to be unjust to one or the other, which would you select for the infliction, your own or a foreign country? As there are 900 millions of greenbacks, treasury notes, gold certificates and silver certificates put out by the government, and only 150 millions of gold in its possession, how are you going to redeem every dollar in gold? If England, by getting us to demonetize silver, cuts its price down from 129 cents to 60 per ounce, and can buy with that ounce of its silver, regardless of its market value, a bushel of India wheat, does she not by that means obtain our assistance in the reduction of our wheat crop of 400,- 000,000 bushels from 500 to less than 250 millions in value? And do you think it is good business sense or patriotism for us to assist in our own impoverishment in that way? Do you think it would injure this country irreparably to get 129 cents per bushel for our wheat and ten or fifteen cents per pound for our cotton? Do you hold that our national bonded debt is payable in gold coin only? If so, what is your authority for such belief? Do you believe in increasing, protecting or abolishing the so-called trusts and syn- dicate monopolies? “a Will you name a single trust, except the silver trust, that is not supporting Mr. McKinley? Do you believe in supporting or destroy- ing the coal trust and the oil trust? Which do you think is most advantageous to a country, rising or falling prices? __ When Mr. Hutchins had concluded Mis opening address there was evident surprise that he had not entered more fully into an argument endeavoring to show the merits of the free coinage of silver, but it was manifest from his questions propounded.te Mr. Davis that he had taken interrogative means of considering that portion of the subject. When he concluded he was given an ovation, which broke forth with ap- parently redoubled strength when Mr. Davis arose to reply. : MR. DAVIS’ OPENING. Money and Its Value — The Laws of the Commercial World. Mr. Davis’ introduction to the audience was greeted with prolonged and enthusi- aatic applavse. During the ovation he was presented with a big bunch of yellow chrysanthemums, presumably emblematic of the yellow metal which Mr. Davis was prescnt to advocate. When the applause had dwindled away he lost Httle time in, getting into the heart and pith of his ar- gument. ‘ “At the outset,” said he, “I wish to say that I am extremely thankful to my friend Hutching that he has presented his argu- ment along the lines that he has chosen, for I believe that he has put it in the form in which it can be most easily answered. The question that I have come to discuss is that of the free, unlimited and inde- Pendent coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. I do not need to tell you what this means. As you know, it means the coinage of silver by the United States, independent of the wide, wide world, at a ratio which is practically double the real ratio between the two metals. “We are in the midst of dire distress, as my friend has sald; I grant this, but I ask h!m how he proposes to relieve this distress, and all that he ts able to ssy is that he would open the mints of the United States to the free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. “I have not a list of questions as long as my arm, but I have one that I would like to put to him; how can free coinage do away with the distress in which we are involved tcday? The scheme of the free silver advocates is to make money more plentiful and easier for the poor man to |. acquire. Fut I would like to ask further what is morey? Money is simply the some- thing that one man is willing to take for his services and his commodities knowing’ that every other man is willing to take it at the same value. What is coinage? It is but the testification of the govern- ment that the metal upon which it is placed is of a certain quality and fineness. “I stand fairly and firmly upon the In- dianapolis platform, and I will answer one of the questions put to me by my friend Hutchins by saying that I never stood on a silver platform in all my jiife, and, furthermore, I never did support Mr. Cleve- land on a silver platform. That is my an- swer. Qualities of Good Money. “And now you ask me how can I support {tor gold, and why. I will tell you that it is be- cause In the beginning the peoples of the world sought for some convenient medium of exchange which was possessed of cer- tain requisite and necessary characteris- tics. These were durability, divisibility, portability, homogeneity and comparative steadiness of value. Without this last qual- ity no metal should qe ibe, regarded as worthy of being used for money. The rea- son that I stand before the world in sup- port of the golé-ptandard is because the nations of the Id have found by ex- perience that it daligold which most nearly satisfies the requisites for a desirable me- dium of exchange. s “In this campaign we have heard much said of the negessity for bimetallism. I tell you, my friends, that bimetallism is possible only whén?it is accepted and sup- Ported by the entire commercial world. Money must have of itself a commercial value of its own before it can be a genuine medium of exchange. Anything else is but some form or other of greenbackism. Gold is an interposed commodity, which the na- tions of the world have agreed to accept at its real apd face yalue in @xchange. “Bimetallism is impossible, because of the workings of the ‘Greshim law. Gresham, that famous English student and authority, did not. invent the-law that bears his name any more than did,Sir Isqgac Newton manu- facture the law af gravitatton. ‘Apples fell to the ground long before Newton ever thought of the reasons for that phenome- non of nature. The law to which Gresham gave expression is simply the fact that when two metals’ are put jnto circulation side by side the“one that is undervalued will leave the field of unequal strife and resume its character as a commodity in commerce. The law of 1783 undervalued gold and drove it out of the country. The law of 1834 did the same for: silver and drove it out of circulation into the arts— into teapots, spoons and the like. Bimetal- lism is impossible, I say, because of the in- violable and unconquérabie- human laws of commerce and trade.” At this point in-his agument, Mr. Davis pointed out what he eonsidered ag the ab- solute absurdity ef -any “attempt to main- tain a fictitious value on money. In con- nection with this; le cited the case of the French assignats, which fell in value steadily until they passed current at only one three hundred and twentieth of their face. ‘And yet,” continued Mr. Davis, earnest- ly, “at the very time that the merchants of Paris, of Lyons, of Marseilles were tak- ing the assignats at that small fraction of thetrsface value, there was a law blazoned on the statute books of France which pro- vided twenty years’ penal servitude as the punishment for anyone who took them for less than what they purported to be worth. Do you suppose for one moment that such a law as that could ever be enforced, in France or anywhere else? “Bimetallism, I must insist, is possible only when the coinage ratio is the same as the ratio of value. In support of this con- tention, I can not. do better than to quote the words of Jefferson, that man who fcunded the party to which I belong,” At this there was a wild outburst of ap- plause, which lasted for some little time. When it had subsided and Mr. Davis was alfe'to make eee hehrtirte went on: “I can stand fairly and firmly.on, the In- dithapolis platform, for that speaks out in no, uncertain terns on ¢ t.important questo Ut We aay Thee ee Lone dogged, but it hag f, isaues Uke a mae wh te sot ee i ea stand upon at_platform, fo, the. republican plato as £ not ing wishy-washy there. . and tt shows that the men whi had the cour- “You cannot hfye bimetallism because, fér.one thing, allen lacks-one df fhe nec. essary elementsigt 4 medium of exchange. I mean portal ~Why, my ‘friends, a man would haveto have a coach and six to &o ground-with him then to carry his small change.” AV voice: from7 the~ audtence—“That’s all right, but-we ‘ould have the coach and six, perhaps, if we had free coinage.” “Perhaps you w®tld, my friend, but I doubt it. But more of that later on. You must excuse me Jf I, seem to devote a good dcal of my time! to’the primer of finance, the elementary features of the question with which we {re confronted. But let me tell you it is that very phase of the situa- tion that they fil to meet at all, those men who advocate the’ free and unlimited coin- age of silver. It is as if they would answer the arguments fof those who favor sound money by sayifg that there is no such thing as a law 4f cgmmerce, no such thing as a political my., I, for one, am standing here tonight ta_insist that there are laws of commerce, and that there is a political economy. This question cannot be laughed away or answered with a jest. It Is a serious matter. “ ° In- Other Lands. “This country Is in a bad condition. I will rot gainsay that for one,moment. But I must say further that the whole world is in the same bad way.” At this there were a number of expres- sions of surprise or disapproval to be heard from different sections of the hall. “I mean just exactly what I say,” con- tinued Mr. Davis. “The condition of the workingmen in England is 50 per cent Worse, today than it is in this country. ‘The poor of Germany are many times worse off than are the poor of the United States. Is Australia so very prosperous? Hew. about Austria, Argentina? “Why? They are going to remedy our dlls inthis country by giving us. free sil- ver, but how do you account for the fact that other lands are worse off today than we are? Why? I ask, Is the crime of '73 responsible for them, too? “Was it silver, let me ask, was it gold that brought about the downfall of that gieat English banking house, the Barings? No, gentlemen and ladies, it was nelther of these. It was wheat.” This seemed to strike a large portion of the audience in the nature of a surprise, and many appeared to doubt whether the speaker was in earnest. There were cries of dissent from all sides and much con- ion, mean precisely that. It was wheat. Any man who read the papers at the time, and remembers what he read, or wilf take a file of the papers of that time and study it, will bear me out. The Barings were broken because they tried.to bolater up the securities of Argentina, securities which rested upon the value of wheat in the markets of the world. “I have heard a good deal tonight about plutocracy and democracy. I am not here to discuss plutocracy and democracy, how- ever well it sounds. I am here to talk solely an only abdut gold ad ‘silver and the free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 We have heard, too, a great deal said lately about the money of the Constitution. The Constitution says that no state shall ever issue anything else than silver or gold, but it does’ not say anywhere that silver shall always be money. e A voice from the audience: “Nor gold, either.” steare “No, nor gold, either, as my friend says. But I do believe that the United States is free and perfectly able to make woney of anything it chooses to. But further, I do believe that it should choose a coin that will make the money good in every money market in the world. “Let us now come down for a moment to the horrible, the ever memorable crime of °73. My learned..opponent .has in very truth paid a high, tribute to the ability and the worth of qur legislators.when he told of that mag,in. whom the country has seen fit to put ita. fi men who.-have been sent back again | again to Congress, and one of whom , afterward elected to the presidency, ttat such men as these could wade through,a hundred and seven- teen. columna of,argument and debate and yét be so perfgctly, ignorant of the real significance of the fiieasure they were de- bating. eae Since the Crime of ’73. “The crime of/'43,“forsooth. Why, when that act was passed; the currency of this country amounted to $750;000,000. Today it is $1,500,000,000, The amount per capita then was $18; today ‘it 1s $21.10. “In 1874, one year after the perpetration of that famous crjme, Senator John P. Jones, whose nameyis a household word today all over the fand, stood in the Sen- ate of the United Stdtes and fought like a tiger against any attempt to alter the gold standard. “Bo .did Mr. Stewart, and yet my, learned friend would have you believe that they did not have any conception of the nature of the crime that ‘had been committed. "wilt grant that there is an inequality in the distribution of wealth. That indefi- nite something that we call the personal equation has resulted in the accumulation of Vest Wealth tin the hands of the few. Legislation has assisted in this. I will ad- mit that, too, but it was not the demoneti- zation of silver, and it will not help mat- ters in the slightest should we force a de- based coinage on the country. “Prices of commodities re steadily fall- en, while wages and the volume of cur- rency have increased. How do you ac- count for that? and for the fact that with- in the past few weeks the price of silver has gone down while the price of wheat has risen? A wiseacre in one of our papers re- t. ee it cently said that wheat had gone up be- cause of the possibility of free silver leg- islation. Why, in heaven's name, let me ask, was not silver the first to feel the rise if such was the case? Why is tf have had more panics and more disastrous panics since the volume of cur currency has beea increased? “The real cause of our distress is a uni- versal cause. It is an industrial and not @ money cause at sll. The wheat that has poured into the markets of the world from Russia and Australia has had vastly more to do with our condition than the demone- tization of silver ever had. The- increase in production the world over, the increase in tilled acreage, the increase and improve- ment in mechanical methods have all done their share. In our own city we have seen an illustration of this recently. Congress insisted that the Metropolitan railroad should put in a mechanical system in place of horses. This act threw twelve hundred horses into the market, removed the ne- cessity for employing hostlers, stablemen, diminished the demand for oats and corn, and, in fact, has deprived hundreds of fam- ilies of their means of livelihood. It is the same story all over the land. The crime of ‘73 has absolutely nothing to do with it. “In 1892 it was said in the House of Rep- resentatives by a man greater than any who have been quoted tonight, perhaps, that ‘You must attribute it (fall of prices) to the inventive genius that has multiplied a thousand times in many instances the strength of a single arm, and enables us to do today with one man what. fifty men could not do fifty years ago. That is what has brought down prices in this country and everywhere.’ “That man was William Jennings Bryan,” This hit of Mr. Davis’ was greeted with tremendous applause, which lasted so long that Senator Faulkner said he would be compelled to grant the speaker a little ex- tra time to make up for it. “That statement,” said Mr. Davis, in con- clusion, “is the Gospel truth with reference to our position, and I appeal from Bryan, drunk with ambition to climb into the White House, to Bryan sober. “The attempt to force silver upon us at the ratio of 16 to 1 is an attempt to do by force what could not possibly be done by reason und the force of argument. ‘They tel! us that by sticking to the gold standard Great Britain has become the financial netress of the world. I say, then, let us, too, keep to the gold standard, and lick Great Britain at her own game. THE CLOSING REMARKS. Mr. Hutchins’ Twent in Repiy, When 'the two main speeches of the even- ing came to a close many people began to leave the hall, anticipating that the reply and rejoinder of the debaters would prob- ably not cover any addittonal ground. When quiet was finally restored Senator Faulkner presented Mr. Hutchins again. “Mr. Davis has not answered two of the questions I asked him,” began Mr. Hutchins. “He has asked me a number, but has passed by those that I put to him.” “That's right,” cried a man in the audi- ene: “Well, he asked me one,” continued Mr. Hutchins, “that I will answer right now. He wanted to know why England is the mistress of the world on the gold stand- ard and why we should not attempt to dispute her supremacy. It is because we have not got the gold and we could not get it.” 2 Mr. Hutchins said that according to Sec- retary Carlisle’s own figures England had taken $453,000,000 of gold more than we have imported, and that {s more than we have produced. If England can érain the United States of its gold it is because she has this country in her power. “That's right,” shouted a number of people in different parts of the hall. “Yes, and she will keep us in her power if we let her,” continued Mr. Hutchins. “But we have whipped her twice. We whipped her in 1776 when we had only 3,000,000 of people and we whipped her in 1812 when we had 19,000,000. “She was beaten then by old Jackson three months after the treaty of Ghent, and he was a fighting democrat who never knew when to stop.” This appealed to the rock-ribbed demo- crats of the old school in the house, and they responded with a mighty cheer. Con- tinuing, Mr. Hutchins said that England Gemonetized silver one year after Jackson whipped Packingham at New Orleans, for that was the only effort which she could successfully make to subjugate this coun- try. It would be subjugation through the iron manacles of debt. “This reminds me of a story,” said Mr. Hutchins. “Some people were crossing the water on a ship, aboard which was an Eng- lishman who believed that England could beat everything. He was continually brag- ging about the prowess of England. One day, when the Fenian trouble was under discussion,he complained because the Amer- icans were helping the Canadian Fenians. “If you don’t stop it,’ said the Englishman, ccntemptuously, ‘we will come over here and whip you.’ “ “What! again? asked a Yankee, who was sitting near by, and was taking no part in the conversation. “Mr, Davis has asked me what is the cure for the existing evils. I tell him that gold is a coward. It shrinks and hides its face. There was never a battle fought with it In the world. France issued those as- signats because she had no gold. She fought the revolution with them and got freedom. We fought our revolution with continental money, and no dollar of it has been paid or redeemed up to this time. When I was over in France last I procured one of those assignats; Here it is and it Is not worth the paper it is printed on. But don’t you think that $25 in silver would be worth something? Silver is the money of the p2ople. The free coinage of it will by competition force the gold from its hiding. That is what is going to cure the existing troubles. Give me free coinage, and in one month I will get you an audience in. this tullding, and there will be lots of you who will have gold in your pockets, although I will bet there 1s not a gold piece in this house tonight unless it is held by some cne as a curiosity.” “Here's some gold,” cried a man, holding up paveral yellow pieces in the palm of his and. “How much is it?” asked Mr. Hutchins. “Twenty-five dollars.” “Will you swap it for currency?” “Well, not tonight.” ‘When the laughter which followed, this passage had subsided, Mr. Hutchins con- tinued. He said that Mr. Davis wax now an enthusiastic supporter of Palmer. “He supports Palmer, does he? Well, let me read you something that Palmer said just a few years ago. crats, the fight for the silver dollar is more than forty years old. We won it once against the national banks under the lead- ership of Old Hickory and, by his: bones, we will win it n°” “You bet we will; hooray!” was the an- swer of an enthusiastic man in the audi ence. Ccntinuing, Mr. Hutchins said that when Mr. Davis casts one vote for Palmer he casts a half a vote for McKinley. He described Mr. Davis as being without a political home tonight. The party that was born at Indianapolis is no party at all. Its members are simply pallbearers organ- ized to carry out the corpse.of democracy which they have tried to stab. Mr. Hutch- ins refel to Mr. McKinley's assertion made at one time that he favored the free and unlimited coinage of silver. A storm of protests arose at this, and a hundred voices demanded further reading of, the quotation from McKinley. Mr. Hutéhin: gave it, and then made the point that Mc- Kinley’s qualification to the effect that he would not admii the free silver of other countries to coinage, but would coin the home product, meant that he would refuse the privilege of the mint to 12,000,000 in one case and grant it to 67,000,000 in another, as, according to the director of the mint, there was but 12,000,000 uncoined silver in the world outside of this country. Mr. Hutchins quoted from Blaine’s deciaration of his belief in the fact of gold and silver coin being the money of the Constitution. Daniel Webster, too, who was alinost as big a man in fact as David A. Wells is in his own estimation, declared gold and silver to be the money of the Constitution, and said he @id not believe that Congress had the right to alter the ratio or dethrone either metal. Mr. Hutchins denied that there was wide- spread distress and sald that it did not ex- ist in England. He quoted numerous in- stances of the capitalization of great com- panies in England recently, indicating the presence of plenty of money, and said that if one went about it the right way he could capitalize a dog’s tail in England now. “I never saw money so plentiful in my life as it is in England,” said Mr. Hutch- ins. é “Yes, that’s because of the gold stand- ard,” cried one of his auditors. “Not so,” cried Mr. Hutchins. “It is be- cause it is the creditor nation of the worli and makes every other nation work for her. She owns everything in Argentine. She has eviscerated Australia and is trying the same game on us.” Mr. Hutchins made a further reference to the crime of '73, and said that there was not one Une of the one hundred. and sev- Minute Speech Here it is: “Demo-} 11 enteen columns of debate in the Congres- sional Record in which it was stated or admitted that the bill then pending would demonetize silver. Mr. Davis’ Rejoinder. It then came Mr. Davis’ turn to close the debate. He pitched into that undertaking with a will, promising to make it brief. He recalled Mr. Hutchins’ claim that gold is a coward and never fights, and asked, if that were so, with what has Eng'and achieved all her victories. This sally was applauded by the gold faction in the audience, and Mr. Davis'turned to a reference to his own po- litical position. He explained that when he said that he did not stand on a silver plat- form in 1892, it was because the convention itself straddled. He admitted that it was @ straddle, and a shameful one. He vs- serted with emphasis that the most clean, fair, decent and manjy plaiform ever adepted by a political party was the one which was adopted recenty by the gold democrats at Indianapolis. Hie said he was too much of a man to be scared of haif of a vote for McKinley. He said he was per- fectly willing to follow Palmer in his changed views, because he wanted to be convinced that the thing which he is asked to stand by today is right, and not the tra- dition of some party. He would spurn any doctrine in which he had lost faith. Loud cheers greeted this statement, and Mr. Davis then passed on to one of Mr. Hutch- ins’ references. ‘England is the owner of Argentine,” said Mr. Davis. “Certainly she is, and why? Because she is the trade mistress of the world. The city of London is the set- tling house for the world’s trade. There is not a grain of wheat grown on the Virginia shore across the river the price of which is not fixed on quays at Liverpool.” He said that England is not an ogre to run away from. Trade conditions are trade conditions, and the undoing of the so-called crime of 1873 will not rub out facts. He had asked Mr. Hutchins how the remone- tization of silver would help things, and Mr. Hutchins had given him the answer of the New York Journal. He was glad that Mr. Hutchins had not given Bryan's an- swer. Bryan says that good times will come again because these philanthropic silver mine owners, these generous men who own the bullion, the silver kings would spend their money in opening up shops and putting every man to work. Mr. Hutchins had not given that answer, but had given the one that gold is a coward and that as soon as free coinage of silver commences gold will come out and fight. Mr. Davis contended that free coinage of silver will drive every dollar of gold out of the United States and that the currency of this nation would be contracted by exactly the amount of gold which went abroad He denounced the claim that free coinage will bring higher prices as a fallacy sc plain- that Mr Hutchins would not ever allude to it. “Ff he had done so,” said Mr. Davis, “I would have asked him this question: If higher prices should prevail, how would that help the man who has to buy things?” “That's it, Hit him again!” shouted the id - “That's what we are interested “How is the farmer and the laborer te get hold of more money from the free coin- e?” asked Mr. Davis. “Work for it,” answered some one in the audience. “You've struck at, my friend,” cried Mr. Davis. ““He_will have to work for it, and, therefore, what we need is a change of condition of -industrial affairs that will give the laborers the chance to earn the money?” Mr. Davis said Mr. Hutchins, in depict- ing the prosperous financial condition of England, had not talked of the poor men of that nation, of the laborers and farm- ers. He had referred to the rich men who could capitalize great business concerns the Vanderbilts of England. “Why, Vanderbilt and I own a hundred milhicn dollars between us,” said Mr. Davis. “Now that sounds very prosperous. doesn’t it? But Vanderbilt owns it all and I don’t see where my prosperity comes in. “The advocate of free silver coinage can- not bring back prosperity to this country by cheating his reighbor and dealing in 53-cent dollars,” said Mr. Davis. Some of the audience ‘applauded this and others hissed the statement. One man near the platform declared it to be a “chestnut,” while his neighbor insisted that it was a statement of facts. “The dollar of free coinage is a dishonest dollar because it proposes to make 53*rents pass for 100 cents,” said Mr. Davis. “Mr. Bryan insists that when free coinage gces into effect silver will immediately ad- vance in price to $1.29 per ounce. If that is so, then what becomes of your ‘cheap’ dollar that you are clamoring for?” Mr. Davis said that if free coinage of sil- ver is coupled with a legal tender provision it will mean the destruction of every con- tract now in existence. England took our bonds because it was expressly unders:00.1 that they were to be redeemed in gold. That contract would be violated as well as all of them. “And now I want to say a word about my- self,” said Mr. Davis. “I have been taunted on the streets of this,my native city; I have been taunted in the press, in the highways, the byways and the alleys, because of the stand which I have taken in this campaign. I don’t care that for it,” cried Mr. Davis, snapping his fingers, contemptuously. (Ap- plause.) “I had rather belong to no party at all than to one that preaches repudiation and dishonor. (Loud applause, cheers and hisses.) “The party that I belong to is the grani- est, truest—"" “And smailest,” interjected a man near the platform. Mr. Davis was not diverted from the line of his argument, however, and when the laughter had subsided, continued that he belongs to the democratic party hecause he agrees with its principles. He said that the perty represented in the Chicago conven- tion was not the democratic party. (Jeers and hisses) . “Never mind,” said Mr. Davis. “Mark my words, it will not be many months before I will be found in the foremost line to wel- ccme my.erring brothers when they re- turn,” Mr. Davis closed his remarks and the evening’s debate by lkentng the democratic party to Athens and Its influence as de- scribed by Macauley. ——— BRYAN BREAKS A RECORD. He Speaks to Twenty-Three Meetings in Michigan, Michigan outdid itself yesterday in wel- coming Wiliam Jennings Bryan, and the democratic nominee returned the compli- ment by breaking his own, as well as all other records. He spoke to twenty-three meetings, beginning at 7 o'clock yesterday morning at Muskegon, and ending at Lan- sing. close.to midnight. The aggregate number of his hearers probably surpassed sll previous figures, considering the size of the cities where he spoke. Except in one or two minor instances, the enthusiasm was ‘marked. Most of the candidate's hear- ers belonged to the farming class, and at nearly every town the vehicles which had carried them jn lined the side streets for blocks. Mrs. Bryan accompanied her husband to every platform from which he spoke, and when his addresses were made from the rear of the car she stood by his side. Floral tributes. were literally showered upon her, and one end of the private car was nearly filled with the fragrant offer- ings. At many stations she gratified the crcwds by distributing posies from the rear of the car. Lansing was reached at 7:30 o'clock, and @ ‘torchlight procession three blocks in length was in waiting. Excursion trains frcm adjacent districts had been carrying visitors into the city nearly all afternoon, and the principal streets were almost im- ‘passable. Three meetings had been arranged at Lansing, one in a large clothing establish- ment to an audience of women; the second in the Ster Theater, and the third on the stand erected in front of the capitol build- ing. PREVENTED BY GEN. LEE. Attempt to Arrest a Passenger on a Steamer at Havan Another international incident occurred in the harbor at Havana, Cuba, yesterday. ‘The police attempted to arrest on board the Ward line steamer Vigilancia a passenger who was-on his way from New York to Mexico. The man’s name was Angel Fer- nandez. He was born in Asturias, Spain, but claimed to be a Mexican citizen. Cap- tain McIntosh of the Vigilancia refused to deliver the man up, and the police ordered the Vigilancia to be detained. Thereupon Captain McIntosh consulted with General Fitzhugh Lee, the United States consul general, and soon afterward the Vigilancia was allowed to sail, with Fernandez on board, to Mexico, THE ADVANCE ACENT OF HEALTH “WARNER’ SAFE CURE Miniature Fac-Simile. — IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS. Foot Ball and Bicycling—Social Clubs and School Papers, The Central foot ball team was to have played the Maryland Agricultural Collexe eleven today, but on account of mana, ment of the M. A. C. arranging two games for the same day, the game was called cff. Next Saturday the team will play the Epis- copal High School of Alexandria, and will probably meet the Columbian College boys in a practice game during ¢ ming week. The athletic luncheon. 1 yesterday at recess in the corridor, x suc and as a result the Cen ciation is seventy dol lenty of go ust sixteen hungry to eat, « boys ‘af every 1 of caki luncheon wa. charge of Miss Rey and the pretty High School girls who attended the taoles caused the boys to have lerger appel and capacities than they would have had under erdinary circumstances. The seventy doilars will be out the foot ball eleven. Th between the Athletic Assoc ball boys is “that all of the will go to the association penses of the team are deduc: 1 to fit agreement nd foo! The first issue of this year's Review came ou, yesterday. It is a monthly mix- ture of news, knowledge and nonsense, pub- lished by the students of the Central High School, and original contributions are +0- licited from all pupils of the school. its aim is to excel all other like papers and arouse such an amount of “school spirit” among the pupils that they too, will excel in all they undertake for the glory of “he school. The editorial staff is as follows: Platt, Fr. editor, Coffin, "9. Elizabeth G. Ww. G. . Business . Shipe, "99; . B. Harvey, The second foot ball team has been ganized. Jessie Underwood was el captain, and E. E. Deardoff, manager. There ace about twenty boys’ trying for places in the line-up, and a team will be turned out with an average weight of avout 150 pounds. Davi: Stuart, "#7; taff, A R. K Eastern, The Athletic Association held a meeting yesterday and appointed officers for the coming year. Mr. J. Strother Miller was re-elected president, Miss Shirley Potter secretary, Mr. William M. Hallam treas- urer and Mr. Emory Wilson faculty ad- viser. The eleven will not play any more games until October 31, when they meet the Epis- copal High School, so the Will be able to get in good condition. ‘They will prac- tice daily against a scrub eleven, firmed from the ex-members of the school. The Young Ladies’ Bicycle Club enjoyed @ run yesterday afternoon to the Soldiers’ Home. There was lots of fun, and they ail declared that girls can have fun, even if the boys do not go. Misses May Weide, Annie French, Anna Wilbur, Mary Whelpley, May Seville, Bes- sie Stuart and Edna Faw participated in the run, under the leadership of Miss Georgie V. Forbes. Western High School. The foot ball team played an exciting game last Wednesday with the Le Droit Park eleven. At the end of two twenty- minute halves the score stood 00. Anoth- er game will be played with the same team, for the Western boys are sure they will be able to score against them, although they are outweighed by about ten pounds, The management is trying to arrange a game with the Episcopal High School of Alexandria for next Wednesday, and also a series of games with Columbia College. a series of games with Columbian College. The Western High School Camera Ciub has been reorganized, and Miss Buckley, the popular teacher of physics, was elected president; Miss Robinson, teacher of his- tory, treasurer, and Lawrence Janney, sec- retary. The club is intended to give its members a better insight into the s of photography. The following are mem bers: Messrs. Clifton Smith, Harry Klein- schmidt, Alfred Wright, Paul Lamberton, Harrol Scudder and Charles Stearne. “The Western” will make its first ap- pearance November 4 and will be a bi- weekly. The success which attended the Paper last year was gratifying to all who were concerned, and the prospects for this year’s paper are as good, if not better. The object of the paper is to encourage the students in literary lines, and only articles of which the Western scholars are authors will be published. The staff is as follows: Editor-in-chief, Miss Kidder: assistant ed- itors, fourth year, Mr. May, Miss Perry and Miss Walker; third year, Miss Fenton and Mr. Petty; second year, Miss Breckinridge; business manager, Mr. Duckett; assistant business manager, A. E. Craig; class man- agers, fourth year, Miss Fuller: third year, Mr. Wright and Miss Bradbury; second year, Misses Curriden, Foley and Cobaugh; first year, Miss Brown and Messrs. Mack- all and Janney. The stibscription price will be lowered, so that every pupil of the school will be able to take the paper. A bicycle club was organized, and W. Smart was elected chairman; G. Blackis- ton, secretary, and G. A. Birch, road cap- tain. The first run will be taken today to Silver Springs. M. Manakeey, S. Janney, T. King, V. Birch, T. Holcombe, E. Gib- son, R. Potbury are members and are booming up the interest of their organiza- tion. The Kamptown Soshul Klub has been reorganized and the fellowing officers will bring in new members from the first year students: Charles Berry, president; Mr. Duckett, vice president; W. Tanner, treasurer, and A. Wright, secretary. The officers are all that is left of last year’s club, the other members having either left school or not entered into this year’s organization. aa ee One of the biggest political demonstra- tions ever hel¢ at Columbus, Ohio, was given last night in honor of General Al- ger’s party. There was a parade of city and township republican clubs, in which six thousand men participated. BUFFALO LITHIA WATER Nature's remedy for Gout, Rheumat all disorders of the Ki Water for sale by drone ‘on application. Proprictor, Springs, Va. W. 8. TiOMPSON, C1517 The Yale Laundry fills the bill, 514 10th st. "Phone 1092. It