YQLUME LXXVIII.-NO. 81.
BIMETALLISTS MEET IN CONVENTION
Making Ready to Sever Party Ties and
Traditions.
DELEGATES IN EARNEST.
Representatives Present From
Afl Parts of California and
;! X ; Neighboring States.
RUMORS OF A SILVER PARTY.
The Old Organizations Are Rather
. ; /Severely Handled by the White
T :;. Metal Advocates.
• ■• The, non-fpartisan silver convention, re
butting, from a call issued by a meeting of
, tfrbi'te metal advocates that met at the Pal
"ace Hotel on June A), convened yesterday
• atnoon in Metropolitan Hall. Delegates
were present fromall parts of California,
..as well as fronr neighboring States.
; George W. Baker, chairman of the Bi- |
metallic League of San Francisco and one |
of the prime movers in the gathering,
opened the convention with a brief ad
dress, in which the objects sought to be
attained were outlined. He said in sub
stance:
■As chairman of the Bimetallic League
of San Francisco it becomes my duty to
call this meeting to order and to review
the objects for which we are assembled.
It is well known to all of you that the great
question before the American people to
day is one of finance, before which all
other issues sink into insignificance. This
question has reached out until it has made
itself felt in every part of our country. It
means the lining-up of the industrial
classes against the banker and bondholder
— the sharks of a corrupt and all-grabbing
financial system, that if persisted in will
drive the country into absolute ruin.
"We know that if the people have a
chance to be heard in this matter of grave
concern to every true son of America that
they .will repudiate the acts of the sharks
of .'Wail and Lombard streets and declare
. for -a-n American policy, of American birth,
. and .. founded upon the principles of
A;m.-erlcan Government — sound money.
■We-- know that we have a powrerful
aii.d : - treacherous enemy in the field,
o-iie- that" will not hesitate at any
nieanSr honorable or otherwise, to de
fend the crime which was committed
ajrainst this repubiir txenty years ago.
"Wo know, that the nraon people — the
peopie who are ruakin^ the wealth of this
to a gxeut exte.it under the
iron heel of the money power.
"This is the reason that seventy-five men '
me f at the Palace Hotel on the 20th of last
June and decided to issue a call for this con
vention. We decided there that recruits were
necessary to make this great fight in de
fense of the rights of the American people,
and that the best way to get these recruits
wouid be to call a meeting and talk the
thing over. For this object we are here to-
day.
■•We are not here as partisans. There
are members of all parties in attendance.
We are here not as Republicans or Demo
crats or Populists, but as bimetallists.
Party lines here have been broken and be
hind us we have left party names and con
ditions. We have gathered together a
, crowd of men determined to be right on
this great question, whatever it may cost
in party traditions and ties. We come
from : the workshop, the farm, and the
forum, jesolved to face this question and
to look it squarely in the eye.
"We want a sound-money man in the
White House, and we are going to have
such a. man. If he cannot be found in
either of the old parties, then we will land
one from the Bimetallic League. We do
not seek political preferment or the spoils
of office. This is not our mission. What
wo . do want is the money given us by the
founders of this republic — the currency of
Washington and Jefferson. That is sound
money, honest money, and good enough
for America for many years to come.
"If the thousands who are with us in
principle will come forward and assert
themselves the battle will be easily won,
and as eternal vigilance is the price of |
liberty 1 ' we must organize early and watch |
late. The country must be defended from j
the : graspine moneyed oligarchies of the j
Old and New World.
We hear from the press— not the press of
California, to whom all honor is due for
the stand which it has taken on this ques
tion—that we are under great obligations
to Morgan and the Rothchilds for coming
to the jescue of the United States
Treasury. Protection for the treasury of
the United States, indeed !
"Who protected it during the dark days
of our great war? We carried on the
greatest conflict at arms that the world has
ever seen and bore our flag to victory on
the credit of .this Nation.
"Some one in the >'ew York Herald
said recently that we were under great obli
gations to the bankers for favors shown
the Treasury Department. For one I am
opposed io turning the treasury of this
country over to any three-ball game under
the sun-of heaven. The bone and sinew is
entitled to some protection, instead of
turning its efforts into the coffers of Wall
street.
"We believe in gold and silver as money.
We believe that silver was stricken down
by an arch conspiracy, and we seek to re-
Btore it to its proper standard. We may,
and probably shall meet with reverses, as
did our forefathers of old, but right will
ultimately prevail."
At the conclusion of Chairman Baker's
address a motion was carried calling for a
committee of fifteen on credentials.
Julius Sonntag moved that all delegates
from neighboring States be accorded the
Game privilege in the convention as regular
California delegates, excepting the privi
lege of voting.
S. 8. Wright moved to amend Sonntag's
motion by granting delegates from other
Btates.the privilege of voting on all ques
tions coming before the convention.
D. W. MeNiel raised a point of order to
the effect- that the call did not contemplate
the voting of outside delegates, and that it
ought hot to be allowed.
Ht A. McCraney responded that as Cali
The San Francisco Call
fornia had been nsed to furnishing Nevada
with Senators she should allow the Ne
vada delegates to vote.
The motion to allow outside delegates to
vote was finally carried amid a storm of
applause.
Chairman Baker then appointed the fol
lowing committee:
Resolutions— H. I. Willey (chairman), San
Francisco; Green Majors, Alameda: A. L.
Hart, Sacramento; W. C. Cressler, Modoc; T.
J. Clunk-, San Francisco; Colonel Cochrnne,
San Francisco; J. H. Budd, San Joaqnin; E. L.
Colnon, San Joaquin; J. C. Green, San Fran
cisco; Frank J. Moffitt, Alameda; W. C. Price.
Alameda; Mayor S. S. Wright. Fresno; Julian
Sonntag, San Francisco; Ed Reddy. Inyo; M.
K. Haurs, Fresno; E. M. Gibson, Alameda;
George A. Koch, Mariposa; George T.
NVagher, Alameda; Thomas C. Welch, Orange;
D. E. McKinley, Sonoma; H. A. McCraney, Sac
ramento; William S. Edwards, San Bernar
dino; J. A. Plummer, San Joaquin; Mayor Orr,
San Joaquin; T. S. Phelps, San Mateo; W. S.
Staley, Sonoma; Hon. J. L. Davie, Alameda;
N. W. Spaulding, Alameds; Ben Morgan,
Berkeley; R. Guy McClellan, Alameda; H. L.
Austin, Fresno; C. W. Cottran, Stanislaus;
Frank Short, Fresno.
On permanent organization— J. H. Tingman
(chairman), Los Angeles; W. E. Rogers, Kern;
Dr. R. Brown, Sacramento; Hugo Hornlein,
Sacramento; M. T. Campbell, Siskiyou; A. L.
CHAIRMAN GEORGE W. BAKER OPENING THE CONVENTION AT METROPOLITAN TEMPLE.
[Sketched by a "Call" artist.]
Warner, Sonomo; W. E. Pond, Yolo; George W.
Grayßon Jr., Butte ; J. P. Edoff, Alameda ; John
Moore, Colusa; Major James Kip, San Fran
cisco; A. Meyers, Alameda; B. K. Collier. San
Francisco: R. B. Snell, Alameda; Thomas
Eager, Fresno; Dr. W. B. Wall, Orange; Hugh
Davie, Lake ; W. D. Heitman, Alameda; William
Pardy, San Francisco ; W. L. Dickenson, Merced ;
E. P. Jones, San Francisco; R. M. Beatty,
Nevada; C. C. Powning, Nevada.
On credentials— Lyman Bridget, Alameda;
M. A. Hurley, Calaveras; M. M. Muller, Fresno;
G. E. Foster, Kern; D. E. Alexander, Sacra
mento; Dr. Hudson, San Joiquin; Robert Mc-
Kiilican, Alameda; Martin Eloughton, Sonoma:
Fred Kirkland, Sacramento; P. C. Hyman, San
Francisco; Captain Charles M. Leary, San
Francisco; F. R. Casey, San Francisco; P. H.
Medley, Stanislaus; Major M. Biggs Jr.
C. C. Powning of Nevada was introduced
to the convention as "the old Nevada war
horse." He was escorted to the platform
by a committee appointed by the chairman
composed of Messrs. Clunie, Willey and
Sonntag.
Responding to an invitation for a speech
Mr. Powning said that he was not much of
a warhorse, but that he was proud to hail
from the grand silver State of Nevada. He
declared that whatever other states might
do, Nevada would vote for no mnn that
did not stand for the restoration of silver,
in a ratio of 16 to 1, first, last and all the
time.
Following Mr. Powning's address came
a discussion as to the disposition of reso
lutions offered to the convention. Some
were in favor of referring all resolutions to
the committee without reading in open
convention. Others held for a reading, to
be followed by a five-minute discussion, of
each resolution. It was finally decided to
read all resolutions in open convention,
and then submit the same to the proper
committee without debate.
D. W. McNeill submitted the following
resolution, which was adopted without
discussion :
Retolved, That the Btat« Central Committee
be composed of eighty members, on the basis
of Assembly District represemation, and that
the delegates present from the respective coun
ties select such members to serve in the State
Central Committee.
An adjournment was then taken until
this morning at 9 : 30 o'clock. Immediately
SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 20, 1895.
after adjournment the delegates formed
in line and led by a brass band marched to
the Occidental Hotel, where headquarters
are located.
The committees on credentials and reso
lutions went into session at once, the for
mer to receive the credentials of delegates,
and the latter to discuss the feasibility of
forming a permanent silver party in Cali
fornia.
Judge E. M. Gibson addressed the com
mittees at length. He snid that he came to
the convention as a Populist, but an
nounced his willingness to join hands with
Clnnie, Phelps and others in the forma
tion of a new party. In his opinion the
time was ripe for such a move.
Timothy Guy Phelps followed Judge
Gibson. He said:
"I am not in favor of the formation of a
new party. The people are not yet ready
for such a party. We know that, in an
examination of this question, they can
come to but one conclusion, viz: that the
remonetization of silver is the only feasible
financial policy. The most that we can
hope to accomplish in this convention is to
educate the public on this most important
topic and to induce them to recognize it
as a living issue in the affairs political of
this country.
"Party ties are strong, and it seems to
me that a break in the party lines at this
time would be inopportune. If either of
the old parties should declare for the
restoration of silver, that party will get
my vote."
Tom Clunie was the next speaker. He
also emphasized the strength of party ties,
and felt that they were hard to sever. He
said that he had been trying to serve the
Cleveland administration and at the same
time the silver men. He found it a diffi
cult position indeed, and it had become
very tiresome.
He did not believe that the rank and file
of the Democratic party were opposed to
free Bilver, but when the United States ia
obliged to go to foreign lands for its finan
cial policy, he thought it time for all good
Americans to call a halt and look about
for a blunder somewhere.
"I propose," he continued, "to give the
Democratic party one more trial, and in
the event of a failure in this question, to go
with any party that declares for silver."
General H. A. Beatty of Nevada said
that Nevada is the daughter of California
and thoroughly imbued with the spirit of
the pioneers. He then told how the silver
agitation had been conceived and prose
cuted in his State by hard, honest work,
which finally resulted in the Silver party
of Nevada.
"We cast our electoral vote for Weaver,"
said he, "not because he was a Populist,
but because he was a silver man. The
party that comes out boldly for the re
monetization of the white metal can have
the vote of Nevada every time. Against
the money of the two great parties we
have won two victories by votes, and we
can do it again. The way to organize for
silver is to get individual pledges/
T. C. Welch of Orange County, secre
tary of the committee, said:
"We should organize as an emergency
organization — like the minute men of the
revolution. Then if either of the old par
ties fail us, we are in a position to act. I
never will again vote for a President who
sines 'Those Golden Slippers,' while his
parasites dance a clog dance before the
American people. We should organize at
once."
Majors of Alamerta said :
"When a man leaves his party, his op
portunity for making silver converts di
minishes. Even if we organize a new
party the people will not come to as until
they see what tne old parties are going to
do. We should seek to educate the people
on this question, but within party lines, at
least for a time."
Judge Thompson said:
•'No attempt should be made at this
time to switch delegates from either of the
old parties. If we ao this the convention
will be false to its call, which declares it to
be non-partisan. Let us do the work for
which we were called together, and not
overstep the limits of our obligations. To
educate, propogate and agitate on the sil
ver question is the object of this conven
tion as I understand it. Let us see to it
that we attend to this duty."
The committee then adjourned.
FOR THE PLATFORM.
The Sub-Committee Appointed by
the Committee on Resolutions.
At the evening session of the committee
on resolutions it was decided after some
discussion to take no further action at
present than the appointment of a com
mittee to draft a preamble and resolutions
that, when finally accepted by the conven
tion, shall stand as & platform or declar
ation of principles.
Delegate McCraney moved for the ap
pointment of the committee, and Chair
man Willey named the following gentle
men to serve: Judge J. H. Budd of Stock
ton, General Robert M. Beatty of Nevada
and M. M. Orr of Stockton.
It was suggested, and approved by all,
that the preamble and resolutions to be
drafted by these gentlemen should be brief
and pointed and couched in as plain and
simple language as may be. The commit
tee itself was heartily in favor of this, and
there promises to result from their labors
a statement that shall be noted for its
strength and clarity than its number of
words.
Green Majors acted as secretary pro tern
of the committee. After the sub-commit
tee had been appointed the main commit
tee adjourned till this afternoon at 1
o'clock.
NEVADA IN REVOLT.
Uncompromising Attitude of the
Delegates From the Sagebrush.
The Sagebrush State has sent down a
list of delegates that have not forgotten
Robert M. Beatty, Who Will Be One
of th« Leading Speakers To-Day.
[From a photograph.)
why Nevada was admitted to the Union
and how instrumental she was in saying
LIVES SACRIFICED BY NEGLIGENCE.
the United States from a money panic in
1863. They are all warmed up to the situ
ation and are in just the humor to reject
anything in the shape of a compromise.
This dodge has been worked on them sev
eral times by both the old parties and they
are now out and out for silver at the ratio
of 16 to 1, without regard to any foreign
country. They say so in their conversa
tion, write it in their arguments and think
of it in their dreams. The one saving
clause in the next campaign for the State
that has suffered more than any other sil
ver-producing State in the Union is the
hope of free coinage.
Many of them were interviewed last
night on the question that is nearest their
hearts, and rather than enter into a re
vival of the old arguments that have been
preached to the people of the West ever
since silver was demonetized they are
more inclined to give voice to their indi
vidual opinions, and at the same time sug
gest what will occur if something is not
done, and that soon. As several of them
said: "We do not care to go into details
as to the why and wherefore, for the pso
pie of the Pacific Coast are familiar with
the question, its advantages and the neces
sity of favorable legislation; but we do
wish to express ourselves on the point
which touches the question as it stands in
it 3 unsettled state to-day— its thousand
and one idle mines and its chief industry
dormant. We want to settle it at the
polls, and in order to do that we have got
to formulate a plan of action, and that's
what we are here for."
Dr. Bergstein, chairman of the Nevada
delegation, said:
"The fight for free coinage that was
begun in Nevada in 1892 has been kept up
systematically by Jones, Stewart, New
lands and the people ever since, and to
day it looks as though we were to have
something to say in the next Presidential
election.
"One can readily see how strong the
sentiment is in Nevada by the converts we
make up there. Congressman Bartine,
although a warm and constant advocate of
free coinage, not long ago preferred the
Republican party to the out and out ad
vocacy of silver without regard to politics,
and was turned down for Congress, and
left the State for Utah. Since then, how
ever, he has placed silver above party, and
is a silver man to the backbone, and while
he is in Utah he has become one of the
strongest and ablest silver advocates on
the Pacific Coast.
"On two different occasions we have
swept the field in Nevada and the silver
party has triumphed over all opposition.
I have been a Democrat most of my life,
but left the party because of the failure of
Congressmen to cast their votes for the
white metal. There is no option for them
when Nevada and the West is concerned.
We want free coinage without compromise
and without regard for any other country
under the sun."
Mr. Eugene Howells, secretary of the
Nevada delegation and Secretary of State
from that section, having been elected on
the silver ticket, is perhaps better able to
talk of that campaign and its watchword
than most men. Mr. Howells says:
"We have come down here with thirty
two delegates, and there is not a man
among tnem who does not know that the
action of 1873 was deadly to the State of
Nevada. We stood it as long as we were
able to, and now there is not a Democrat
or a Kepublican of influence left in the
State. We feel the effect of a single stand
ard daily, and we will accept no compro
mise upon free coinage and no straddle
will blind us as to the purpose cf tne tw«
An Intoxicated Youth Caused the Qumry
Hotel Disaster.
old parties. "We have encountered those
things before, and this time we must have
a clean platform from both ends or the re
volt will go across the country with re
newed energy. The watchword is 16 to 1,
and we will take nothing less."
Senator William H. Sharon of Storey
County believes that California is making
a step that will redown to her credit in
after years.
"Nevada is a nnit," he says, "on the
silver question, ana I believe if anybody
understands it we do. We have come
down here as the guests of the Bimetallic
League and were very kindly given seats
on the floor of the convention. We did
not expect to take part in the discussion,
but have merely come here to witness the
work that is of such importance to this
coast and the United States generally. We
do not care to interfere, but the courtesy
we have been accorded is most acceptable
and pleasant to us. Any action California
tafees in this issue will meet with the ap
proval of Nevada provided they keep con
stant sight of the watchword, 'sixteen to
one.' "
State Treasurer Westerfield, who left the
Republican ranks for silver sometime ago,
had the following to say:
"I believe Nevada has the honor of be
ing the first State in the Union to begin
the revolt, and I think I can say truthfully
that the Carson Appeal was the first paper
to suggest it. Four years ago it began
preaching insurrection against the old
parties and the influences cf Wall street,
and clamored for more protection for the
things we produced in Nevada, principally
silver. It called upon the people of the
State to rise up and stand for themselves
on an issue that was of more importance
Senator William H. Sharon of Storey
County.
[From a photograph.]
to them than anything else and to begin
striking hard and sturdy blows for the
Continued on Fifth Page. ■
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
OVER A SCORE KILLED.
!
Scenes of Horror and Death
After the Explosion of
the Boiler.
I
NOBLE WORK OF RESCUERS.
Ex-Governor Routt Stated That the
Terrible Wreck Was Due to
Dynamite. .
DENVER, Colo., Ang. 19.— Additional
details of the terrible disaster at the
Gumry Hotel, shows that without one
moment's warning the boiler in the base
ment of the structure on Lawrence street,
near Seventeenth, exploded shortly after
midnight this morning and with terrific
force tore away the entire rear portion of
the building, demolishing the rear and
side walls and reducing the place to one
mass of con|used timbers, bricks and
debris, which shortly after took fire. So
far as have been recovered, eight bodies
are at the city morgue and ten more are
known to be buried beneath the ruins.
Altogether seventeen people are missing,
and the loss of life will not be definitely
known until order is restored from the
confused mass of ruins. The killed are:
R. C. Greiner, assistant superintendent
of construction at the State Capitol, and
his wife, who acted as clerk of the
destroyed hotel ; George Burt of Denver, a
conductor on the Chicago and Rock Island
Railroad; Fred Hubbold of Lisbon, lowa,
a guest of the hotel ; F. J. McClosky of
Longmont, Colo., guest; Will Richards of
Denver, elevator-boy, and an unknown
woman and child about 3 years old. The
only means of identifying the body of the
woman is by a gold band ring with the
initials "H. B." engraved thereon.
The missing, and supposed to be still in
the ruins, are: Peter Gumry, owner of the
hotel and superintendent of construction
at the State Capitol; General Charlea
Adams of Manitou, Colo.; James Murphy,
a prominent Democratic politician of
Omaha; E. X- Edwards, a butcher of Den
ver; W. J. Blake, W. J. Corson, F. French,
County Treasurer of Gilpin County; Mrs.
G. R. Wolfe, Grace Wolfe, 5 years old, of
Lincoln, Nebr. ; B. I. Lurch of Blackhawk;
an unknown woman and three unknown
chambermaids.
Ihose injured and safely attended to at
the hospitals are: M. E. Letson, Joseph
Munal, Alex E. Irwin, Fred Coleman,
Nathan C. Burgess and Bad Hopkins.
This so far is a definite knowledge of the
people to be accounted for, but the hotel
register shows people who have safely
materialized, and some missing are not on
the register. The latest obtainable infor
mation regarding the most terrible catas
trophe that is recorded in Denver's history,
clearly shows that a 17-year-old boy, El
mer Pierce, who was temporarily placed in
charge of the boiler, was directly respon
sible for the accident. With the boiler
almost at a red heat he injected cold
water into the tubular affair, causing an
immediate explosion. Strange to say and
by a miracle he escaped unscathed, and
to-night was being hunted by an angry
crowd of people who would have dealt with
him hastily had he been apprehended. He
seems safe, however, as no clue has been
unearthed as to his whereabouts. The
story of suffering amid the ruins is agon
izing and even repulsive. Few people
otber than firemen, the hastily summoned
rescue corps and policemen, remained near
the scene to witness the excavating for the
horribly burned human masses and dis
torted remains.
M. E. Letson, who was the first live man
taken trom the ruins, had an experience
that at which all mankind can marvel. He
slept on the third floor, and when found
was encased in a conical-shaped mass of
mortar and bricks that barely allowed his
freedom of movement. Chief Roberts of
the fire department first discovered him,
and rapidly began the removal of the tons
of material that seemed to rest directly
upon his body. In agonizing and heart*
rending appeals he begged an instrument
to end his life. The rescuers worked with
a will, and in two hours had succeeded in
displacing enough plaster and bricks from
the apparently lifeless body to allow a re
moval. With most gracious thanks the
man was removed to the County Hospital,
and though his lower limbs were horribly
contused, he will survive his terrible
ordeal. He had been imprisoned for ten
hours.
No words could portray the scene around
the ruins late this afternoon. Women
and children, maddened by terrible sus
pense, hurried to and fro in anxious in
quiry concerning loved ones that are miss
ing. Strong men, hard at work amid the
ruins, quaked at the sickening smell of
roasting flesh, and turned with pallid
countenance from the scene. Never before
has such absolute wreckage and ruin de
vastated any portion of the State.
About 10 o'clock in the morning a
woman's hand protruded almost unno
ticed from among a pile of laths, brick and
otner material. With the precision of a
trained corps of life-savers attention was
turned by the rescuers to the delicate
member that almost beckoned for help.
When the work of removal of the debris
from her body commenced it was discov
ered that she was d*ad. Lying beside her
in lifeless, yet tender affection, was the
corpse of a small child, innocent looking
even in death. Bravely on worked the
firemen, superintended by Mayor McMur
ray of this city and Police Commissioners
Bogle, Church and Wilson.
About 4 o'clock in the afternoon coffee
and sandwiches were served to the inde
fatigable rescuers by prominent ladies of
the city who volunteered their services.
Aldermen Leet and Ross were begrimmed
with smoke and dirt from their labors in
attempting to render all possible aid. At
5 o'clock the body of an unknown man
was uncovered and it was immediately
taken to the city morgue, where it was
later thought to be that of F. J. McClosky,
Half an hour later the remain! of Con