People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1896 — Most Amusing Discusion. [ARTICLE]

Most Amusing Discusion.

T’he joint political debate at Center school house, Barkley township, came off Saturday night as per arrangement between Eugene Diliy for the' free silver people and Estell Pierson for the republicans. An immense crowd greeted the speakers, delegations from Rensselaer, Surrey, Blackford and the whole north woods, taxied the large room to its capacity. Notwithstanding the uncomfortably crowded condition, the best of order was maintained throughout the evening- The two young men acquitted themselves with great credit. The debate was opened by Mr. Diliy in a. 45 minutes speech. He proved himself to be well prepared with convincing facts and indisputable figures. His first speech was a plain presentation of matters as he saw them, and but little reference was made to real politics, Mr. Pierson followed with something of a set speech filled to the brim with politics. He severly attacked the democratic record on silver and gave his party the credit for all the white dollars in circulation today. The first half of his speech was delivered with ease and enthusiasm which for a time seemed to carry the whole house. But dropping from his declamatory style to figures his speech dragged and was uninteresting, till with a peroration on the effects free silver would have on the old soldiers’ pensions, he sought to close bis arguments. In this part of his speech he went off in a fit of explosive rhetorical flights greatly to the satisfaction of his admirers. He said in part; “Our opponents have nothing to offer to the old soldiers, they who carry 7 the scars of many hard fought battles, nothing to promise the widow whose husband died that our nation might live, no increased aid do they Offer to the gray-haired veterans, who now needy in the evening of life, demand their country’s kindest care. Free silver will double the price of their living; the price they to' pay for their daily meat and bread; rather would I go in the darkest hour of night into the silent city of the dead, dig into the sacred mounds where sleep the veteran heroes, scatter their bones to bleach in summer’s sun and winter’s storm, than to increase the price of their bread and meat by throwing our mints open to the free and unlimited coinage of silver.” Thus closed Mr. Pierson’s speech. Mr. Diliy came forward with a 10 minutes closing speech full of enthusiasm logic and solid facts.

He said that over half our population were farmers, over half our old soldiers were engaged in agricultural pursuits, he said both he and his opponent had given the same figures to show the terrible condition the farmers were in, figures that need not really here be- given, for the farmers knew their condition better than figures could tell, he Said between him and his opponent there had been no dispute about the terrible condition of the farmer; the dispute had been the cause and remedy. As a cure Mr. Dilly said he had offered as a partial remedy for low agricultural prices the free and unlimited coinage of silver; his opponent had thought that the continuation of a single standard would bring up the price of farm products, a continuation of the same policy under which prices are now declining. “Now,” said Mr. Dilly, “my friend claims free silver will double the price of meat and bread, double the price of everything the farmer sells, and here in the presence of these suffering farmers, many of them form’er soldiers, rather see agriculture revive, rather than see farming flourish and thereby all other business spring into’ the'

j newness of life, rather than see all their happy consumation, if it is to come by the way of free silver, (and he tyas here in your presence said it would) he had. rather go at the awful hour of midnight into the “silent city” and dig up dead soldiers bones.” Thus closed Dilly’s address. The crowd saw the hole Mr. Pierson was in, or rather the sillypess of the position h© and his party are compelled to take, and it cheered itself hoarse. Pierson on the right side would give a good speech, but ing the wild arguments of his party he may expect just such defeat as befell him Saturday night.'