Seattle’s Free-Silver Crusaders Take On the Gold Standard

Two advocates of free silver met at the municipal court room last evening and formed a temporary organization, with John Wiley as chairman and Frank S. Griffith as secretary. Mr. Wiley appointed Robert H. Lindsay, C. W. Tanner, John F. Miller, Frank Newhall and Solon T. Williams a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws and to report at the next Saturday night meeting. Because Gen. Warner, of Ohio, and Congressman Sibley, of Pennsylvania, might arrive in the city at any time to speak on the question, it was decided that the constitution committee—augmented to not less than thirty by selections made by the chairman—should make preparations to receive them if they came before permanent organization was effected.

Robert H. Lindsay called the meeting to order, after which John Wiley was elected chairman by a unanimous vote. Wiley said the object was to form an organization to spread the silver doctrine in all directions, irrespective of party, and to give silver speakers who came to this section proper attention. He said silver advocates believed the United States had the power and right to run its own monetary affairs. 'If we must have a one-metal standard,' he said, 'let it be a silver standard.'

R. H. Lindsay said he had been considered a silver crank ever since he came to Seattle from Nevada, and that the issue of the next national campaign would be the money question. C. F. Fishback declared that gold and silver under the Constitution are the money of the people, and that as gold goes up everything else goes down. T. H. Cann recalled the old days in California when miners brought in gold dust and received coin in return. The hall was well filled and the enthusiasm was quite marked.