Political Heckling at the Madison Street Grounds
A local political orator attempts to rally support against the Post-Intelligencer's stance on silver coinage, drawing a crowd of 150.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The announcement of J. P. Ennis that he would roast the Post-Intelligencer at the Madison street ball grounds secured him about 150 auditors yesterday afternoon. He began his harangue by quoting from the editorial in yesterday's issue on 'The Victims of Political Quacks,' denounced the Post-Intelligencer for not telling the whole truth about silver and the effect of its demonetization, and made the usual free coinage arguments. He then launched into another tirade. Mr. John R. Rogers, of Puyallup, but formerly of Kansas, was introduced as 'another crank.' Mr. Rogers is the author of a pessimistic political work, and was formerly an editor in the 'bleeding' state. He cast a gloomy eye upon the political future of this country, predicting that humanity would lapse into another dark age.
“He bathed himself in perspiration, and almost burst his throat in denouncing the Post-Intelligencer, much to the amusement of those present.”
The 'Madison street ball grounds' refers to an era where civic discourse happened in the open, often at public sports venues. The debate over monetary policy and the 'corrupt press' echoes current anxieties about media power and economic populism.
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