Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-09-03
Auosritle 5auraal.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, 1874.
Gates al Centeryivie.

The people We're disappointed. They
expected an aspirant Of CongressiOn
al ilonors To advance some new ideas,
10 explain the political questions o.
the times. They went to learn some.
thing, but came away sorely disap.
pointed. Even his friends were
ashamed and felt relieved when he
took his seat. Mr.. Gates can serve
the Republican party by continuing
the canvass, and we hope he car
make ii convenient TO speak in every
school district. We requested l.. A.
Wilkinson, a shorthand reporter, to
take notes, and below We give syn.
opsis Of his speech
Trieads and .fctlo,c Citizens: 1t IL
perhaps well that i should say to
you that little more than a month
ago, 1t was the farthest from
my thoughts and expectations
TO be a candidate for any Office of the
people. But while in the convention
at Ottumwa as a delegate with 9TH
ers from the various counties, the
suggestion was made me that my
name should be put in nomination.
When / was consulted upon the SUBJ
ject, ! must confess that / had very
little inclination that way. / had
arrived at the age Of so years and
had been struggling to secure a place
where / could stay comfortably when
j got to be Of old age, 90 i could en-
joy good home. The delegation
said that they must use my name.
i said, after having been fully con-
suited with by the convention, that
IF the use Of it would add weight To
the reform movement, would add
strength, and force and vigor to the
reform party, they might use it. The
result you know. They put my
name In nomination. lam u strang-
or TO nearly the entire district. am
perhaps the least acquainted Of any
man in the convention there. Some
Of the reasons perhaps given were
that Of my age, which thought OBJ
jectionable, but some thought it bet
ter, for from my age, ] was older
than the corporations, older than the
public debt, older than most (other)
calamities that beset this govern
ment, and for that reason they
thought would be better prepared
to look for the best place for the rem
edy for all these evils. For that rea-
son they wanted man Of some age.
They placed my name before you
and / thought IL was my duty to
come and get acquainted with you.
i had the opinion that man who
goes to congress as a representative
ought not to go to represent himself
but to represent his constituency,
and i'm order to truly represent his
constituents, he must know their
opinions; he must know where they
are living. He should know all
about their wants and wishes. For
that reason / have spent the last
three or four days In your county.
In looking over your country 1
cannot help but say you have one OF
the best countries on which the sun
ever shone and which my acquain-
lance has been ! do not know when
] have met q larger hearted or more
hospitable people, and In order to as
certain your wishes and wants |
could but come to SEQ you. or course
/ can not know each mans wants,
but i want to tell you my views on
this question. Compare your views
with mine and then see, and II they
do not suit you, then i must not be
elected to Congress. If don't re-
present your views, then In that case
1t is your duty to see that don't
succeed in this canvass. / hardly
know where to commence, for one
reason, 1 have an indication of a
nice gentleman now present before
you for district attorney who desires
TO speak, and consequently l do not
desire to occupy any time he should
have. Ishould like learn what part Of
the discourse he would prefer and in
that case / would talk about some
thing he didn't talk about. l don't
know what he Is going TO talk about
and consequently must talk at ran
dom till he comes In. The great
question that we ought to consider
Is this great debt now hangs over us.
That Is what alarms us most. That
enormous debt / claim Is a mortgage
on every one of your homes and on
everything near and dear To us In
this country. 1t is becoming alarm
ing. 1t Is to me alarming, very
alarming. We in the west here are
an agricultural people, and in order
to make anything he must econo-
nfze. Anybody can make money,
but there is only one In many that
can keep 1t. True the same thing
that Is necessary and will answer for
m individual il the same with the
government. No government that
Is not economically administered
that will not take care of
its treasury and that has no manner
Of disposition TO ligudate a debt, Is
Just like an individual that will take
the same course. Every dollar should
he saved except the necessary and
legitimate expenses, should be saved
30 apply to the debt. i have learned
that debt was n trouble to throw
teople out Of their homes. tell
me that the resources of this country
are greatand that there is no debt SO
but that we could pay 1t. But the
expenses, expenses, expenses Is the
way they they 60, the sqnandering
Of your money unnecessarily. For
instance there has been ways opened
for the heads Of the departments to
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