The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-10-03


his youth, full of humor, fond of anec.
dotes, seeing in every human free fel.
low man to be loved and to be1espected.
In his first inaugural he called the peo-
pie of the South my dissafi1died coun.
trymen," and said to then "you. can
have no quarrel with me.s A -man Of
such a character who, when he died,
every man in the South felt as We felt,
that the best friend we had had gone,
and SO we turn to Lincoln not merely
because he had q good heart, but because
he was a shrewd, practical and capable
lawyer, with q large faculty developed
aud strengthened by contact with the
public men of this country.
This question of State rights was q
Question that he dwelt upon from the
day that he received his nomination
at Chicago, until the day of his death,
and if any man understood it, Abraham
Lincoln understood it best. Now, my
friends, his opinions in this matter were
slowly framed and established in discus
sions before the American people, not in
the theoretical and Abstract manner that
Calhoun might have discussed them.
This subject was pressing upon him q a
practical question every day of his life.
His idea was, and the reason why come
to this part of Kansas to say it, is that I
understood you are q patriotic people,
and q national people. but I began to be
little afraid when heard your presi-
dent talking thst he had put State rights
in Kansas little above our nation, and
l can't stand that. Laughter Abra-
ham Lincoln's idea was simply this: that
which is general belongs to the whole
country, that is for the general govern
ment; that which is particular and only
concerns locality, that is for local gov
eminent, and that is all there is in it.
That is the whole thing. Then you ask,
are we as o whole interested in having
the rights of humanity enjoyed by our
American citizens ON every foot Of
American soil, and if we are that is a
matter that concerns the general govern
ment. Cheers. Now, my friends, ap
pealing to Mr.. Lincoln as the authority
on this subject, refer to that one great
message, his first message to his first
Congress, in 1861. An extra session was
called, the war was in full progress, he
dwelt intehtly on the whole subject, and
meant to present it to the American peo-
| pie with all the ability that he had. In
that message, which / undertake to say
has not been equaled by any other ever
written, the matchless mighty message
of 1861, of Abraham Lincoln contains
the whole doctrine.
will not undertake to quote it, as
know how difficult it is when one under
takes to read to such an audience as this.
But commend to you, on all questions
as to the results of the war, both as to
State rights and the rights OF the citizens,
tie great message of Abraham Lincoln.
Now, my fellow citizens of Kansas,
you have listened to me quite rs long as
1 am sure you wish to. Cries of ego on,
go on."l I have but ..A=:s to say. Any
prosperity that can come to the people of
Kansas gives you what all lovers of lib
erty all over the world would wish them
to enjoy. Loud cheers.
Gen. Sherman was called for by the
people, and on being introduced was
greeted with loud cheers. He spoke as
follows:
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen
l confess to feeling of pride to be
upon this stand this day anu at this hour.
left Washington some two weeks ago,
at the request of the President, to attend
MIN to this fair at Neosho Falls. 1 re-
sponded promptly, and we came here, a
distance of nearly 1900 miles. The
people everywhere have listened to us rs
courteously as you have listened to him
to. day, but at no place, no ma ter the
crowd and 10 matter who the persons
were, he has not spoken with more feel.
ing and with more force than he has to
you Kansas boys to-day. Cheers. l
am very glad indeed, he spoke to you As
soldier, for he is the commander.in-
chief of all the soldiers in the United
States. obey his orders with my life
in my hands and so it is that ever soldier
is sworn to obey his orders. and that
what he says is authority. He has au.
thority wherever the flag flies. What
he has spoken to-day is not only true
comment, but it is to that extent the
comment of the military spirit all over
the land, both of the army and the mil.
itia when called into the service of the
United States. He has told you what
the law is. That say is more of states
manship than it is soldierly in character.
am glad that he has left the latter part
of the subject or some OF it for me.
] am very much pleased with the
Governors address, for he told US in a
very few words plainly, emphatically,
and truly what Kansas is now and what
she was in 1865, at the close of the civil
war. was very glad to hear these fig
ures, because it reminded me of the con-
trast between the time when I first
came here in 1851 and now. Then en-
tered your State of Kansas up there at
Westport. / had to swim Milk River,
and got myself into a camp of Kaw In
dams. went into the house, when they
brought me some bacon and some mis-.
cradle corn dodgers, and at night when
1 wanted to 60 to bed was shown
and taken out to the corn crib.
I took my blankets out there, and went
to bed and the rats and had it out for
about half the night. l finally surrend-
cred to the rats, and got out of doors.
Now, boys, that was Kansas in 1851.
There was not white man in the whole
of your Territory lawfully there, unless
he was an Indian agent or connected
with some of the missions. You have
only to look around you to see smiling
farmers and the land all titled and cult.
waited. l don't believe l have seen a
better crop of children and women on
the road than have seen here. Laugh.
ter. In our car we live as we'll as we
could at the Delmonico in New York or
the Grand Hotel in Paris. Now if that
is not change I do not know what a