Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-07-05
REPUBLICAN PARTY ARRAIGNED
Hts NItsdeeds Held up to View.
SPEECH OIL. ID. SHEWALTER. cANDIDAT,
FOR CONGRESS, FIFTH DISTRICT
MO-, DELIVERED AT TURNER
HALL, KANSAS CITY,

: run SoN1hESS, FIFTH DISTRICT
MO-, DELIVERED AT TURNER
HALL, KANSAS CITY,
MISSOURI.
' MIR. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW. CIT
). zENs:--"l am truly grateful for tn
, opportunity thus afforded me of meet
ing, for the first time, the democrac
OF this young and most wonderful cit
"a city whose magic growth, who's
present attaininents, whose bright fu
ture, ever upward and onward, from
, ITS geographical situation and its estab
llshed position as the great railroad
center OF the United States, fnrnishe
the most marvellous evidences of tn,
indomitable energy and vast capabili
ties OF the American people. 1 am still
young, and yet l recall when first be
held the bleak and barren hills upol
which now stands this magnificent me
tropolis OF 125 900 living, breathing
energetic souls, q few struggling ware.
houses only at the foot OF the hills, to-
gether with few equally uminvitine
residences was all that met the view
Then it was dubbed q slanding,' and
its chief glory consisted III that it was
a suburb to village itself of no pre-
tensions.
Then an occasional steamboat whis
tie, like fog horn coming across the
wild waste of waters, served to awaken
its drowsy inhabitants from their
lethargy. But scarcely more than
twenty years have passed and the scene
is wholly changed. The dilapidated
warehouse is gone; in its place, upon
acre after acre Of what was then all
impenetrable Jungle, are erected grand
and magnificent wholesale houses rival
ing those of old cities; immense pack
ing establishments rising above and
standing without rival in any city in
the Union-while the scream of the
wild beast, the trail of the savage just
across yOnder border on his reservation
is now answered by the steam engine
on dozen roads as they carry the i'm
mense trade OF this city to and from
the four points of the compass.
The hills as, if by magic, have been
rolled into the valleys, and upon the
surface has arisen solid mass of
structures miles in extent, while, where
the OK cart dragged its weary load
along the winding path is being built a
cable line, eclipsing any like work ever
constructed, exciting the envy, while
at the same time forcing the admira-
ton of the old cities in the Atlantic
seaboard. Then an occasional porker
was driven to the humble stall of a
single butcher, while but recently,
noticed in daily paper, the arrival Of
5000 hogs in one day. This is no
imaginary story; it is historical, statis-
tical fact We have been charmed as
we read or witnessed OH the boards the
story of Rip Van Wrinkle, and the mar
velous vision that met his eyes on
awakening after his twenty years.
s'eep-that is fiction, yet it was left for
the people of this city, by living facts,
to far ontstrip the Imagination OF
Washington Irving. OF a truth, truth
is stranger than fiction. And yet the
past and present are but faint index OF
the future"
FelloW-citizens, this is faint outline
Of the vast attainments of this grand
city, and furnishes but an index to
what it is to be. 1t the most ardent ad-
mirer of the future of this city, he who
draws his inspiration from what it is
desti:ed to be in the not distant future,
will but take the map of North Ameri-
ca and trace out upon it the immense
railroads which are reaching ont their
arms TO the southeast and the north
west and which will pour into our lap
the immense produce of that vast
region beyond the gates to this city,
together with the immense commerce
and trade of the southeast and north
west, he will see that its grand career
is but begun and to the reflective mind
this suggestion will arise, that its con-
nections upon the southeast and the
southwest Join it with the southern
people and make it pre-eminently a
southern city. therefore say, looking
to the future of this city from COM
mercial standpoint, that Kansas City
cannot atford-while l would not in
any sense subordinate patriotism to
mere dollars-Kansas City cannot al
ford to be other than democratic. l
have no sympathy with the character
Of some of the political speeches we are
wont to hear at the present day. If the
democratic party is to be successful,
and in the interest of good government
may 1t soon attain success, it must be
by convincing the American people of
the pernicions errors OF the republican
party and of the fact that that purity
which characterized the government in
its earlier davs is to be brought about
solely by the success of the democrat
lc party. This cannot be done by de-
nunciation. No man likes to be called
a knave or fool, or the associate or
disciple of either. 1t is usual, if we
approach our neighbor with reference
TO the most trivial business transaction
that we talk with him as if he were a
reasonable creature, while i'll political
matters it is common with us to seek
to influence him by denunciatiOn and
calumny.
Two political parties come before you
to day and ask your suffrage and sup
port. The reflective mind will ask at
once, what do they propose? The as
tendency or success OF one or the other,
with reference to the good of the whole
country, lis to be determined by dispas
siOnate discussion Of the questions
which naturally arise out of this can
vass. The republican party, my ftl-
low citizens, has recently made its NOM
ination for the highest office in the re
public, and it has put forth its plattrom
OF principles. | say to You, democrats
and republicans, that it has gone before
'hS Souhtil anu oCatCu III iI5 pIotlbTul
that certain ills exist, that certain evils
prevail, and that certain remedies are
necessary, and by that record, or that
platform, it is to be Judged. 1t states
and you must go to this platform for its
states in one clause of its
platform, "that it is the duty of con-
gress to enact such laws as shall
promptly and effectually suppress the
system Of polygamy within our terri
tory" 1t classes it as an evil. That
far there can be no Issue: to This all of !
us agree. 1t classes it as an evil and
demands OF congress that il shall be |
suppressed. Is The republican party |
capable ni the TASK! Found in a dis
tant territory, isolated from the rest nj
the country, was this twin relic of
barbarisnI' when the republican party
came into power. From IL small be-
ginning under the rule OF The repub l.
can party since it attained conir"! OF
The general government, it has GROWN
until it has laid its putrid hand upon
)ne of the fairest territories belonging
to the people of this country, and now
reaches that putrid but still strong arm
)ut to lay that hand upon another. 1t
las grown, it has tiourished under the
OF the republican party, and all
he efforts OF that party have utterly
allied to exterminate il.
Then, my fellow citizens. according
o the Indictment drawn b. the repub-
ican party itself, we see that it is ut
4