Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-02


find When be got there he found Tom
Read, Pig Iron Kelly and Mckinley, the
Ohio protectionist. and other congress-
men from the protected districts Of the |
east waiting to receive him, and they |
changed his views aud he became their |
representative instead of the representa-
tive of the people who had sent him |
there. These protected congressman
from the east have little ring down
there to take western congressman in, and
Mr.. Gest was their man.
Before concluding, Mr.. Prentiss said
he had a few words to say to his republic
can friends. His democratic friends
were all right and didn't need much talk
ing to. and good many republicans were
getting all right. Only short time be-
fore entering the hall he had picked up
the evening ARGUS and learned from it
that one of the republican aldermen of
Rock Island was getting all right. He
had no reflections to make upon the
republican party of the past and he paid
an eloquent tribute to the men who had
made the party and the underlying prin-
ciples which gave honor to their motives.
But there had been great change in the
party The men who had formulated the
party and its policy were fast leaving it.
Its great leaders were changing. Five
out of the seven men who formed Lin
coins brilliant cabinet deserted the
republican party before they died.
Simon Cameron is the only one now
living who sticks to it, and Simon has
always been very good friend of the
bonus makers. and to go still farther back
it might be found that Simon had been
invited by President Lincoln to get out
of the cabinet because of dishonesty. The
republican party had expressed great
fears that the rebels would have some
thing to do with the running of the gov
ernment In proof of the inconsistency
of this idea, Mr.. Prentiss alluded to the
| fac; that both Presidents Grant and Hayes
| had rebels in their cabinets, and further
than this, the republican party held It's
control of the Senate today by means of a
rebel generals infiuence-Senator Riddle.
berger, to say nothing of such rebel party
leaders as Senator Malone and John S.
Wise. To show how little party differ
ences of thirty years ago have to do with
the differences today, he spoke of the
fact that in Illinois Owen Lovejoy son
of one of the greatest sbolitionists
that ever lived, was running
for congress on the democratic tick
ct, while John S. Wise, son of the
man who hung John Brown. was one OF
the patron saints of republicanism. The
republican party of today and that of the
past was as distinct and different as two
things can be- The democratic party
was doing well by the old republicans
1t had taken one of the grandest old re-
publicans in the land and proposes to
make him governor of Illinois.
Turning his attention to local m matters
, Mr.. Prentiss said he knew that as .
! candidate for congress he was laboring
under some difficulties here in this re-
! gard. He assured his hearers that should
he be elected to congress he would be a
. representative Of the Eleventh congress.
r sional district. He would be represen
r tatIve of McDonough county. of Rocl
5 Island county. and of every county in The
l district. He knew of no antsgonism be
S tween McDonough and Rock Island coun
ties, and he felt conscious that Rock Isl
and county was the most important in the
r district, containing as it did, the largest
! cities, snd if he should be elected to the
| lower house of congress, no measure tina
a might arise pertaining to the welfare o
D this community, would fail to receive
s his energy and interchangeable effort. Al
d luding to the mstter of back pay he read
= the correspondence between himself anC
e Mr.. Springer appearing in last evening
' ARGUS, showing the pains he ha,
, taken to post himself thorough,
f upon the measure iu order thai
, he might make no promises until he knew
. he was right. Being thus fully satisfe
t that the back psy money due the islam
} workmen was just debt owed by tn
o government, he if elected, would spar
- no pains to see that this debt is paid
e The government like corporations or in
s dividuals should pay its honest debts
e more especially if it be that the credito
b is one who in becoming that credito
d earned the amount due him by the swes
b of his brow. Moreover in all question
n of this sort where there may b
y question of difference, the govern
il ment should not hesitate to let i,
Y decision be prompt and in favor of tn
ir wage worker Mr., Prentiss believed
At therefore, that it was the government
ii moral as well as legal duty TO pay tn
lie debt. The speaker was not prepared
say that Mr.. Gest had not done his du'
~ by this important matter, but it struc
=, him as little strange that ten months
~ congress had been permitted to clap
before bringing it jefore the attention {
"a the house. The speaker did not clai
ct that he could have done any more this
n: Mr.. Gest did. but he certainly wou
r have made more racket about the bill al
w his fellow congressman would not hs'
IN been permitted to sleep comfortably u
nv til they placed themselves on one side
:. the other of the bill. Mr. Prentiss spo
m OF the fact that be had been born in Il
ma vicinity, and while he could not remeI
he Der that, yet he always looked upon t
an neighborhood with that affectionate pri
nd that one always does of his birthplace
-. He made reference to his appreciation
or the importance of the Hennepln can
IN and pledged himself that that measure
m any other that would be of benefit to t
,-o people of this or any other community