Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-10-19
FREE RUM.
BIOL lNYEs CHICAGO CONVENTIONS. SPEECH.
New York World

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which did not get into print for various
reasons. Some others did not even get
hearing, and still others were prepared by
delegates who could not get the eye of the
presiding officer.
The manuscript of the following speech
bears the marks of earnest thought, and
though the author didssnot obtain recogni-
tlop on the floor of the convention, can
not bear to see an appreciative public de-
priyed of it:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Convention. We are met together here as
the greatest and grandest party in the
worlds party that has been first in peace,
first in war; and first in the hearts of its
countrymen, as the good book has it We
come together here to-day, gentlemen, to
perpetuate by our action the principle
which won us victory at the POLLS and
wrenched it from an irritated and disagreed
BILE foe on many tented field. refer to
freedom.
Our party has ever been the champion
of freedom. We have made speciality of
freedom We have ever been in the van.
That's why we have been on the move.
Where freedom quarter of century ago
was but mere name, now we have foster
ed it and aided it and encouraged it and
made it pay.
We have emancipated whole race, sew
eral OF whom have since voted the other
way. But we must not be discouraged.
We are here to work. Let us do it and SO
advance our common cause and. honor
God.
But who is to be the leader? Who will
be able to carry our victorious banner
from Portland, Me-, to Portland, Ore.
gayly speaking pieces from the tail-gate of
a train :? Who is sufficiently obscure to
safely make the race? (Cries of jeremiah
NJ. Rusk," Rudolph Minkins Filter, "
Blaine" "James Swartout," "John SEer-
man." ''Charlie Kinney" &c.)
The eye of the nation is upon US. We
cannot escape the awful respo visibility
which we have to-day assumed. With all
our anxiety to please our friends we must
not forget that we are here in the interests
of universal freedom. Do not allow your
selves to be blinded, gentlemen, by the
assurance that this is to be a business
mans campaign, q can paign in which
conflicting business interests are to figure
more than the late war. 1t is fight in
volving universal freedom, as I said in our
conventions four, eight and twelve years
ago.
We have before us pure and highly
elocutionary platform. Let us non mate a
man who WILL as l may say, affiliate and
amalgamate with that platform. Who IS
that man E Cries of Blaine, Blaine, James
G. Blaine" Lockwood, Lockwood, Belva
A. Lockwood" and general confusion,
during which John A. Wise is seen to jerk
loose about nickel's worth of Billy Ma
homes whiskers.)
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the con-
vention, there has never been a more har-
monious convention in the United States
to my knowledge since the Sioux massacre
in Minnesota. We are all here for the best
good of the party and each is willing to
concede something rathe' than create any
ill-feelirg. Look at Malone for instance.
We have good platform, now let us
nominate man whose record is in harmo-
ny with that platform. Freedom has ever
been our watchword. Now that we have
made the human race within our borders
ABSOLUTELY Tree, let us add to our magnifi-
cent history as party by one browning act.
Let US fight for the Emancipation of Rum
Rum has always been mighty power in
American politics, but it has not been alb
solutely free. Let us be the first to recog-
nize it as the great cornerstone of Ameri-
can institute MS. Let us make it free,
We have never had any Daniel Websters
or Henry Clays since rum went up from 20
cents gallon to its present price. The
war tax on whiskey for over twenty years
made freedom a farce and liberty loud
and empty snort in mid air. Who then
shall be our standard bearer as we journey
onward towards victory (Cries of Blaine,
Blaine, James G., Blaine" and confusion.
Gentlemen, I wish that better and
4b..;ll hoI I'D -,
place to name the candidate on whom alone
can unite. Soldiers. rail-splitters, states
men, canal-boys, tailors, farmers, mer-
chants, and school-teachers have been
Presidents of the United States, but to my
knowledge no convention has ever yet
named distiller. I have the honor to-day
to name a modest man for the high office of
President; a man who never before allowed
his name to be presented to convention;
man who has never sought or courted
publicity even in his own business; q man
who has been distiller in q quiet way for
over fifteen years and yet has never even
advertised in the papers; man who has SO
carefully Stunned the eye of the world that
only two or three of US know where his
place of business is; man who has such
an utter contempt for office that he has
shot two Government officials who claimed
to be connected with the internal revenue
business man who can drink or let it
alone, but who has aimed to divide the
time up about equally between the two
man who had absolutely nothing to do
with the war, not having heard about it in
time; man who defes his calumniators or
anybody else of his heft; a man who would
paint thu White House red; man VINO
takes great pleasure in being his own
worst enemy. Cries of ''Name him ! name
him !" Great confusion, and cries of pain
from several harmonious delegates who are
getting the worst of it.
Not to take up your time, let me say in
closing that the day for great men as can
tiidates fer an important office is past.
Great men in great country antngonise
different factions and are then compelled
to fall back on literature. What we want
is an obscure and silent chump. I have
found him. have found him. He has
never antagonised but two men in his life
and they are now voting in q better land.
He is q plain man, and his career at Wash
ington would be marked with more or less
tobacco juice. For over fifteen years he
has been constructing at his country seat a
lurid style of whiskey known as The Es-
sence of Crime. Quietly and unostenta-
tiously he has fought for emancipation of
whiskey everywhere. He says we are too
prone to worry about our clothes and their
cost and to give too little thought to our
tax-ridden rum.
Then, Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen,
here in the full glare of public approval,
feeling that the name am about to pro-
nounce will in few moments flash across
mighty continent and greet the moist and
| moaning news editor, the grimy peasant,
the pursy banker and the streaked tennis
player; that the name now flourish in my
painting brain will soon be taken up on
willing tongues and borne across the union
rising and saluting the hot blue dome of
heaven, pulsating across the ocean, rock
ing the beautifully upholstered thrones of
the Old World, and calling forth a dark
blue torrent of profanity from the offices
of the illustrated papers, none of which
will be provided with his portrait, I de-
sire to name Mr.. Glen Beasly, of Arkan-
saw, man who has spent his best years
manufacturing mans greatest enemy. L
hurrah for him and boiler for him, and
love him fer the (hic) enemy he has made.
BILL NYE.