The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-08
SPAT BIRTHSTONE!
HOW REEVES SAT DOWN UPON CUL-
LEN AND STEAD IN THE RE-
PUBLICAN CONVENTION.

As far as the city Of Ottawa is concerned
it we're perhaps rs well that the Republicans
had not held convention on Tuesday after
noon. Ottawa was terribly ignored.
The grounds about the court house we're
thickly studded with white plug hats in tho
morning, and by the way Messrs. Cullen,
Stead and Murdoch hurried from one group
Of white hats to another, the natural in.
ference of the uninterested outsider was
that something was in the wind beside
mere convention. There was dangerous
look on the faces of the delegates from Strea.
tor, look that BODIED ill for party success
unless they were recognized, while the Otta.
wa delegation wore determined lock and
talked to the country delegates in mysterious
tones. Streator was working hard and had
in the start big advantage over Ottawa, in
the fact that she had but one candidate to
push while the county seat divided her re-
marks between two.
When the convention was called to order
the warlike spirit manifested by Streator was
partially concealed in the dense crowd that
seemed to fill every available vacuum in the
hall. The fiat had gone forth from Streator
that she would take Ottawa's scalp or bolt
the convention, and the great crowd was
prepared for CORY strife.
MR.. sHAY's SPEECH.
Chairman Cook Of the county central com,
mittee called the convention to order at
half past one, and Mr.. Griggs read the call.
MIR. Cook stated that the committee had de-
cided to nominate Rev. John II. Shay, Of
Strsator, for temporary chairman, and put
the motion. 1t was carried and Mr.. Shay
assumed his duties in way that left no
doubt in the minds Of the delegates that he
intended to play the cymbols and beat tho
tom tom to the fullest extent Of his ability.
Mr. Shays style Of oratory seemed to please
the convention. II was the bombastic style.
He made the astonishing statement that the
republicans would have to confront the
a..aocraoy, its history, its present issues and
its candidates" Protection was touched on
very lightly; he wanted fret to protect the
laborer and then the manu- facturer. 1t was
also our duty to "extend to labor of other
countries cordial welcome and place it on
an equal footing with their oountrymen who
are already here. He said that the foreigner
had reduced the price Of American labor by
louo
than the American had before he rhe for.
eigner) came to our land. Labor was seek
ing to better its condition and material pros.
perity. He assumed that the doctorins Of
the democratic party do not suit the laboring
man. The democracy, which was ruled by
the south, was hostile TO labor. The dem
ocracy was in favor Of slavery. Here Mr..
Shay began opening up the bloody shirt. 1t
was tattered and battered old AFFAIR."
little bit faded, but 1t seemed to suit Mr..
Shay very vol. He Haunted it to the
tobacco soaked atmosphere. He waved it
over the heads of the newspaper men. He
then Gained down little and attack ed tho,
foreigners and foreign labor. He said that
the tariff on imported articles was not paid
by the consumer but by the foreign manu-.
facturer. He then waved the shirt. He
ripped 1t up the back ami tore the
sleeves from the cuff upward. the demo-
Gratis were not in favor Of paying pensions.
They were against the soldier and highly
in favor Of the south. They didn't want to
pay pensions. The republican party was
the only friend, the only reliance of the
soldier. Democrats had been elected to Of
fee and had vetoed soldiers pensions. They
hate the union soldiers. He then ceased
the dime novel style of orstory and said
that the contest WAS one between the enemies
of American labor and the American manu-.
facturer. He seemed pro voked that DR.. LIE
Roy should have persisted in writing demo.
cratic editorials in the Streator Ind Times.
II thought that the south sought to produce
cotton by slave labor and then have free
trade. DR.. LIE Roy knew 1t. DR.. Le Rey
Roy was q soldier but was now copper.
head. The doctor had been in consultation
with negro from Ohio, who sought to teach
democracy. He thought the negro could do
it. Ut Was the same negro who closed Mr..
Shay up on the 7:2s train coming over from
Streator on Tuesday morning At that time
Mr.. shay's onIy.answer to the oclored mans
questions was that the questions propounded
we're not Of national importanoe) Mr.. Shay
,losed with . stirring burst Of Streator ora
ory. followed by red FIRE, etc.
Then there was breathing spell. and the
delegates from Strestor, who had listened to
Mr.. Shay in open-mouthed wonder, closed