Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-10-22
Major MckinIey's Speech.


Major Mckinley stepped upon the plat
fC~ md was greeted by prolonged cheers
yplause. He then spoke as follows:
M. President and my fellow citizens:
If you will be patient with me for a
little while l shall endeavor TO make my
self heard by all of this vast assemblage of
people. l have been speaking now for
a little more than five weeks in the state of
Ohio daily and sometimes twice day, so
that I find myself at this moment in no
condition or voice or speech to address as
would be glad to address an Iowa audi
ence, which faces me for the first time in
my life. I'waht to make my acknowledge
ments to the management of this associa-
ton. want to make my Acknowledgement
to the chairman of the state Republican
committee of Iowa for the privilege which
has been given to me of meeting this assem-
blage of earnest, enthusiastic and resolute
Republicans, which am sure only means
one thing, and that is, that Iowa will
give a magnificent majority this year.
(Cheers)
Iowa ought to be a very proud state.
Nature has been most generous to her.
Her fields and her farms and her resources
of every kind are second to those of no
other state of the Union. And then her men
and her women are of the best of our
American citizenship and represent the
highest and the best type of that citizen
ship, and that home which makes the
purest and best nations among men. Iowa,
too, should be proud of her public men.
! have served with them now for fifteen
years. And l want to say to Iowa Repub-
licans here to-day that no state in this
act hoe inf
in the national counsels, and does more
to shape and mould national legislation,
than Iowa Republican representatives in
both branches of the American Congress.
Political parties we must have-we can
not get on without them. We are too
numerous in population and too extended
in territory for each individual citizen to
participate in public legislation, and
therefore almost from the beginning of
the Union we have been compelled, as a
people having a government which is
based upon the consent of the governed
we have been compelled to choose from
one or the other of the great political or
CARNATIONS of the country-such organi-
cations as will best represent the majority
sentiment of the American people. Po-
titical parties are only human. You can
The very best are human. l doubt if
there is single citizen who stands before
me or sits around me to-day who if he was
asked if any political organization in this
country represented in every particular
everything which he believed and which
he would have formed into public law,
there would be almost a universal answer
IN the negative. We have got to bring to
politics the same average, every day sense
which we bring to the business of the
country. We have got to ally ourselves
with that political party which more than
any other political party of the country
represents what we think and what we
believe and what We would have enacted
into public law believe that the Repub-
iiean party of to-day, as the Republican
party has for the last thirty years; repre-
sents better than any other party in the
United States the best thought, the best
purposes and the best conscience of the
American people [cheers.l l am not here
to discuss local issues If it was local
issues and local issues alone that were af-
Sected by the contests now being waged in
Iowa, / would consider it to be an in
s..usion for citizen of any other state to
enter your campaign You could not make
1t local if you would, for your votes this
year reach out into the future and will
affect national legislation for the next six
years. You elect legislature in Iowa this
year. and part of that legislature will hold
over and will be part of the future legisla-
ture which is to choose a United States
senator. Your votes this year may deter
mine the political complexion of the senate
of the United States after the expiration of
the term of Office of Senator Wison-one
of your senator's from this state More
than that, Democratic legislature in Iowa
would mean redistricting of the state for
congressional purposes We know what
that means in Ohio. [Cheers Republi-
can Ohio which has never failed to give
her vote in every great national contest for
the Republican ticket and the Republican
party (cheers) Republican Ohio last year was
gerrymandered by Democratic legislature,
and in the very year that we carried the
state-carried it by more than II 1000
majority-the Democratic party elected 10
of our III representatives, and the Republi-
can party were only able, SO wicked was
the gerrymander, to elect 8 representatives
out of III. Republican Ohio has been sup
pressed in the great popular branch or con-
gress. Give to the Iowa Democracy your
legislature, and republican Iowa, her voice,
her majestic voice will be silenced in the
great popular branch of the American con-
gress.
More than that, a Democratic legisla- !
nrs. after it has re-districted the state