The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-05-29


versal suffrage be recommended to the
favorable consideration of the various
states and territories.
Resolved, That while the party in
power in 1889 pledged the faith of the
nation to pay;a debt in coin that had
been contracted on deprecated cur
rency basis and payable in currency,
thus adding nearly one billion dollars to
the burdens of the people, which meant
gold for the bondholders and depreciat-
ed currency for the soldier, and holding
that the men who imperiled their lives
to save the life of nation should have
been paid in money as good as that paid
to the bondholder, we demand the issue
of legal-tender treasury notes in suffi-
Gent amount to make the pay of the
soldiers equal to par with coin, or such
other legislation as shall do equal and
exact justice to the union soldiers of
this country.
Resolved, That as eight hours con-
stitute:a legal days work for govern
ment employees in mechanical depart
ments we believe this principle should
be farther extended so as to apply to all
corporations employing labor IN the diff
ferent states of the Union.
Resolved, That this conference con-
demns in unmeasured terms the action
of the directors of the Worlds Column
bian exposition on May 10 in refusing
the minimum rate of wages asked for
by the labor organizations of Chicago.
Resolved, That the attorney general
submit'the actrof March 2, 1889, provid-
ing for the opening of Oklahoma to
homestead settlement, to the supreme
court of the United States at the earli-
est possible moment, that the unhappy
settlers of that afflicted territory may
understand the lawful and constitu-
+tional meaning of said act, and thus
puta stop to so much litigation and ex-
pense."
Mr.. Schilling re-read the plank in
reference to the pay of soldiers. and ex-
planned that it had been adopted by a
meeting of union veterans Tuesday
night and'handed in to the committee as
expressing their sentiments The COM
mittee, with a desire to be careful in
the extreme, had it referred as to the
southern soldiers, who favored it unani-
,mously. This statement was greeted by
Argentine ':rebel yell. There was great
laughter and applause. Loud cries
arose for Davis, the tall delegate from
Texas. More than six feet high, slen-
der and wearing a light suit he doomed
UP on the projecting platform. When
the cheering ceased he gave 1.-The rebel
yell" He then proceeded to make a
brief speech, declaring that the day
meant resurrection for principles and
burial for rings and monopolies.
Amid a whirlwind of applause, as
Davis was about retiring, Delegate
Wadsworth, of Indiana, union vet
eran. rushed ON the stage and seized
Davis by the hand.
Zone of the G. A. r. said the chair
man. THE blue and the gray shake
hands,
Davis and Wadsworth gave each other
a hearty clasp, and shook hands for
several minutes, while the hall rang
with applause.
Wadsworth said he believed the noble
braves who wore the gray had been just
as honest as those who wore the blue.
Both had been duped since the war.
They had been kept divided, while the
trickster got away with the country.
Now they would stand together to fight
common foe more formidable than the
rebellion. They proposed to bury for
ever the bloody shirt and the Ratchet,
and shake hands across the bloody
chasm. He called for Davis, who soon
reappeared on the stage with the stars
and stripes.
Then followed the most sensational
scene of the conference. The two vet
Grams clasped hands as Davis waved the
flag over his former foe They were
quickly joined by Humphrey, the colored
delegate from Texas, who also had
flag. The delegates went wild with en-
thusiasm. The cheering was deaf
ening. Many jumped on their
chairs, waved their hats and threw
them in the air. The conference
seemed crazed with joy. Suddenly
movement of the State banners started
toward the stage, already packed
with notables. Soon they were clus-
tered around the trio. forming the ia
bleau of restored friendship between
Cuc NOICiI duO SOutL L ne banner OF
Kansas, its staff twined with the ma
tional colors, was held high above the
rest on human pyramid formed by
delegates of that State mounted on each
others shoulders
Minnesota started my Country, IT'S
of Thee" and the whole assembly
quickly took up the national air and
sang it with will and mighty volume.
The Kansas Glee Club sang Good
bye, Old Parties, Goodbye" and then
the entire conference joined in the
Doxology with a fervency in striking
contrast to the excitement
G. M. Miller, of California, presented
the following amendment to the plat
form: Resolved, That we favor the
prohibition of the liquor traffic" After
debate the previous question was order
ed on Miller's amendment, and it was
overwhelmingly defeated.
At this stage of the proceedings, when
the excitement had somewhat subsidized,
President PETER asked to be relieved of
his position, saying that he had to 60 to
Washington on important business
Tho convention orroo1 70 ovo,,co l,;,,,