The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-05-29
MRS. MARY LEASE:
Extracts from 3 Speech Made by a. Now
Famous KaneaR. Woman.


Extracts from q. Speech Made by. a. Now
Famous Kansas. Woman.
Mrs. Mary Lease, of Kansas, the lady
who has made national reputation for
herself in her support of the Farmers
Alliance, addressed an audience of good
size at Music hall. The listeners were
delighted with the talk, in spite of the
fact that it was bitter attack upon the
two old parties to which many of them
belonged. 1t was speech full of crisp,
meaningful sayings, fights of oratory
that one seldom hears from the lips of
female speaker, well told stories and a
mass of figures and logic. Mrs. Lease is
woman slightly above the ordinary
height, of middle age, with black hair in
which little or no trace of gray can be
seen. This hair she combs back, ex-
hibiting high forehead that lends an
indication of the mental caliber of the
woman. She was attired yesterday
afternoon in plain black, with heavy
lace scarf about her neck. The speaker
used no notes, having nothing in her
hand but handkerchief, which, woman
Like, she found indispensable.
She went right into the midst of her
subject, and from the first word made
everything she said clear to her hearers.
Mrs. Lease has voice that would fill
the largest auditorium in the world, and
it had no difficulty whatever yesterday
in delving into every nook and corner of
Music hall She talked rapidly, hand
ling the coinage question, railroad land
grants, liquor legislation and kindred
topics without gloves. She paid par
ticular attention to ex-senator John J.
Ingalls, and the two dominant parties.
This trio was severely scored. In her
reference to Ingalls, she said:
This dear brother is great Alliance man
now, but we have no use for him. 1t was a
deathbed confession with him. He said two
years ago that revolution would come; that
there would be pOrtentous conflict that
would mean a change for the whole country;
that the people were working and working,
with scarce a ray of hope ahead of them; that
the rich were growing richer and the poor were
growing poorer. That revolution has come.
ingalls, foresaw the situation correctly, but he
did not believe in his own ideas enough to live
up to them. For the first time in the history
of the state of Kansas men were elected whom
money could not buy. Ingalls, offered $500 to
purchased. They were not for sale. John J.
Ingalls,, of Kansas, ranks with Judas Iscariot,
and his money is as loathsome the thirty
pieces of silver that purchased the life of the
Saviour.
Mrs. Lease then gave her ideas on the
future Of the Alliance. She said that
1892 would find it the power of the
nation; that the people were thinking,
and once they stopped to think they
would see the course they would take.
The speaker scored the railroad land
grants and the policy that gave them.
The land belonged to the people, she
thought, and the peoples party would
restore it to them.
This land is the heritage of the American.
It belongs to him, and he must have it. Tn
government had much right to trade of
that vast amount of public domain as it has
to trade off Kansas City for tin whistle.
There are in this country 250OO,OOO homeless
people. They want homes. They need this
land as much they need the air and the
sunshine. If the Republican party could
bottle up the beams that dart from heaven and
put protective tariff on them they would
have done it long ago. We are Disguised with
it all, and the sooner the country joins us in
our ideas the sooner will relief come to tho
nation. We did pretty well in Kansas, and
every day since the election has brought US
converts from the ranks Of the sinners. They
are doing the same thing all over the country.
This movement is growing more than you
think-it is surprising all of us.
interpreting her regular address were
pithy sentences, each containing thrust
for the old parties or some of their
prominent leaders or most highly recog-
nized ideas. Her manner of delivering
these epigrammatic sayings is unique.
They come in without connection with
preceding statements, and are nearly al
ways followed by a good story that fits
nicely. Here is a representative bunch
Of some of the sayings delivered by Mrs.
Lease yesterday:
defy any Republican or Democrat to give
reason why he is Democrat or Republican
except that his daddy was one.
The men who lowered near the Canadian
line, and never smelled war in all their coward
ly lives, are the men who have kept the north
and south apart.
Which is the worse, the black slavery of the
past or the white slavery of the PRESENT.
The west and south are two peas in the same
pod.
Republicans always say that Democrats are
corrupt, and should have no place on the face
of the earth. Democrats say the same thing
of the Republicans. We will satisfy both Of
them by taking charge ourselves.
The difference between the two dominant
parties is that one is in and the other wants to
get in.
We asked for the earth in Kansas, and we
nearly got it.
The Alliance pillow is strong enough to turn
furrow and hide both Of the old parties from
the light of day.
Kansas City Times.
Senator PETERS Plans.