The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-07-15

\ Of the occasion fOrbids il, when | say that NO
greater body Of men has ever assembled upon
this continent than sits here to-day since those
men who formulated the immortal declara-
| ton OF independence. 1t is in many re-
spectS the most astonishing gathering
| this country has ever seen-a convention
without single tool or instrument OF monopoly
/ IN its midst a convention whose every nan has
paid the expenses of his journey hither and his
return, or which has been paid by man as poor
as himself rCheersl There is not in this
| gathering single president OF a railroad COM
pany. [Cheers.l There is not single repre-
sentative of any OF the rings which arc robbins
and sucking the life blood out Of this American
people. [Cheers.l 1 can not help but think OF
the astounding contrast this body presents TO
the conventions which have recently met in
Minneapolis and Chicago One little point en-
phasizes the difference and should be sufficient
in itself 10 show the American people who
are its friends, There are in this convention
delegates from the distant state OF California
and they could not obtain the same railroad
concessions that are granted 10 the national
conventions. They are here at . cost as 1 am
informed, of $50 to each of them
1 am told that there are DELEGATES from Wyo-
ming who travelled 500 miles in farmers was-
ons TO reach the nearest depot where they could
take the train for Omaha Cheers and cries
OF "Hurrah for Wyoming"l l see banner,
the banner Of the great state of Massachusetts
and we might say in the words of Webster,
There is Massachusetts; she speaks for her
self" [Cheers On your banner I see the
words, Spirit of 1776. This is the spirit that
animates this august gathering. We are the
lileal representatives OF those men in home
spun and deerskin, those hunters, fishers and
farmers who founded the nation-a nation with
ont millionaire and without pauper. loud
cheers One hundred and sixteen years of
national life under the management Of two
great parties have given Us according to the
different estimates from 5000 to 1900 mil
lionaires and L50l,O0O trampS while the
whole land is blistered with mortgages
and the whole people are STEPPED to the lips in
poverty. My friends. every great fight that
was ever made in the past for right and liberty
dominates in this present gathering. Every
battlefield of the past fought 20 make men
free. more happy and more prosperous has shed
the fruits OF victory upon this great assemhlage.
lCheers- What contrast TO the Minneapolis
convention The leading man of that body, the
man most petted and Gined and wined, was
Chauncey NJ Depew, the twenty times million
aire, president of TWO railroad companies and
representative of the Vanderbilt's s2O1, 900 600.
The members of that convention wriCCcd upon
his vest buttons lCheersl Why, he could
not sneeze but that the republicans had pic
torres of him in every point Of the process.
Laughter and cheersl
with representative speaker of the republican
party and challenged him TO point TO a man
in the great convention who could be men
toned in the one breath with the great
philanthropists and humaritarisns who founded
the republican party Where is your Horace
Greeley? Your Charles Sumner? Your Wen
dell p. Phillips: Your Abraham Lincoln? I
asked him TO point me out single friend Of
labor in the convention a single friend OF the
poor; single friend Of the mechanic What
was the answer: was given the example OF
the phiianth-opist, Fred Douglass lCheers
Why, replied you have had to go ont o; your
own color to lind an example ICheersl And
when asked for another name was given the
name Of William Mckinley, Jr. Laughter
man who pat up the tariff for TIE benefit Of
the protect;onist manufacturers to increase tho
burdens OF the people. That Is republican
philanthropy. II would be q miracle IL the
American people had not by this time appreci-
sted Bill McKinley's philanthropy.
saw report of a debate the other day IN
the senate. \ democratic senator charged that
the man who had been put at the head Of the
national executive committee was tool OF mo-
nopoly: the attorney for the great cattle CON-
bine, which has put into the hands o{ the big
four of Chicago an immense fortune by break
ing down the price Of cattle from one eud OF the
land 10 the other, while maintaining at the
same time prices OF meat no the mechanic
the chairman OF the Democratic national com
mittee was the representative Of the Standard
Oil Co, q bigger rascal than the other man
Cheers Iwsnt it understood that am not
saying anything against the rank and file
OF either Of these parties [Cries Of Good u
The whole American people have been
IN one OF the other Of rhsSe par
ties and as the American people are, in
my judgment the best and noblest people on
the face of the earth II would not become me
10 accuse either OF them; but the leaders, the
politicians and the conventions are legitimate
subjects for comment They point in the direc-
ton of this terrible power Of plutocfacy that
has got the whole country by the throat Upon
every bushei of wheat sold in Minnesota the
farmers are defrauded OF cents by gigantic
combinations reaching from Liverpool 10 the
Red river valley. In the south learn that you
are suffering as much and that the cotton crop
does not pay the cost Of production You will
find that because Of the depreciation in
prices is TO be found 10 world wide
combinations This battle n which We
are employed is the battle OF man
kind. [Cheersl. This continent IS TIE last
great camping ground OF the human race. II
liberty fail here it fails forever. Every op-
pressed nation OF the world is looking upon this
convention 70 discovN whether the star
spangled banner and the stars and stripes shall
float across the country steadily rising genera
tions after generations to higher levels OF cult
ure and civilization IL IL shall float in solemn
mockery above a land cursed as Europe ls
cursed: the middle classes driven OF the land,
while concentrated in the hands of few b the
wealth provided by the tiileT. GCheefsl
Mr.. Donneny closed by saying the
peoples party is not sectional, but can
greet all as brothers in common cause.