Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-07-14

IGNATIUs DONNELLY. ments, for the dignity
of the occasion forbids it, 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, convention whose every man has
| paid the expenses of his journey hither and his
return, or which has been paid by a man as poor
as himself lCheerSl There IS not in this
gathering single president of q railroad COM
pany. [Cheersl There is not single repre-
sentative of any OF the rings which are robbfng
and sucking the life blood out OF this American
people CCheerS.] can not help bat 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 to 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 to the national
conventions. They are here at cost. as I am
informed. of $3.50 to each of them
am told that there are delegates from Wyo-
ming who travelled 300 miles in farmers wag-
ons to reach the nearest depot where they could
take the train for Omaha Cheers and cries
of "Hurrah for Wyoming'l I 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" lCheerS1 On your banner see the
| words, Spirit of 1776. This is the spirit that
animates this august gathering. We are the
lineal representatives of those men in home
| spun and deerskin, those hunters, fishers and
farmers who founded the nation-a nation with
out millionaire and without pauper. Loud
cheers1 One hundred and sixteen years OF
national life under the management Of two
great parties have given according to the
different estimates from 1900 to 3O,Do0 mil
| lionaires and 100000 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 to make men
| free more happy and more prosperous has shed
the fruits OF victory upon this great asSemblage
| [Cheers.1 What a contrast to the Minneapolis
| convention The leading man Of that body, the
| man most petted and dined and wined, was
| Chauncey M. Depew, the twenty times million
| aire, president of two railroad companies and
| representative of the Vanderbilt's s2OO, COO COO
| The members of that convention wriggled upon
| his vest buttons ICheers.l Why, he could
| not sneeze but that the republicans had pic
! torres OF him in every point of the process
| Laughter and cheers
| had debate the other day in Minnesota
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 breath with the great
| philanthropiSts and humanitarfans who founded
the republican party. Where is your Horace
| Greeley? Your Charles Sumner? Your Wen
dell p. Phillips? Your Abraham Lincoln?
| asked him to point me out single friend Of
| labor in the convention. single friend OF the
| poor: single friend of the mechanic. What
| was the answer? was given the example OF
| the philanthropiSt, Fred Douglass. [CheerS /
| Why, replied you have had to go out Of your
own color to find an example ICheers And
when asked for another name was given the
| name of William Mckinley, Jr. Laughter
| man who put up the tariff for the benefit Of
manufacturers
| burdens OF the people That Is republican
| philanthropy. 1t would be a miracle if the
American people had not by this time appreci-
| ated Bill McKinley's philanthropy.
| saw report of debate the other day in
| the senate A 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 COM
| bine, which has put into the hands OF the big
| four OF Chicago an immense fortune by break.
ing down the price of cattle from one end OF the
| land to the other, while maintaining at the
| same time prices OF meat to the mechanic.
| What did the republican say in reply: He said
| the chairman of the Democratic national CON-
mittee was the representative Of the Standard
Oil Co, bigger rascal than the other man.
[Cheersl I want it understood that am not
| saying anything against the rank and file
| OF either Of these parties. lCries OF Good VI
The whole American people have been
| in one or the other OF these par
| ties and as the American people are, in
my Judgment the best and nobiest people on
| the face of the earth. ft would not become me
| to 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 plutocracy that
has got the whole country by the throat Upon
| every bushel 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 much and that the cotton CROP
does not pay the cost Of production You wiz
find that because OF the depreciation in
prices is to be found in world wide
combinations This battle In which we
are employed is the battle OF man
kind. (Cheersl. This continent Is the last
great camping ground OF the human race II
liberty fail here IL fails forever. Every op-
pressed nation OF the world is looking upon this
convention TO discovW whether the staE
spangled banner and the stars and stripes shall
float across the country steadily rising genera
tions after generations 70 higher levels OF cult
ure and civilization or II it shall float in solemn
moclxery above land cursed as Europe Il
cursed. the middle classes driven OF the land,
while concentrated In the hands of few u the
| wealth provided By the tiiier. lCheersl-
Mr.. Donnelly closed by saying tie
peoples party is not sectional, but can
greet all as brothers in common cause.