Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-10-27
WAYNE M.vEAGH TALKS.


Wicked Legislation Denounced
One of the largest political meetings
of the campaign was held in the Acad-
envy of Music at Philadelphia on the
evening of October Is under the auspices
of the Young mems Democratic associa-
ton of that city, which had invited
Wayne McVeagh, formerly attorney
general under President Garfeld's adj
ministration, to address the public in
reply to Senator Sherman's recent
speech and to explain his reasons for
abandoning the republican party, as
announced in Mr.. McVeagh's recent
letter saying that he would vote for
Grover Cleveland The auditorium was
filed and many were turned away.
The audience was decidedly democratic
in its sympathies and received the
speaker with great enthusiasm.
The orator of the evening was intro
duced by Samuel Cuisine Thompson,
president of the Young Mems Demo-
cratic association, who, in a brief but
pointed address, attacked the republic
an system of protection.
BY way of beginning Mr. McVeagh referred
to the fact that he attained his majority the
day the republican party was born, that ne MAD
never voted for democrat and that tour years
ago he voted for Harrison. Until now he had
not felt at liberty to vote for any but republic
an candidates. In 1875 he believed that MI
Tilden was entitled to the electoral vote OF
Louisiana But President Grant, Secretary
Chandler, Secretary Cameron, Gen. Sheridan,
in command of the troops in the state, and Sec
rotary Robson, with his gunboats in its waterfi
were all deeply interested in that election
United States Marshal Packard was seeking
the goyernorship with host of deputies at his
command, and yet when fine polls closed MT
Ti1den had 1900 more votes than Mr. Hayes
The speaker objected to this sort OF thing He
had watched with pain the steady growth OF
the corrupt use of money in politics. He had
hoped the republican party would turn itself
against congressional bounties and diminish
that awful traffic in votes. His hopes had Deen
disappointed and he was convinced that unless
the republican party was checked it would
make the poor poorer and the rich richer, more
corrupt and selfish and less patriotic
He demanded that the rich should not destroy
the source of national life. There was.too much
truth III the rumors that the election of 1883
had been bought. A prominent republican
manufacturer had said: 1.-The Mckinley bill IS
ours; we bought it - There was no way OF &C
counting for the action of the republican party
for the last four years than the bargain and
sale of legislation. He did not see how any
man in his senses thought it wise to 1nf11ct upon
the poor the awful burdens of the Mckinley
bill or to debauch voters by Offering them pen
sions or to impoverish the taxpayers to buy
vast masses of silver for which there was no
or to insult small, weak sister republic
like Chilli by sending such diplomat as Patrick
Egan or to threaten her with war without
waiting to translate her apology for the wrong
done.
Referring to Senator Sherman's speech on
the Mckinley bill he said no one knew better
than the senator that the cordage trust was an
Illegal monopoly, plundering the people in utter
contempt of law. He took Senator Sherman to
task for the stand he took the silver ques-
ton to-day, which was opposite to the views he
expressed in 1891
On the tariff question Mr. McVeigh said less
than IL per cent of the laborers of Pennsylva-
mia could secure employment on the protected
industries, while the other 80 per cent. had to
pay bounty on almost every thing they ate and
wore. The rich paid subs antia1ly nothing,
but on the contrary realized immense profits
out of the prevailing system of taxa ton The
prices of the necessarfes of life were frightfully
increased to those who could purchase only in
small quantities Owing to the cordage trust
and similar evils the hard working American
farmer had each year found himself growing
poorer until now, in Ohio and Pennsylvania,
the land was worth less than half what it was
of farms in the country since 1870 was greater,
in the speakers judgment. than the cost OF
any mandatory in it. The farmer had to sell
his wheat for the price fixed IN LIVERPOOL and
less than it cost him The farmer wrs forced
to pay big bounty to the cordage trust for Irvine
owing to the Mckinley bill. The farmer further
found his poverty increased by the tax he had
to pay on almost everything he had to buy.
The laboring men were obliged to pay artificial
prices for sugar on account OF the sugar trust
kept alive by the Mckinley bill Seeing these
things it was not strange that ministers of the
gospel cried out that the labOrer is looked upon
beast of burden and that Mr.. Carnegie and
his associates were responsible for every drop
of blood shed at Homes tead These were not
the rawlings OF anarchists but Christian teach
erS. And what was true OF the Mckinley bill
and the great group of gigantic monopolies
which were nourished by it was true of reckless
pension legislation
The wickedness of such legislation was more
apparent when 1t was known that every dollar
voted to pensions involved a distinct diminution
of the wages of labor. Eloquent millonaires
spoke glibly of sI50, 600 90 voted to PENSIONS
forgetting this vast sum came almost entirely
from the earnings of toilerS The speaker did
not object to just pensions. An eminent divine
had said: Every skulking camp follower, de-
serter and fraudulent claimant has the affront-
cry to demand his bribe if his vote shall be-
come a commodity" What infinite dishonor
such names brought to the pension rolls dedi-
Gated to the heroes who went to the 'front.'
Speaking of silver he said it was known that
| in the present year silver had been mined in
vast quantities at cost of 80 cents ounce
and sold to the government at over 20 cents. so
that it was probable silver dollar was not
worth more than so cents. Yet there were hun
+; dreds of millions coined and stored in vaults
+ and thousands of tons uncoined and stored in
| the same way. Still the government con- inued
! to accumulate at the behest of the repub lean
party and the price of silver continued to drop.
| This was driving gold out of the country and it
was only question of time when would be
| reduced to silver currency. All this was
! due to the election of Harrison in 1888.
| Such results had been secured
at the ex pense of the moral degrade ton Of the
/ people. 1t had come to be that men of large
| wealth had persuaded themselves that they
were at liberty to pervert this government from
its lofty functions of securing the greatest good
! to the greatest number, to taxing the majority
! in order to hand over those taxes bounties to
| persons who would contribute large OF
money to carry on elections. In 1888 800 600 was
| used in Indiana, but that was not patch to
| New York. The proportion of this corruption
fund was appalling. The speaker said he had
rather place money in the hands of burglar
| to bride Waterman to rob bank than con-
| tribute money to be placed in hands of Mr..
| Quay or Mr.. Martin or Mr.. Bracket be used
i in politics
Two Miners Killed.
IRoNwooD, Mich, Get. 17.-August
| 1lanielson and Alexander Boswin
miners employed at No. shaft of the
East Morris mine have beee killed by
an explosion of giant powder.
PERSONAL GATHERINGS.
Rev. DIR. HOFFMAN, who owns the
hi