People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-08-31

IcCICu W OutI Gile Sdlle IN Ulelf re- |
spective bodies Of congress and to
urge with all their ability the secur.
ing Of it as a statutory law of the
United States.
The national secretary came tol
Wellington, l think, February 10
1890, and we held very earnest meet |
ing and were organized intoa body or
association for the purpose above
mentioned. John 7. Showalter was
chosen president. This meeting was
held in city council hall which was
so crowded with old soldiers that
there was hardly Standing room. The
meeting was addressed by the secre-
tary and several prominent men Of
Wellington and Sumner county. who
had been soldiers and were then men,
berS of the G. A. r.
AT that meeting listened to the
most scathing denunciation of the
eastern bOndhOlder, the Wall street
broker, the national bankers associa.
ton, the presidents of the great
trusts and corporations, and also to
the bittereSt of bitter words in re-.
gard to the treachery of some of the
republican leaders.
There, too, | listened to the first
Peoples party speech | ever heard.
All this coming from the lips of men
who have since gone back ito their
yomlt and to wallow in the mire.n
At that time | was an ardent re.
publican and listening to such
speeches by prominent republicans
caused me to feel alarmed for the
welfare myg. 0. p, which, although
feared, and in fact, almost knew.
tnere were traitors in the party who
would work against the interests of
the soldiers and the masses of the
people, yet | hoped and believed the
better element of the party would
ultimately prevail and that through
that party we might get better legis-
latlOn for the soldiers and the com.
mon people.
The enthusiasm for this bill was so
earnestly manifested at the meeting
there and then held, and in our sim.
plicity, believing we might have
some influence upon our republican
congressman, who made such hatter-
ing promises when they wanted our
votes, we decided to print one thouS-
and envelopes addressed to certain
representatives and senators. namely.
Senator ingalls,, Samuel R. Peters.
then representative of this district.
but more particularly, most of them
to E. N. Morrill,, present candidate of
the republicans for governor of Kansas
the great state of which ne is "asham-
ed" Morrill, posed as the champion
OF this measure for the state of Kan
SaS and the west generally. He knew
OF his promise, and the promises
made to the G. A. r. and the old SOL
dierS before the election of 1888. by
the leaders Of the republicans party.
Every old soldier in Sumner county
was urged to use these envelopes and
send in cur best words to these men,
to be active and see that the contract
made with the "bOyS in blue" who
saved the country, was faithfully Car.
ried out.
That evening | went home and
wrote a letter to Senator Ingalls,. I
told him that ! had been a soldier
and that all my years of manhood I
had been a republican, that I had
read a great many of his speeches. es-
pecially his great speech of 1878, and
that l approved his course in the SEN
ate. l think mentioned The meet
ing just held and its object. | asked
him particularly for myself and com.
rades, to use all his characteristic
ability to secur e the passage of this
service pension bill, l told him of the
bitter speeches of republican old sol.
diers which had just listened to and
also OF the complaints of the farmers
generally against the administration
and congress, and that if something
was not done soon in regard to a IA.
vorable action upon this bill and
some legislation for the benefit of the
farmers and the producing classes, |
feared that the republican party in
Kansas might soon be in the minority
rather than majority.
Senator ingalls, graciOusly replied
to me, and told me that he would do
all in his power to have the service
pension bill passed and that he real.
lied the condition of the farmers Of
Kansas, and that his sympaties had
always been with them and the work.
ing people, that he was in the senate
to represent the interests of these
men and their families and that the
people here might depend on him to
do his best for them.
Like all the republican old soldierS