The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-19
TRAMPS WHO "ORATE.' %
The Voiceless Two Millions Find a
Voice.
TWO WEARY WALKERS IN TOPEKA

make their living by speaking and pass
ing the hat, addressed big crowd in
Topeka last night
They are "Bill" King ard Henry Will
son. They come direct from Kansas
City-they say to attend the silver con-
vention. Governor Mckinley speaks at
Ottawa next Thursday and the tramp
orators propose to be there and answer
his address the following night
King and Wilson say they came to
town in their special sleeper. They say
it has straw in one end of it. I'VE loaned
it to the Santa Fe today to haul ties in"
King says, sand if they don't have it
back by tonight, we'll have to take
another. Why shouldn't we have car
like the other great oratorsF Sibley, he
struck town in his own coach. NcKin-
ley has q whole train"
As orators the tramps are not polished.
Their English has become contaminated
by contact with those who do not under
stand its use. Professor Cleaves could
give them a pointer or two on delivery
and the science of gesticulating Never
theless the tramps, especially King,
make fairly good speeches. They are
full of homely logic and improvised
philosophy, with abuse of the old par
ties and some socialism-in short just the
street corner crowd.
Several hundred people blocked the
street at the postoffice corner last night,
while the tramps did their "turns." They
used cracker box for pulpit.
King started the meeting by singing
home made song entitled 1--WE won't do a
thing to you" The ''you" referred to
was President Cleveland. Kings voice
has never been cultivated. 1t may sound
h1k& \ -. oh =
does. There was a huskiness about it
that suggested the need of sandpaper.
Then Wilson made a brief speech.
He has probably heard Mrs. Lease for he
initiates one of her pecdliarities. 1t con-
sists in an emphatic sort of grunt on
certain words, such as %ife-fuh" and
'mede duh"
In part he said: ave claim as tramps.
zuh that we are entitled-duh to some of
the money that the rich folks send TO
China to civillze the heather -nuh," and
80 on.
"Take care of the Americans first"
said Tramp Wilson. "Charity begins at
home. There's room for plenty of mis-
sionary work among the laboring men
of this town. 1t amt use
trying to convert tho heather
Chinee SO long as we send
missionary money over in one ship and
have we done to have the scornful finger
of scorn pointed at US? l have found in
thefOur months I've been on the road that
it ain always the church members that
helps the poor men. Today l asked
woman for a bite to eat and she says,
Certainly, anything I've got She was
like the widow in the Bible that gave her
mite. l said, Madam, are you Chris
tian?' and she said no. Then I says,
Tod.
wrote on the roll of the church, but your
name is wrote on the Lambs book of life
in the tabernacle on high" Applause
Then "Bill" King took the cracker box
and made the principal talk of the even
ing. He is an agreeable speaker In
the course of his remarks he said:
''Tramps amt born; they're made.
They're made by trusts and com binations
and monopolies. Chancery Depew says
twenty men run the United States Who
are they? They are the Cleveands and
the Shermans and the Rockytellows, and
Bill Mckinley Is elm bling up to the top
pretty fast Then. the question suggests
itself who runs these twenty men? If
you don't know, I'll tell you. Over the
frog pond at London is a banker named
Rothschild. In his private office are
: twenty wires. He pulls one string and
! Grover gets up and tells how it was.
and let Chancery Depew talk and then
Chancery talks, aud so it goes"
Continuing, King said: when we
strike a town, Henry and l, we don't
come in the back way or sneak up the
alleys. We walk up the main street and
the first copper that spots US we ask him
where the mayors office is. This is a
good plan. 1t paralyzes them. In fact
1t is case of pdralyze from the time we
/ IN
| Kansas City the police asked US where
We was going. We told 'em we was 60
ing to the silver convention. They
laughed at the idea of two hoboes going
to the convention, but we're here Henry
and l talked to Congressman Sibley this
| afternoon. We used to know him back
in Pennsylvania. People laughed at the
idea of Mr. Sibley talking to US, but he
said he was glad to see US.
"Irs getting now so a man that belongs
to corporation dissent call his soul his
own. l have learned since l came to
town that last fall during the election
the Santa Fe officers said to the shop
men, we know just how this county
ought to go, and if it don't go that way,
look out Didn't they say that?"
A voice: 'No!"
We'll they did," resumed King, sand
can prove it. They made it even
stronger at other points along the line
What's more wages ara going down all
the time. You fellers who are eating
half a loaf today had better begin cut
ting yourself down to quarter of loaf,
for you've got to come to it Then
when you've had a couple more pairs of
twins, where'll you be?
"There are seven million tramps in
this country. There are just as good
mechanics on the road as these are in
| YOUR shops hero. There are also doctors
aud preachers and lawyers, and I've seen
them with their diplomas in their peck
cts You union men amt thought as
much OF as dog. Did you know that a
man who belongs to any labor union
couldn't serve on the state militiaf It's
fact. The gold bugs know one union
man won't shoot his fellow workman in a