People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-08-08

advocated free coinage because they
thought it to be popular with the
masses. He also said that the free
coinage of silver would reduce the
American laborer to the position Of
the peon Of Mexico and the peasan-
try Of Russia; that gold basis signi-
fes greater strength while a silver
basis weakens and degrades. As an
illustration he cited the recent wal
between China and Japan as repre-
senting the extremes Of these systems
referring to China as being on a sill
yer basis and to Japan as on gold
basis while in fact the yen, a Japan
csc silver coin, is the basis OF their
money system and is equal to the
trade dollar of 1873.
The evening exercises consisted in
the relation of "reminiscences by the
old vets, many an act of heroism and
valor being narrated to an apprecia.
tive audience.
Mr.. Kilgore Of Bluff City com.
planned that the historian has done
him and lis command injustice mas
much as they participated in no gen.
eral engagements, yet they won their
full share Of credit as soldiers of the
late war by chasing the cowardly
bushwhackerS in Arkansas.
An ex-county treasurer related
how he and a valiant lieutenant
fought rebel line OF battle and ar
tillery and how his clothing had been
SHOT from his body, there being for
ty-two holes through them, yet he
escaped without scratch. We are,
however, yet in ignorance whether il
was grape shot or mustard seed shot
that made those holes.
He criticised the Populist repre-
sentatives in 1891 for not electing
John ]. ingalls, to the United States
senate inasmuch as many old soldiers
petitioned them to do so, yet he
knows that the election of '9l turned
upon the question of the reelection
OF ingalls, and that the Populist mem
berS would have proved traitors to
their party had they acted as re-
queSted by those petitions. What
did they do? They redeemed their
pledges and elected an honorable
and valiant ex-soldier instead OF
Senator ingalls, who never smelt pow
der nor endangered himself in the
defense of his country.
Soon after this the vacancy caused
by the death Of Senator Plumb was
to be filled. Did the old soldiers
petition Governor Humphrey to ap.
point Mr.. ingalls,? No, they did not
want him, and Perkins was appoint.
ed. Did they send up petitions last
winter asking the Republican mem
bers to elect Mr.. ingalls,. No, they
did not want him, consequently Mr..
Baker was elected. Should not our
ex-treasurer be more consistent than
to expect a Populist whom lie tried
to defeat to turn traitor to his party
and elect a man to the important po-
sltion of United States senator who
has not the respect of his own party
and whom they themselves will not
honor with that positionl Corrup
ton had for years been rife in this
state and Republican politicians had
come to believe that every man had
his price, so when they saw they
were beaten at the polls a corruption
fund Of $4,000 was raised by illegal.
ly assessing clerks In the different
departments at Washington for the
purpose of buying sufficient num-
Der of Populist members to insure
the reelection Of John J. ingalls,,
but to the great surprise Of the Re-
publican politicians Populist men,
bers were not on the market so that
scheme of bribery and corruption
failed. Ex-SoLpIER.