Omaha daily bee., 1895-10-22
BROWN AT ERFLINC'S HALL
Citizens Candidate for Mayor Addresses o
Large Gathering of Voters.
ARGUES FOR GOOD CITY GOVERNMENT
Need of II Change In Both Methods
ana Men ut the city Hall
Plainly Pointed out by
Speakers.

/ ldst nlSnt 10 listen 10 a discussion or the
issues Of the pending campaign by nominees
of the Citizens league. 1t was the first pub
| lie appearance of Mr.. Charles H. Brown, the
! Citizens league candidate for mayor and the
manner in which the large audience present
| received his discussion Of the questions before
the voters left no doubt as to their sympathy
| with the plans and purposes of the Citizens
| league and its candidates.
The meeting was called to order by Mr.. j.
w. Kinkead, who introduced Mr.. A. T. Rec.
| tor. Mr.. Rector is resident of the Fifth
ward and a candidate for councilman-at-large
! He talked to his audience as a business man
talks with his neighbor concerning the best
| methods to be employed for the proper man.
agement of the affairs OF the city. He said
that municipal affairs had been so managed
in the big cities of the country that good
government had been an impossibiliy until
the business people and taxpayers in the large
cities of the east had united In an effort Id
put partisanship aside and select men for OF.
flee who would conduct public affairs just az
they would manage the business of private
concerns in which they held an interest lie
said that the city Of Omaha was like a big
corporation, in which there were 5000
stockholders, all equally interested in the sue,
cess and welfare of the corporation. 1t was
the duty Of the stockholders to select man.
ayers aid directors who were capable. hon,
est and competent regardless of their politics
and their religious beliefs.
Chairman Kinkcad then introduced Charles
II. Brown, who was given a rousing reception.
He spoke as follows:
BROUGHT TOGETHER FOR PROTECTION
Friends and Fellow Citizens: l noticed
this morning that i was announced to make
a speech here at Erflng hall tonight. and
am here in obedience to that announcement.
came without any preparation such as any
citizen would have on an occasion of this
kind. / am glad to meet you here, and
think and recognize the fact that we meet,
not as republicans. not democrats, not
as populists but we meet as citizens driven
together by the situation that confronts us.
Any man who will look at the situation will
see that are in the midst of dlstressful
| times, and in a situation that demands that
every person should go to the polls and Sc
cure for our fellow citizens their political
and equal rights
"The man who labors is unable to obtain
labor for the support of his family The man
who owns little house and lot, in which
his family resides secure no labor to
support them. The artisan, the merchant,
in fact every person, every enterprise and
every industry in our midst. is anguishing
and weighed down with the burdens of tax
alton, and that is what has brought us to-
gether
1--WE are here to consider our situation,
and men all over the city are asking What
| shall we do?' Notwithstanding these hard
| times, and notwithstanding the depression In
| our midst, taxation has increased, Offices have
| multiplied and the substance of the people
| Is being wasted by the peculation and by
other means, and we ask that under such
circumstances that we come together and
reason among ourselves and see what we shall
| do. The interests of the people and the
| management of government are intimately
connected. When we find that the govern
ment becomes an oppression instead of a
blessing then there is Something wrong not
wrong in the government necessarily, but
wrong In the management of the affairs of
the government, and | say to you this even-
ing that our salvation lies in rescuing the
offices of this county and city from the band
of desperadoes that has seized them and is
holding them in the city hall and court house.
lApplause) And l apprehend that this is q
feeling that is not confined to those who ara
here, but includes men that are sitting I'm
their homes tonight and thinking of these
things; some of them seeing hunger, like a
wolf coming in at the door, are thinking
of these things. Many who are in moderate
circumstances are thinking of it. tell you.
gentlemen, that in these hard times with
taxation as 1t is, the weight and oppression
of government falls more upon the laborins
men than any other class. You tax the man
who owns property until he Is unable to pay
the taxes, and what is the result? The
laboring man cannot get employment; It is
an utter impossibility. The employment
which government furnishes to men and that
which is furnished by individuals is about
as 10 to 30, and the 80 are suffering while
the 10 prospering
HAS BEEN IN PUBLIC LIFE.
Gentlemen, ! stand here before you to-
night as candidate for the office of mayor.
l have had some experience in public af-
fairs, and you will pardon me If for a mo.
ment / refer to the past. There was time
when offceholding was pleasure to me- and
| was honored by the people of Omaha and OF
Douglas county, and perhaps none other ever
received more favor than myself / was
elected when | first came to Omaha as pros
ecuting attorney, and l think there are gen.
tlemen here who remember that in that first
term | did away with lynch law by showing
the people here that by Jealous efforts the
prosecuting attorney could secure convictions.
(Applause). And from that time on no more
lynch law was resOrted to in this city or
county. The result was that / was reelected,
and then again | was elected as city coun-
Gilman. | was reelected city councilman.
was also elected to the legislature in ter
ritorial days, and reelected. was also
elected after that as mayor Of the city and
declined a further election, and there are
those here within the sound Of my voice who
know that at that time We were not placed
within cast iron bonds and all the freedom
and personal rights Of a man taken frem
him, and there was prosperity in our midst.
was elected, then, to the constitutional con-
vention, again elected to the state senate, and
reelected. | was again elected to the sem
ate, and then / was nominated for congress.
And received such support from the peo-
pie OF this city that | made up my mind that
/ never would demand an exaction OF the suf-
frages Of the citizens Of this county and Of
this city. and from that day to this | have
studiousy avoided holding office.
II mention this simply to show that either
the people Of the city and of the county were
great fools or else | discharged my duty
officially and the people sanctioned it and de-
manded that l give them further service.
Npplause).
How is 1t with my political opponent?
Why. | remember when he and ran, he on
the republican ticket and on the democratic
ticket, and he also on citizens ticket and
| on citizens ticket, and we were both
elected members Of the legislature. The next
two years he ran on the republican ticket
and / on the democratic ticket and he was
left at home and | was sent to Lincoln. (Ap-
plause). He was elected by the people of
this city to the position Of mayor for one
term The people wanted him no longer.
and yet the gentleman is telling you what
good and efficient officer he has made
DID BROATCH REALLY DO IT.
"He tells you how he has improved the
city, the great number Of streets that he
has paved, the curbng that he has laid
down. and he tells you that he administered
the government of the city economically.
But there are several questions to be put
to him that he has not answered. and which