The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1896-02-22
D'ARMoND SCORES RILEY HALL
Speech in Full of Mr.. DeArmOnd De-
nOuncIng Traitors.

DAY, MIR. Chalrmau, 10 near my COL
league (Mr. HalD say that he had
heard from an Official high in the treas
ury department that probably within
the coming twelve months there would
be an Issue of n thousand millions in
bonds. A thousand millions of bonds!
A billion of debt to be fastened upon
the people of this country! Why and
for what? am not disposed to treat
this merely as the vapid declaration of
a sensationalist, because / have Oh
served that as gentlemen change their
views upon this money question, and
as they get closer to the views that
prevail ut the treasury department AID
farther from the views that prevail
among their constituents, they become
daily better authorities upon what is
intended and what is likely to happen
about the treasury department. Oaugh-
ter) Conts mplatc the picture! In
time of profound peace, with no neces-
sity resting upon US, with country
rich IN all the resources with which
any people ever were blessed, we are
threatened with an issue of thousand
millions of bonds in tt single year to
carry out a particular policy, to force
upon the people willingly or unwil-
lingly, a policy which has no just
support in the ranks of the people; a
policy which could not be upheld if
submitted to the people, believe, in
any qrarter OF tho union, not even ex-
oepting the northeast; a policy which
is almost entirely without support in
the south and west. e-ss 5 8
Mr.. Chairman, my colleague sug-
gested some other things, to which
it seems to me, as MIssourian, that
l ought to give at least passing at
tention. have nothing to say about
my colleagues conversion. A man S
conversion and change of opinion are
matters resting with himself. do
say, however, that the people whom ne
represents and whom l represent, the
democracy, the whole people of the
great state of Missouri, are not lacking
In courage; especially they do not need
that politicians shall go among them
telling them what is right and what is
wrong. They are brave people; they
admire courage. They are an honest
people, they esteem honesty. They are
a consistent people; they have respect
for consistency. These people know
some things and will continue to know
some things, even if the politicians do
not venture among them upon the
broad and philanthropic and courage
Gus mission which my colleague would
suggest.
Perhaps the crying sin of the day is
that the politicians do not rise to the
summit of courage and tell the people
wherein they are in error. Perhaps
that is true. But it has sometimes
seemed to me that graver harm comes
from the fact that some politicians, ap-
pearing before the people as the advo-
Gates of certain doctrines, obtaining
the suffragists of the people upon
certain pledges; after they are clothed
with power by the people, after they
are commissioned by the people to
carry out the peoples will, fall away
from their professions, forget their
teachings, and turn their backs upon
those who have gwen them honor and
power, and join with those who are
opposed to them. (Applause.)
have sometimes fancied that the
people suffer more from misrepre-
sentation than they do from the lack of
courage in those who essay TO teach
them what is right and what is wrong,
what Is wise and what Is unwise. l am
well aware that distinguished men have
changed their opinion. We have them
among us. They are to be found every
where. 1t is common enough thing
for people, great and small, to change
their views. 1t is common to people,
good and bad, to change their views,
and change their course of conduct.
The conclusion Is not an irresistible
one that when a man changes his views
upon some great question he is largely
beyond the measure of ordinary men.
The conclusion is not necessarily one
we must adopt, because history does
not show that to be the invariablc rule
and course of events.
make no invIdious comparisons or
suggestions about these things. | know
that some men stand conspicuous in
history for having changed their course,
and changed their professions, when
the change according to the judgment
of mankind, has not been in the right
direction. know that through twenty
centuries and by sixty generations of
men the memory of Judas Iscarlot and
of the great betrayal has been kept
alive, that upon it might be heaped in
peTpeIIlbl freshness tue eAtCTuIlDuS vi
mankind. / know that Benedict Ar
mold, who shed his blood in the cause
of patriotism, and afterwards turned
against his country, is remembered as
frightful example-thank God, one of
the few examples-held up for the con-
demnatIon and the execration of uni
yersal manhood and patriotism.
know, too. that there are people
who remained steadfast in the views
which they have formed upon delibera-
tlop and study-views which they
believe TO be correct and which they
have tried-who can not well be plassed
as Chinese or as belonging to the
ignorant class from the East Indies or
from some dark and benighted tribe in
the depths of Africa-much less may
they be classed as belonging to the
lower animals.
do not attribute to my colleague
any suggestion that he was sent here
G,I. IL, \ .t