The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-27


their hall which was presented them
by Edwin Scott.
The club lined up in front of their
hall and the flag was run out from the
ton introduced F. P. Lindsey as chair
man OF the netting. Mr.. Lindsey after
q few remarks a about the flag being the
emblem of a united nation and that IL
knew no north, no south, no east.
no west" introduced the speaker OF
the evening, General J. c. Caldwell,
who entertained the crowd with one OF
his characteristic speeches. General
Caldwell said:
There is nothing peculiar in raising
the flag on an occasion of this kind, for
there is a flag that no Republican ever
shot at during the war That nag was
carried by our troops during the war.
While other wars have decided the
fate and the rise and fall of dynasties,
empires and Kingdoms our war decided
a greater question. It decided for all
time to come the fate of a doWntrodden
laboring class.
In 81 we fought to preserve the in
tegrity of the flag, that no star should
be blotted out, and now this year we
are again fighting not in war but in
peace-not with bullets but with bal
lois TO preserve the integrity OF the
nation. We do not want to be cOnSid-
cred a defaulting nation. The people
who are against US may not think So
they may not realize the truth of it but
am convinced that this is the real
question
If you viii convince me that the free
and unlimited coinage OF silver as pro-
posed will benefit the labOring men
Will join you.
Let US look back four years when
Harrison was president and sent his
last message to congress and we will
find that there We're more men en-
ployed at higher wages than ever be-
fore in the history of the world. Com
pare that with the situation now and
l we find that where we had prosperity
then we have poverty now.
If We had the prosperity of four
years ago we would have no discussion
OF the financial question now. We did
not hear it discussed then. Now when
We are not prosperous We hear people
say that 1t is all on account of some
Ihlng that was done away back in 1873,
over 20 years ago. Yet we find that 10
years after this something had been
done the president sends a message to
congress that states that more men are
employed at higher wages than ever
before. I don't believe that a great
wrong could be committed in a free
country like this and that we would
go on for 20 years under it and not dis
cover it.
The real cause. in my opinion. is
that the people upon the accession of the
present administration lost confidnece.
( Confidence was destroyed and we can
not do business without confidence.
Even today the fear Of a remote and
what seems to me to be a Unreliable
poSSlDllty IS causing the people to
withdraw from the banks of the coun-
try one kind of money which is recOg-
world over
We are not all of US in favor of
everything that is free. For instance
we are not all in favor of free whisky
many are not in favor of free love
and think that they are numbered bv
the hundreds of thousands that are not
in favor of free silver. The deIusion of
Tree trade has caught many a man bv
the enphonious sound of the word free.
We are all more or less susceptible to
the power of word juggling.
Now we hear a great deal a bOut
demonetization, whatever that means.
1 presume it means to deprive of its use
as money, and if that is so the only
place silver can be demonetized is in a
silver country.
Honesty is the best policy. This is
more true IN regard to a nation than
an individual. An individual can be
dlshonest and reform, go to a new COM
munIty and begin life anew and sue
coed. A nation can never wipe out the
stain of reputation if it is once placed
upon it's honor.
There is one thing the American
people do. We do our talking in hot
weather and our voting in cold
weather. We will do our talking now,
but when NDVem Der comes there will
be no torches. no bands. no drums. but
the American people will walk in ST
lence to the polls and with that look
OF determination on their faces will
deposit those nOiseless paper slips which
! viii determine the policy of this ma
ton.
And as you don't have to see twenty
yards to determine the pattern from
what I have already seen,
have no doubt as to the re-
suit, either in the state or nation.
1 think that the clink of the telegraph
telling the result will announce not only
| in every state, but all around the world
that the American people are honest.
! Then will confidence be restored and
prosperity will return. The hum of
/ the spindles be heard and the black
smoke pour out from the chimneys of
the factories
wells speech cheers were given for Nc
KinIey and Hobart and for Edwin
Scott, the donor of the flag. The crowd
then called for F. B. Dawes, who made
a short speech.
Mr.. Dawes was making some cOmpar-
isons as to how much a days labor
would buy of the ordinary necessities
of life in 1873 and now, when some one
asked him a question as to how it was
in England. He answered the man
and the crowd cheered. o. K. Swayze
cheered, too, and -hOwled out:
Here is a fuII-hedged anarchist
The man who asked the question
seemed to be offended at being called
such a name and was about to make
trouble when a policeman interfered.
Mr.. Dawes called out to the man and
said he was all right and that he had
a right to ask the question and that he
always respected a man who had an
honest opinion.
This quieted the man and Mr.. Dawes
finished his speech.
GETTING ON TIFF BAND WAGON