The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-08-01
OLD COMRADES
OF Major Mckinley Testify Their
Affection for Him,
ANDWORKlNGMEN AND FARMERS
Travel Through Floods to arest Him Per-
sonaily-Iio Responds with Ono OF the
Most Eloquent Speeches He Has Yet
aiade-Evtry Dollar OF the Debt Due tho
Men who Fought TO Save the Nation
shouid be Paid In Unqusstionod Coin.

CANTON. o., July 3i.-The most en-
thuslastlc delegation and most affecting
greeting at the Mckinley home was to-
days visit Of farmers, workingmcn and
old soldiers OF Guernsey county, who
arrived here shortly before noon. The
delegation left Cambridge on the Cleve-
land & Marietta railroad and In short
time struck the flooded lowlnnds. For
seven miles," said Congressman ]. D..
Taylor. "the locomotive poked Its nose
through water overnowlng the TuEca-
rawaa river and 1t was fight TO get
through"
+ At the Mckinley residence Mr.. Taylor
acted us spokesman for the party, which
was under @. a. X. auspices. He spoke
OF the tin plate industry in Cambridge.
In part Mr.. Mckinley said in reply:
II am glad TO meet the representatives
Of labor who are assembled here this
morning. congratulate them upon the
advance that has been made in the tin
plate industry TO which Colonel Taylor
has referred. am glad to know that
Republican legislation gave to this
country an Industry that gives work and
wages to American workingmen and
brings happiness to American homes.
Great cheering).
1t seems not so long nor 20 far away,
but as look into the faces OF the old sol
dlers before me to-day,I see that pge ls
stamping It's lines OF care upon them.
Their step IL no longer as steady and as
firm as II was thirty-five years ago. but
their hearts are Just as loyal TO the old
flag Of the union Tremendous cheering,
and they are just as loyal TO national
honor to-day as they were loyal to ma
tIonal unity then. tApplause).
when the war closed there were two
great debts resting upon the govern
ment One was the debt due 10 the men
who had loaned the government money
with which to carry on Its military
operations! The other debt was due TO
the men who had willingly offered their
lives for the preservation OF the Ameri-
can union. (Cheers).
THE old soldiers waited on their PEN
slons until this great debt OF the govern
ment was well out of the way. They
waited patiently until the government
OF the United States had reduced nearly
two-thirdis OF that great money debt.
tApplauSe). Tney wanted every dollar
of the debt paid In the best coin known
to the commercial world. (Great ap-,
plause). and every dollar OF that debt up
to this hour has been paid In gold. or Its
equivalent. the best recognized money
OF the world. and every dollar OF that
debt. my comrades, yet TO be paid will be
paid in the same unquestlonable coin.
tremendous cheerinEl.
Most OF that debt Is out OF the way.
The great debt Of this government now
Is to the surviving soldiers Of the repub-
lie. (Applause). There are $4,000 PEN
s!oners on the honored pension roll OF
this government to-day and the govern
ment pays out of It's public treasury in
pensions ever $4,000, 900 every year to
the soldiers and sailors, their widows
and their orphans. Every dollar of that
debt must be paid In che best currency
and coin OF the world. (Great cheering
and cries of the Republican party will
see to that"). There Is nobody more in
tercSted In maintaining sound and sta
BILE currency than the old soldiers OF the
republic, their widows and their or
phanS."
II thank you. my fellow citizens for
this call. so expressive of your good will
and congratulations, and assure you that
Il will afford me much pleasure to meet
each one Of You personally" (Applause
and cheerlng).