Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-07-16

| Edwin Van Cise Of Deadwood for tenn
! porary chairman OF the convention. No
! other candidate was presented, and the
! delegates voted as one man in electing
Mr.. Nan else. He was escorted to the
! platform by Mr.. French and Mr.. Ed
wards OF Lawrence, appointed by the
| chair for that purpose, amid round on
round of cheers. His address was
worthy of the man and occasion. Every
reference to the platform adopted at st.
Louis, to the immortal names OF Blaine
and those celebrated in more recent
| leadership of the party, notably the
name of William Mckinley, the presi-
Dental nominee, ELECTED the most i'm
pressive applause. The 'baker's dozen
at st. Louis called for a salvo of wild
cheers and glad acclaim that fairly
shook the building. Hardly less hearty
and stirring was the reception given the
words, 'Spain's bloody hands" as the
speaker referred to the situation and
claims of Cuba. 1t was an eloquent
and inspiring address grandly given and
superbly received. Mr.. Van Cise said in
full:
The Chairman's Address.
Gentlemen of the Convention. i
thank you sincerely for the distinguished
compliment you pay me In choosing me
rs temporary chairman OF this conven-
ton. / congratulate ycu on the favor
able circumstances under which we
meet together. After four years exhi-
bition Of Democratic incompetence to
manage our national affairs, the Repub-
licans Of the country are called upon to
make arrangements TO 60 up n take
their place. And what an exhibition
those four years have made! In the
summer of 1892 we saw our people blest
with prosperity and plenty; mills and
factories running at full capacity; har-
vests marketable at good prices; savings
banks paying interest TO their deposit
ors, and dividends to their stockholders;
wages higher and the price OF manu-
featured products lower than ever be-
fore in the history of our country. The
Republican party was in power. 1t had
enacted into law a tariff measur pop
ularly known as the mckinley BILL"
which with its provisions for reciprocity
suggested by that prince of American
statesmen, James G. Blaine, was already
bearing fruit in increased profits for
COOL ticket at Minneapolis, presenting
General Harrison for reelection, with
the record of his clean, strong admins
%tration. That ticket ought to have
been elected. But unfortunately there
was some party disaffection, there were
some disappointed leaders who sulked
in their tents-there were some who
wanted offices or the privilege of farm
ing out the offices. who had not had ey-
actly their way; there were some of the
emissaries of free trade linen who loved
other nations better than their own
abroad in The land. So we were de-
feated! What followed? No sooner
was election over and the American peo-
pie realized what had happened than
the reaction came. A shadow fell upon
the land. Fear and shuddering came to
the workshops, the factories and the
homes. The Democratic party with it's
"chronic genius for blundering,'' as
Grant called it. was to take the reins of
government. 1t did. 1t needs no his
torian to recount the experience of four
years. Your newspapers have tod it
from day to day and week TO week: you
have read it in the notices posted on the
outer doors of your broken banks and
bankrupt stores, in the sad faces of men
out of work and out of money; you have
felt it in the pinching poverty that came
with hard times. And has the Demo
cratic party tried to afford any help?
1t vent into power under the promise
to reform, and it's first work was to re-
peal the federal election laws and open
the door for fraud and terrorism, its
next, TO break the reciprocity treaties
that had been the browning work of
Harrison's administration, its next, to
abolish the Mckinley tariff and enact
in its stead a mongrel mixture of free
trade and protection, a legislative mon
strosity which the president denounced
as a piece OF party perfidy and dishonor,
and allowed to become a law without his
signature. AS a result Of such legis-
~lation, it has been impossible to gather
sufficient revenue to pay the expenses of
government, and the president has had
to resort to the issue Of bonds at high
rates to meet the bills and maintain the
nations credit, increasing our debt
$3.50 ,000,000 in a time of profound peace.
Instead of a party united in his support,
~endeavoring honestly aud earnestly to
legislate for the welfare OF a common
country, he has had behind him a
crowd OF discordant, inharmonious fol-
lowers. not only unwilling to caucus and
work together for common ends, but
torn in bitter factions, each arrayed
against the other, the leaders on one
side ~denouncing the others as black
L Sohioo olNA olo'hIt ShtbCG. dii JIG ldlACA
retorting on the president as a traitor
and his adherents as ''cuckoos.n
No wonder that two years after the
defeat of our standard bearers of 1892,
the people began to see the mistake they
had made, and wen to work 20 atone for
it SO far as in their power. In 1894 they
returned a Republican majority to the
national house of representatives and
restored Speaker Reed to his rightful
place as it's presiding officer. But un-
fortunately the senate through the aid
of Populists and disaffected Republicans
remained in the hands of the Democracy.
So that nothing has been done. And
the country breathes easier now that
congress has adjourned and sent the
issues down to the people. For they
are our nobility; they are our sovereign;
and their viii is the supreme law.
Lincoln's advice to the people was,
keep close to the people"
What say they now? From east and
west, from north and south, they cry
aloud, "Give us back the good old
II ~ - nc ~ 1901 - ~.xvD .o ur-~l - ls-.-..