The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-24
THE LITTLE CITY OF CANTON
AGAIN TEENS WITH ENTHU-
SIASTIC VOTERS.
BIG DELEGATIONS VISIT M'K|NLEY
They Hail From Several States-Five
Thousand Railroaders From Chi
cago-Laboring From Pennsyl-
vania and Elsewhere.

away when tne distant rUlnDl1nS OF To-
days could be heard. This has been the
biggest demonstration since nomination
day. There were ten visiting delegations
of from one to six thousand each and
utilizing twenty-six special trains and
estimated at from 10000 to $1,000 peo-
pie. There was a cold drizzling rain all
forenoon. and when it ceased the tenn
perature fell rapidly and overcoats We're
in demand. After the two receptions i'll
the opera house in the forenoon, one to
the visitors from Fulton, Verona, Oak
mont and other hOroughs of Allegheny
county, and the other to the employees of
the Carnegie mills, speechmaking was
transferred to the Mckinley lawn, part
of it being done in the rain. 1t was the
big delegation of railroad men. too large
for any hall, which set the example of
defying the elements. They with the
400 telegraphers who came with Them
surrounded the little receiving stand on
the majors lawn and listened to and
cheered the assurances of hearty support
delivered by their spokesman. j. NJ.
Dodge of the Illinois Central. on behalf
of the railroad men, and NJ. J. Burke
on behalf of the telegraphers.
Maj. Mckinley addressed the railroad
ers and telegraphers as follows:
1T would be hard heart, indeed
which would not be moved by this splen-
did demonstration. | extend to every
one of you sincere welcome to my home.
(Cheers) l count among the greatest
honors of my life to have 5000 republi-
cans from the great railroads centering
in Chicago come here TO extend their
courtesies. These delegations, coming
from Il long distance. present Il remark
able phase in our political life and evil
dence of the deep solicitude they have for
the welfare of our country. Such a
demonstration as this would not he pos
sible if the people of the country were
not profoundly sensitive that of the dan
gerous menace which is presented in the
national contest of this year. (Appause.)
You are here tOday-men of all par
ties and creeds-because you want to de-
feat the effort which is now being as
siduously made to destroy the currency
of the country and also because all love
law and order: you want to stamp out
this spirit of lawlessness and repudia
ton, which threatens it. applause and
cries of that's what we will do.'o You
want good morals good money and good
government. Your activity will be felt
all over the country and will be inspir-
ing to the friends of good government
everywhere. Railways are the greatest
forms of modern civilization. 1t is not
the remarkable enterprise of our roads.
both in equipment and extension that
impresses us as it is the safety and eff
ticiency in every branch of the service.
In sunshine and storm; in drOuth or
flood, fair weather or foul, 'faithfulness
to death at whatever peril or cost rail
road employees can always be relied upon
as firmly as We can depend upon any
human agency. (Cheering.) The state
of Ohio is Il network of railroads and
busy one too. The business of the cOun-
try is all what it ought to be-when the
business of the country is prosperous.
applause and cries of right you are.D
I'm the great state of Illinois and the
great city of Chicago there are nearly
111,000 miles of railroad. | read the of
fetal statement of your railroad commits
sioner and in the year ending July 30,
1894. including the immense traffic of the
Worlds fair. the greatest ever known to
date. siXty-tive lives were lost. Cheers
Truly the laborer is worthy of his hire
and faithful to employer and to the pub
lie and, my fellow citizens, | am glad to
say the wages of railroad men are larger
by double in this country than in any
other country.
"The triumph of free silver would
mean TO you, as its adoption by Mexico
has meant to the railway employees of
that country, a decrease i'll the purchas-
ing power of the money in which they are
paid of fully one-half, with comparative
ly no increase in wages. (Cries of we
don't want it and we will not have it,
Not only that, but it would mean de-
creased employment and general dis
tress. A 50-cent dollar, employees of the
railroad companies, will no more add TO
your earnings than the world would add
to their traffic by diminishing the size of
their cars. Cheering and cries of good
enough.o
The railway men are deeply interested
in the prosperity of the country. They
know from experience that when the
country is prosperous the railroads are
prosperous. and when railroads are pros
porous they have steady work and re,
munerativc employment. applause and
cries of that's right.O They know when
the business of the country is poor the
business of the road is poor and employees
suffer They pay in good money and they
are in favor of law and order. Cap
plauSc.)
"They want to perpctuate our free in
situations for their children forever and
forcvermOre. They are jealous. like all
good citizens. for the honor of the coun-
try. and they mean to obtain the proud
name of America. They do not believe
either in public or private dishonesty.
They want the government to pay its
debts in the best currency known to the
commercial world. (Applause) And
they want the railroads to pay them in
the best currency of the world.
you are always solicitous for the
trains in your charge You guard them
with sleepless activity from wrecks and
wreckers, and as citizens of this glorious
republic you are deeply concerned in its
progress and honor and will guard with
equal care from wreck the credit and
currency and courts of the United States.
(Applause.) The signals of danger to
public safety and honor are as quickly
and faithfully needed by you as the dam
ger signals which your roads have es-
tablished for the safety of life and prop
erty.
Il welcome the railroad employees of
this country as allies in this great con
test for the country's honor and the
honor of the flag. If the contest this year
results in victory for the republican
party it will not be a mere party victory:
but victory deeper and broader and
more significant than that, for it will
represent the votes of men of all parties
who unite with the republican party III
the patriotic purpose to preserve the
1 r A. (Apnlaucpl With |