The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-31
IA. l. WILLIAMS SPEECH
Entertains an Audience at
CraWfOrd's Opera House.
Tells Some Amusing Anecdotes
to Illustrate His Talk.
Says Some Harsh Things About Bry-
an-C. s. Gleed Unable to be
Present

Crawford's Opera House was not
crowded last night to hear A. L. Viii
hams, but is was comfortably filed
| Chas- S. Gleed was to have spoken but
! word came that he was detained at
home on account of sickness. Mr.. Will
mans made the speech of the evening
anu ne kept the audience IN laughter
most of the time. He has q. happy
/ FACULTY of saying the most common
I place things in an amusing way.
Lnls campaign has been as violent
I a one as the one which led to the trou-
Z Dles Of 1860, said Mr.. Villains, and
A trust to God we viii never again have
4 such campaign. Thirty-six years ago
I we resorted to arms. We had to decide
I whether the clause in the constitution,
/ we the People meant, We the PEG
PIE, or whether it meant compact of
a rev sovereign states as an agent in
emergencieS.'
The speaker then discussed the Chi
caeo platform at length. The Demo-
cratic doctor says that you are healthy
put that he viii make YOU more healthy.
lie asks you not to change doctors, but
10 change remedies, and allow him to
administer his nostrun. None genuine
with out the name of the Democratic
party blown in the bottle. It reminds
me OF the incident that happened in a
church back n the country. The old
stove which was Dropped up with
stick of wood fell over. One old fellow
yelled to an elder near it: Pick it UP in
your hands, Brother; have faith and it
f'yAA DuLn your ndlCS- ne DEOLQeE
picked 1t UP and dropped it Immediate
~ with the exclamation. The -- it
won t. That's what the Democrats told
US four years ago.
This nOudescript, crazy-quiIt part Of
the Democratic party which met at
Chicago had the spleen and gall of Alt
geld and Tillman and the mouth of
Bryan They took up only one of the
four challen gesEthat of the free coin
age of silver. We are in spite of all. a
people who like the hokus pokus. We
Try 70 ma the pot Of gold at the foot
OI the rainbow and to put salt on the
bird tail. You often hear of the man
who sends 500 back east to buy $1,000
in green goods He is told that the
counterfeits VIII pass as money. We
had man here in Topeka who bought
a gold birck. If such q man gets his
deserts he goes to the penitentiary.
And then he goes through life beefing
because he has been cheated.
~ tell you the government can no
more create value than it can create
a human soul. This talk about cheap
money reminds me OF Squire Niller'S
Topeka money. I have never told it to
a Topeka audience, SO here it is In the
early days here we had a cash capital
of 500. Gull Dudley held the money
and we fellows didn't have any money
to trade with Old Squire Miller who
kept a general store conceived the idea
of issuing shin plasters. Pretty soon
we had fiat money till You couldn't
rest. 1t was the golden era. of the Pop
ullSts. 1t took Ike Wildfire. We bought
provisions Win the S1l0-D IaSJerS and
all was we'll When Squire Miller Went
to Leavenworth to lay ia another stock
of goods he presented whole trunk
full of these shin plasters for payment.
OF course they We're refused. The re
suit that he had to stand good for what
he gOt-abOut one-fourth as many gro
ceries as he had sold. That was To
peka money. I believe that if Squire
Miller could be here now and hear this
talk about SO cent dollars he would
shake his head and say. No I guess
not
Mr. Williams discussed the tariff He
said that under % years of protection
the country had been prosperous I'm
der free trade, he said the national
debt had been increased $3.50 600, 600 in
a year II don't think the American
people will take a confessed evil, as
free trade is"
He said that the Chicago platform
declared in favor of packing the SUI
preme court and to make it a partisan
tribunal 1t would be making it sub
ject to the passions of the political par
ties
s.The United States supreme court is
Acknowledged as the best judicial tri-
bunal in the world. Even England
acknowledges it 50. In the Chicago
convention the American flag which
the boys call Old Glory was dragged
in the bloody rags of anarchy OF Alt
geld and TIiman. ] have heard Bry-
ans mouth Ikened to the Platte river,
because it was miles long and only six
inches deep. might add one
other comparison: Because it is big
ger at the mouth than its head. He
was a speubinder in congress. He made
a speech every day Of his life while
congress was in session. And those of
you who happened to be there could
see them fling off the floor when he
began. as they always do in preference
to being bored.
Bryan was once the local counsel of
the Missouri Pacific at Lincoln, but
Bale Waggener had to let him out be-
90 he WA 1ra4afH n
Bryan says: Show me a gOldbug and
I'll show you an enemy to labor Isn't
that nice thing for q candidate for the
presidency to say Wash 1t as decent
a lie any living man ever Uttered2
Another Of his sayings: Find out which
way the business men. manufacturers
and your employers wish you TO vote,
and then vote the other way. Now
isn't that smart2 They have compared
Bryan to Abraham Lincoln. 1t seems
to me almost sacrilegiOus / knew
Lincoln almost better than I knew my
own father. AS a child I loved him.
as a man 1 admired him, wept over
him as he was dying, deifed him as
he lay dead
II will close by telling you of what
consider the most eloquent speed which
I think ever heard Out on the Colo
RADIO Midland road there is a section
man named Captain Iaggart- He is
an intelligent Irishman and one even
ing I heard him talking to some men.
lie said We want back the Mckinley
bill with Bill Mckinley on top of it,
Under the Wilson bill / found that
could save alone in buying my clothes 81
in the four years. That was big, wasn't
it2 But let me tell you. 1 lost $3.50 in
wages. When the war broke out I was
working for Billy Bryan's father. He
advised US not TO enlist because he said
they wanted to marry our daughters
to negroes. But J. enlisted all the
same. And this man" said Mr.. VII
liams, CLOSED his speech with -four
words which I think mean more than
any other four words ever uttered ir
this regard He said that he wanted
the president of the United States to
have power. when his property was
threatened. to protect him. protect the