The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-18

candidate began, he asked If there were
any Republicans in the audience. lie
received no response. After the meet
inc the men in the audience repeated
the open pledges which were witnessed
at the four other speeches. Many of
the voters remained in camp the rest
of the night and drove home the next
day.
In all Delegate Flynn made five
! speeches in Greer county. The scenes
which followed each We're all unusual.
| The habit of exaggeration in newspa-
per campaigns stores up increduhty
and disaedit for every unusual report
| ike this. In this case can only ask
for belief and let it go at that. L heard
Democrats and Populists announce
! openly in public places their intention
of voting for Flynn. Reports of such
political declarations are common, but
the proof is usually meagre.
1t is difficult TO divine just how Mr..
FLYNN aroused such enthusiasm in a
strange county. No one cause may not
be assigned, every individual giving a
somewhat different reason for his
change. The underlying cause, how
ever. is the dubeity of Greer county as
to the condition of its land-hOldings.
AS soon as the county was transferred
from the state to the territory the peo-
pie secured the services Of a Judge
Brown. a Texas Democrat, of much
popularity in Greer county, TO go to
washington in their behalf and for
f9lair relief. In Washington he met the
delegate to congress from Oklahoma
who rendered him every possible aid
When Flynn reached Greer county he
found awaiting him a letter from Judge
Brown. recommending him TO his new
constituency in high terms.
This, however did not bring him the
crowds which were in every instance,
too large for the public buildings.
They must have come from another mo-
tive. AS nearly as may be determined
this motive was the anxious desire TO
hear of the exact status Of their lands
1t may be that any speaker from Wash
ington. no matter Of what political
faith. would have secured big aud
fences. But few speakers, having them
before him and being of opposing polit-
ical tenetS, could have won them as
FIvnn has done. 1t is not known just
what kind of oratory the Greer county
people have been treated to in the past
1t was probably fine article of south
ern eloquence, rich In metaphor and
flower and figure. exalting their honor
and bewailing their wrongs In vengeful
tones. However this is only conjecture.
But at all events, the speeches OF Flynn
before them were entirely novel and
in construction and subject matter
strange, as every nearer was held with
interest to the last word.
Flynn addressed the voters in plain,
clear manner. He gave them simple
short history of the government control
and distribution Of land from the be-
ginning of the nation. He narrated
from the records the course Of the orig
inal homestead law, which was vetoed
by President Buchanan with the COM
ment that the homestead law diScr1m-
mated against mechanics and artisans
in favor OF the farmer; and, that 1.-The
offer of free farms would probably
have a powerful effect in encouraging
emigration, from states ike ILLINOIS,,
Tennessee and kentucky, 10 the west
of the Mississippi, and could not fail
to reduce the price Of property within
these limits. An individual" Buchan-
an continued, ''in states thus situated
would not pay its fair value for Mnd,
when. by crossing the Mississippi, he
could so upon the public lands and OBJ
tain a farm almost without money and
without price.
Mr.. Flynn explained with continual
reference 10 and display of the record,
the government present policy IN pub
lie and Indian lands. He displayed
and elucidated the present national Re
publican platform which declares
specifically for the free homes bill
which has already passed the house
and is now pending in the senate. 10
people who had always lived under the
land laws Of Texas, which differ entire
~ from those of the United States, this
recital of the land history of the latter
was Of the most intense interest The
hundreds of questions put to the speak
or after his address which were an
swered fairly and practically, while
often promising less than the inter
rogator hoped for, revealed TO the peo-
ME of Greer county that their present
representative in congress was master
on the question Of land. Here, then,
is probably the underlying motive
which turned the people OF Greer cOun-
~ It WIS one of -inteTest-a de-
termination for the support of the can
didate who had proved himself so
adept in the paramount question
among them-the question OF land
The people Of Greer county have be-
come acquainted with the interior de
partment; they have been told the
minute points in the method Of terri
torisal legislation in the national cap
itsal: the introduction of bills; their
reference 10 committees; their further
reference 10 the department; the favor
abe or unfavorable departmental re-
Dorr. The return Of the bin from the