The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-09-27
CALLAHAN AND FLYNN
To Meet IN Joint Debate and Discuss
Pending Issues

To Meet Ia Joint nebste and Discuss
Pending Issues
A copy Of the following letter was
sent to Chairman Grimes yesterday;
KINeFIsHER. Ok, Sept. &C. 1896.
Hon VIM. Grimes Chairman OF the
Republican Central Committee, Guth.
rie o. r.:
Dear Sir-Your communication OF
the cath inst, enclosing portion OF
reported speech delivered by Hon.
j. Y Callahan at Mulhall, o T., and
accepting under certain specified con-
ditions and restrictions the challenge
made by Mr. Callahan TO the Hon
Dennis r. Flynn to meet and discuss
in Joint debate the political questions
prominent before the people of tpis
territory and involved in the present
campaign, is before me.
Your acceptance Of said challenge is
qualified by the following condition,
viz: THAT the discussion at said
meeting be confined to the PROPOSE
tions contained In said above quoted
extract"
The extract referred to is a part Of
the reported speech Of Mr.. Callahan
delivered at Mulhall, wherein he dis
cussed among other things the subject
OF Free Homes" for the homestead
settlers Of the territory.
That the settlers upon public lands
/ in this territory should be relieved
| from the payment to the government
| Of the price per acre imposed upon
them by Republican legislation, all
are now agreed. That such a burden
should never have been imposed, all
] 4 ...1gsf,,1 huv va
declared in favor OF such belief; and
all candidates for public office in this
| territory advocate IL. Upon this ques-
/ ton, therefore, there can be no debate.
Neither is the record OF Mr.. Flynn
in congress, whatever it may be, a
proper subject for joint political de.
bate, Such discussion would neces
sarilv involve merely the reading OF
] public documents upon which there
could be no difference of opinion.
What the people of this territory
wish to know, above all things else,
is who can best represent them before
the congress Of the United States
| Undoubtedly their FIRST desire is that
their delegate shall be i'm sympathy
with them upon the question OF para
moEnt importance. That the people
regard the financial question as Of
| 6rst Importance is manifest by their
eagerDess TO hear that question dis.
cussed. II the majority OF the voters
Of this territory are in favor Of the
single gold standard they will vote for
and elect a gold standard delegate to
congress il, on the other hand, they
are in favor OF bimetallism they will
vote for and elect one who is in favor
of the free and unlimited coinage,
independently by this government, of
both gold and silver at the legal ratio
OF l6 to !. Many are OF the opinion
that free homes without free silver is
a vain hope.
In the speech from which you ex-
tracted the part enclosed in your
Mr.. Callahan devoted
much more than half OF his time to a
discussion Of the financial question.
His challenge to Mr. Flynn equally
applied to this part of his speech and
clearly en- braced the money question;
and whenever you are willing, on be.
half of Mr.. Flynn. to accept the same
without attempting to restrict the de-
bate to a single question Of facts which
can be proven or disproved by docu-
mentary evidence, or to proposition
about which there is no difference OF
| opinion, the preliminaries of the NEE T.
| ing can be easily arranged and the
discussion rendered profitable TO the
voters Of this territory
Very respectfully,
VIRGIL M. HoBBs,