Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-01
WILL BE PAID IN GOLD.
Major Mckinley on the National Debt
and Pensions

delegation of about four hundred old
soldiers and workingmen, mostly engaged
in the tin plate industry, from Guernsey
county, went to Canton, Ohio, Yesterday
afternoon to cali on Maj. Mckinney.
Maj. Mckinley spoke without manuscript
and with unusual emphasis. He said:
1t gives me great qualification to receive
this call from my old friends and neigh
bors and fellowcitizens of Guernsey coun-
ty. have made many visits to your coun-
ty in years gone by | know most of you
personally. 1 know something of the quail
ity of your population. l know something
of the spirit of your people.
Il know something of your loyalty and
devotion to the Union in war, and know
much of your loyalty and devotion to pa
triotism ard good government in peace
tcheers). ana knowing you We'll as l do
know you, l am certain that neither flood
nor fire would stop you from doing what
you had proposed to do. daughter and an
plause) l am glad to meet the representa-
tives of labor who are assembled here this
morning.
II congratulate them upon the advance
that has been made in the tin plate indus
try, to which Col. Taylor has referred
l am glad to know that republican legis-
lation gave to this country an industry
that gives work and wages to American
workngmen and brings happiness to
American homes. Great cheering and ap-
plause) l am glad, my fellow-ci,izens, to
meet my old comrades of the Grand Army
of the Republic. Applause) My COM
radeS of thrty-lve years ago for the war
commenced thirty-five years ago, and it is
nearly thirty-two years since its close. 1t
seems not so long nor so far away, but as
l look into the faces of the old soldiers be-
fore me today / see that age is stamping
its lines Of care upon them. Their step is
no longer as steady and as firm as it was
thirty-five years ago, but their hearts are
just as loyal to the old flag of the Union
tremendous cheering), and they are just
as loyal to national honor today they
were loyal to national unity then. Gap
plause)
when the war closed there We're two
great debts resting upon this government
One was the debt due to the men who had
loaned the government money with which
to carry on its military operations. The
other debt was due to the men who had
willingly offered their lives for the preser-
walton of the American Union. Cheers }
The old soldiers waited ON their pensions
until the great debt of the government was
well out of the way.
''They waited patiently until the govern
ment of the United States had reduced
nearly two-thrds of that great money
debt. The old soldiers never We're in favor
of repudiating that. lApplause) They
wanted every dollar of the debt paid in the
best money known to the commercial
world. Applause.) And every dollar of
that debt, up to this hour, has been paid in
gold or its equivalent, the best recognized
money of the world Cheers, and every
dollar of that debt, my comrades, yet to
be paid will be paid In the same unQues-
toned coin. tremendous cheers)
Most of that debt is out of the way.
The great debt of this government is now
to the surviving soldiers of the republic.
(Applause) There are $4,000 pensioners
on the honored pension roll of this govern
| ment today, and the government pays out
of Its public treasury in pensions over
$14O,OO,OO0 every year to the soldiers and
sailors, their widows and orphans. Every
dollar of that debt must be paid in the best
currency ard coin of the world. Great
will see to that!)
There is nobody more interested in
maintaining sound and stable currency
than the cid soldiers of the republic" Gap
plause. Cries Of You are right, major.'D