The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-19
Mr.. SLONECKER TALKS.
Makes a Good ArgumentatiVe
Address to Republicans
At the Meeting of the Second
Ward Mckinley Club.
Other Political News Notes in the
City, County and state-Dis-
patches and Local Items.

patches and Local Items
Thirty-five members of the Second
Ward Mckinley club turned out last
night to hear Judge J. G. Slonecker
speak. The meeting was held in Sax
on's hall at the east end of the viaduct,
and was called to order by Chairman
Alexander According to a jocular re-
mark made by Councilman Frank stew
ems, the small attendance was due to the
fact that the meeting was running OPP
position to a Methodist revival in an
other part of the ward.
Before Mr.. Slonecker's address, J. w.
Stout, county superintendent of public
instruction, made a short speech in
which he emphasized the necessity of
having every voter in line at the polls
next November. He said:
There should be the closest scrutiny
as to how each man stands in this cam
paign. You should see that every Re
publican stands squarely right, both
on national, state and local issues. A
careful canvass will accomplish this as
almost every man is willing to divulge
his political feelings. Especially should
you look after the young men, and
think it would be well to keep some
kind of a record of the number of
young men who voted for the first time
in this campaign
Mr. SIonecker was introduced by the
chairman and made a very able talk
along the financial line. He said:
This has already become one of the
most interesting campaigns in which
have ever engaged, and 1 have had
something to do with politics for the
past 20 years. No campaign has
aroused the interest of the people as
has the campaign of today None has
interested me as much. OF course we
have had campaigns with more excite
ment and in which feelings ran higher,
but none in which the people of the
country appreciated the fact more full
" than in the present that there inter-
ests were at stake politically.
-Four months ago a man who would
advance the theory that the Democrat
ic candidate for the presidency stood
any show of election in this campaign
would be laughed at by Democrats and
Republicans alike. At that time there
was no cry that the Democratic candi-
date would be elected What then has
happened since that time, what change
has occurred which leads the people to
believe that Mr.. Bryan may be elect
ed? Simply because the Democratic
convention at Chicago allowed the Pop
ulist contingency to control its issues
and form new promises for the people
or rather old promises with new rea-
sons. The Democrats and Democratic
papers now carefully avoid all allusion
to past principles, suppress the record
of the party, the tariff and everything
else, and present but one issue and that
is the free coinage of silver at the ratio
of 16 to L"
Mr.. SIonecker then read the financial
planks of both Republican and Demo-
cratic platforms, and commented on the
patriotic ring of the Republican plank.
In continuing he said:
In his speech of acceptance in New
York city Mr.. Bryan served our pur-
pose we'll He eliminated one point
which has been strongly insisted upon
by the Populists. That party says that
gold has increased in value since 1873.
Republicans say that it has not Mr..
Bryan conceded this point in his
speech. He said that gold had not in
creased in value since 1873, and that
the contention was not that gold had
appreciated but that silver had depre-
ciated. He said that opening the minis
and coming silver as gold would cause
silver to appreciate. This is not what
the POpulists want-They want a cheap
dollar. Therefore Bryan is not the man
they want for president.
"A few days before Mr.. Bryan's
speech in New York our lion hearted
Dave Overmyer made a speech in Kan
sas City in which he declared that I'M
der the free coinage of silver we would
have cheap cents, that alth ough silver
might go up in value cents would be
cheap. Now either Bryan lied in New
York city or Overmyer lied in Kansas
City,
Mr.. SIonecker said that history dem
onstrated that wages was the last thing
in the world to rise, and that under the
free coinage of silver corporations
would have their expenses raised and
income cut down and naturally would
not advance the wages of their en-
ployes. He said that the great debtor
class of this country, whom it was said
that the free coinage of silver would
benefit, We're not the workingmen but
the bankers and men engaged in colos-
sal enterprises. He also told an Incl
dent of how, with the aid of John w
Breidenthal, he convinced Captain Joe
Waters, who he said was filed up with
more transformation on the money
question than any man on earth, that
silver was now legal tender for any
amount.
In closing Mr.. SlonecBer commented
on the arbitration plank adopted by the
Republican party at St.Louis, and said:
we do not promise a millennium.
There will always be paupers, there
will always be tramps but the aim of
the Republican party is to furnish en-
plOyment sufficient for every man to
keep his family, and if we accomplish
this we will be reasonably satisfied
L. S. DOlman, candidate for probate
judge, was present at the meeting and
called upon for a speech, but said that he
was not prepared.
The club now has membership of
1924 The next meeting will be held on
the platform of the Topeka mill and ell
evator building just west of the Santa
Fee shops next Tuesday evening.
FOR SILVER'S SAKE.