Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-08-17
M 'KINLEY TALKS
Feelingly and Eloqueltly to Old
Army Comrades.
TT WAS A MEMORABLE SCENE.

rarihnu CRii EOrtn Fttting Response.
what the Republican Candidate Said
on the Currency Observation-Disclosures to
BE Paid In the Best Currency In the
World-Love of Country and Our In.
| stitutions.
On the occasion of visit by ex.sol-
diers and other citizens of Guernsey
county, under the auspices of the Grand
Army and spokesmanship of Colonel
Taylor to Major Mckinley at his home
in Canton, a very touching address was
delivered by Chaplain Mcfarland of the
party. Tears came to many eyes, and it
was with visible feeling that Major
Mckinley responded. He said
Colonel Taylor, DR.. Mcfarland, My Comrades
and Fellow Citizens:
"It gives me great qualification to re-
ceive this call from my old friends and
neighbors and fellow citizens of Guern-
sey county. l have made many visits
to your county in years gone by and
know most of you personally. l know
som sthing of the quality of your popu-
latiOn. l know something of the spirit
of your people I know something of
your loyalty and devotion to the Union
in war. and know much of your loyalty
and devotion to patriotism and good
government in peace; (cheers] and
knowing you as well as do know you
am certain that neither floods nor fire
would stop you from doing what you
had proposed to do. Laughter and ap-
plause.
Il am glad to meet the representa-
tives of labor who are assembled here
this morning. l congratulate them upon
the advance that has been made in the
tin plate industry, to which Colonel
Taylor has referred. am glad TO know
that Republican legislation gives to this
country an industry that gives work
and wages to American workingmen
and brings happiness to American
homes. [Great cheering.l
II am glad, my fellow citizens, to
meet my old comrades of the Grand
Army of the Republic [applausel, my
comrades of 35 years ago, for the war
commenced 30 years ago, and it is near
ly 30 years since its close. 1t seems not
so long, nor so far away, but as I look
into the faces of the old soldiers before
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
s5 years ago, but their hearts are just as
loyal to the old flag of the Union. Tire
mendous cheering
''And they are just as loyal to ma
tional honor today as they were loyal to
national unity then. Applause When
the war closed there were two great
debts resting upon the government
One was the debt due to the men who
had loaned the government money with
which to carry on its military opera
tions. The other debt was due the men
who had willingly offered their lives
for the preservation of the American
Union, [Cheers.] The old soldiers
waited on their pensions until this
great debt of the government was well
out of the way. They waited patiently
until the government of the United
States had reduced nearly two-thirds of
that great money debt. lApplause.l
They wanted every dollar of the debt
paid ir the best coin known to the COM
mercial world. [Great 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,
and every dollar of that debt, my com
rades, yet to be paid will be paid in the
same unquestioned coin. Tremendous
cheering
"Most of that debt is out of the way.
The great debt of this government now
is to the surviving soldiers of the re-
public. [Applausel. There are $40, 900
pensioners ON the honored pension roll
of this government today and the gov
ernment pays out of its public treasury
in pensions over $l40 600, 900 every year
to the soldiers and sailors, the widows
and their orphans. Every dollar of that
debt must be paid in the best currency
and coin of tho world Great cheering
and cries of The Republican party will
see to that'l, There is nobody more in
terested in maintaining a sound and
stable currency than the old soldiers of
the republic, [Cries of You are right,
major'l, their widows and their Or
phans.
Your old commander, General
Grant, Lapplausel, whose memory is
cherished by all of you, performed two
great and conspicuous acts while presi-
dent of the United States, one vetoing
the initiation bill, that would have cast
US upon the sea of deprecated cur
rency and the other was the signing of
the act for the resumption of specie
payments that placed every dollar of
our money upon the sound foundation
Of financial honor and unquestioned ma.
tional honesty; and the old soldiers this
year, as in all the years of the past,
following their old commander, will
stand by the financial honor of the gov
ernment and will no more permit our
nations integrity to be questioned than
they would permit that flag pointing
to an American flagl to be assailed.
Applause and cries of You are right.
81 thank you my fellow citizens, for
this call, so expressive of your good will
and congratulations and assure you that
it will afford me much pleasure to meet
zach one of you personally" Applause
and cheersl
Ideal Candidates Both.
Mckinley and Hobart are the highest
types of American citizenship, They
stand for honesty, for integrity, for 10y
atty 10 every American interest, for the
protection of every factory, every farm
and every fireside They stand on a
platform which means that every in.
dustry iu the land will receive the prO-