Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-09-23
THE G. o. P. CONVENTION.

annual november slaughter pen. 1t
was an uneventful uninteresting con-
vention; 1t was simply the gathering OF
individuals who have chosen few pol
iticians to do their thinking and the
Saturdays work was simply that of
carrying out the instructions of the in
evitable boss.
The convention did not meet until
1:3O p. M. for the reason that the dele
gates had to be button-holed in the
forenoon and taken SO a secluded spot
and given their instructions. The tenn
porary and permanent organization was
effected by selecting J.D. Fair, of Shar-
on, and lie Glenn, of Kiowa, as chair
man and secretary. The usual COM
mlttees were appointed and while they
were arranging their reports, Tom Nc
Neal entertained the faithful. Toms
speeches are something like his writ
ings-full of wit and mirth but devoid
of argument and facts. He kept his
audience laughing most of the time tel
ling fish and coon stories and if he did
not fill the expectations of those whom
he addressed, he convinced us all that
he would be brilliant success in a
dime museum. But it is only fair to
say that at some few intervals Tom
really did approach political problems
although very little time was spent in
that manner. He told us that the hard
times did not begin until Cleveland be-
came president of the United States
and had it not been for the repeal of
the Mckinley law everybody would
be happy, prosperous and contented at
the present writing. Well, of course,
Tom never did follow farming and man
ual labor for living and probably he
really thinks that the hard tim IS just
began when he found it necessary, in
the interest of his astronomical wei
fare, to pack his grip and HE himself
to Topeka and partaKe of the redemp.
ton fruits which are never given to the
ragged trousers cIOd-hopper," as the
republican state central committee is
pleased to call them. but the farmers of
Barber county know that they sold
wheat in the fall of '92 before Cleveland
was elected, for 40 cents per bushel.
They know, too, that times were just
as hard under the last two years of the
Mckinley law as they are now and that
the panic and low prices set IN before
Cleveland was even nominated. When
Tom pronounced his encOmium on the
Kansas hen he was truly pathetic. He
reached the most tender spot IN our
heart. He almost wept when he relat-
ed how that the new tariff law put eggs
on the free list and thus the product of
Biddy would drop below the cost of pro-
ductlon. There was just one thing he
forgot to say in connection with this
matter and that was that during. the
major part of the time the Mckinley
law was in force, eggs were worth the
enormous price of five cents per dozen
while under the infamous German
Brice- Wilson law they were worth from
eight to twenty cents. Then there was
another instance in which we felt sorry
for our former citiZen-politician. Now
he was talking about the silver dollar
and he left his mind wander and before
he thought what he was saying, he de-
clared that nothing but the government
stamp made a silver dollar worth 100
cents. But he soon caught his breath,
got in little parity talk and felt re-
lIeved because he had partly satisfied
his own mind that he had fixed up what
he said a few moments before. He
then cited the Maine and Vermont
elections and said the whole country, ex-
cept Arkansas. would 90 the same way.
In speaking about ''Arkansaw" he got
real funny. He said down in ''Arkan-
saw they are all ignoramuses and
don't know anything nohow. Tom will
find after election that all Of the people
of the South and West as we'll as a
great many of the East, are 'ignoram-
uses' so far as their ballot in choosing
between gold and silver bimetallism
and gold recommendation goes. This
ended his talk and the convention pro-
ceeded to business.
The reports of the various commit
tees were received and adopted.
The order of business was as follows:
Representative.
County Attorney.
Probate Judge.
County superintendent.
Clerk of the District Court.
Election of central committee.
Commissioner 1st District.
The committee on resolutions report
ed as follows:
The republicans of Barber county in con-
vention assembled renew their allegiance TO
the party of honest money, good government,
liberal pensions to the old soldiers and pro-
lection to American industries.
We indorse the platform of the national re-
publican convention as an exponent of true
republicanism, and pledge our hearty support
to the nominees, VIM. Mckinley. the cham
pion of protection and reciprocity, for
president, and Garret A. Hobart, the repre-
sentative business man, forvi ce-president.
We heartily recommend to the people the
candidates nominated by the republican state
convention, and confidently anticipate their
election.
With pleasure we indorse the candidacy OF
our congressman. Chester L. Long, and recon-
mend him to the voters of the Big Seventh
congressional district; with pride we point to
his Iabors in behalf of his constituents, and,
Judging the future by the past expect a bril-
fr1fn for n