The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-04
SAME AS LINCOLN'S
FREE HOMES PLANK OF 1860 AND
1895 ARE VERY MUCH ALIKE.

Shows Them That the Free Homes
Plank of Abr.han Lincoln is Almost
the Same rs That Of william sIcKialey-
Intense Enthasiasn and Unprecedented
Crowds Greet the Champion Of FREQ
Homes.
Okeene, o. T.. Sept. Across fields
over the Mn-tops; and a horseback.
FIVE hundred in all crowded into this
little town Of thirty houses this after
noon to pay tribute 20 the energy and
fidelity OF Dennis Flynn. One man
walked ten miles. This was Mr.. Scott.
an old soldier. At 5 O'Clock Mr.. Flynn
concluded his speech at Okeene amid a
volley Of applause. At O'Clock. three
hours later he was addressing, twenty
miles away. another large audience at
Winnview.
The Okeene meeting was great trib-
ute to the territorial delegate. 1t was
non-partisan- In this. one Of the Pop
ulist sirongholds OF Oklahoma, the Pop
ulists nearly all displayed their APP
probation Of hard work" by turning
cut elmasse- The Democrats were on
hand in force. The whole audience
poured over the hills and plunged down
into the little town. Most OF the peo-
pie brought chairs along IN their wagons
and took them into the Methodist church
where the meeting took place. AT 2
O'Clock the church was damned. A
mass OF people gathered al every WIN
Iy@rx-x - A.
during the two bours' talk
Many OF them were Populists and
Democrats, but they stood there and
people interrupted the speech OF Mr.
assertions If ever an audience nsten-
ed with firTnness TO speech, IL was
here this afternoon. The central COM
mittee of the county had promised an
audience OF 80. Five hundred came
instead. The Popuiists came to criti-
CHE. They remained 20 praise. They
came to the meeting believing that Mr..
Flynn had no apology, excuse or e1pla-
nation for what they thought "the free
homes fake" They went away con-
probation and drafts upon their graf
tude.
The Popu1ists are fond OF calling
themselves Abraham Lincoln Republi-
cans" Delegate Flynn launched
straight into the free homes which the
PopllKsts cali a fake He showed them
what the free homes plank m the St.
Louis platform Of 1896 Is: what II Ad-
vlses; what it promises; what its precise
wording is. He then read them the
f,>o<a nlo N penfrhfiNl N
platform Of 1860 on which Abraham
Lincoln was elected. 1t is striking
fact that these two planks, separated
by nearly forty years. are nearly word
for word, letter for letter, line for line.
alike. He asked them II the platform
on which Abraham Lincoln was noni-
mated was "a fake?" He asked them
il the platform on which Abraham Lin
con was elected Is not good enough to
elect William Mckinley upon.
This marked similarity between the
free homes plank OF lincoln and the
free homes plank OF Mckinley, excited
the audience and fired them fiercely.
The cheer that everywhere gree.s Mr.
Flynn, which Il setting the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe country on fire. rolled up
in the little church and re-echoed among
the encircling hills.
The free homes plank Of the Republi-
can party Of 1860 said: I'VE protest
against any sale or alienation to others
of the public lands held by actual set
tiers, and against any view Of the free
homestead policy which regards the
settlers as paupers or supphants for
public bounty, and We demand the pas
sage by congress OF the comys1ete
and ga tisfactory homestead measure
which has already passed the house"
The free homes plank in the Repu5-
lican platform OF 1896 reads: I'VE be-
lieve in an immediate return 10 the free
homestead policy OF the Republican par
ty and urge the passage by congress OF
satisfactory free homestead measure
such as has already passed the house
and Is now pending in the senate"
Mr.. Flynn read the platforms over TO
the audience and compared them word
for word. The similarity wa, potent
and the crowd cheered.
Mr.. Flyrn's plain narrative Of his
labors In congress is setting the people
Wild Chairman Ferguson Of the Blaine
county committee said to the Eagle rep
reSenta,tive today: 81 knew Flynn
would draw crowds, but / was not pre-
pared for this We have never before
had overflow meetings. We have them
now The people are wild for Flynn.
There Is no Disgusting that"
After the Okeene meeting the crowd
pushed upon the rostruln and shook
Flynn's hands. Women, children and
men were all presented. Three Popu-
lists in one group came UP and pledged
him their votes. Others, well-known
in The township, announced that on ter
rstorial delegate they were non-parti-
san and would vote for Flynn
On man sad. shaking his hand Flynn
I'm Pop. but I'm for you / didn't
know It was any trouble to get a biz
through congress before" Many such
expressions are being recorded IN this
campaign. The Popuiist leader, may
boast OF their undiverted and unbro&en
following. but II they will watch the
west. they Will see that for Flynn the
Populis following In breaking. and the
singing cracks Of the Popuiist party
whip can not prevent them They be-
lieve they are Republicans Of the Abra-
ham Lincoln kind and Z. Dennis Flynn
Is on q plank precisely like the free
hor,es plank Of Lnccle. they are for
Flynn. The meeting todsy was a sur
prise 70 everybody. The people ttIst
simply turned out, and nei,her polti-
cIan nor campaign manager can give
any Other plausible reason for imneaee
audiences than pure popularity.
At the Oseere meeting Mr.. ". II.
Bow6re presided ard after Mr. Flynn.
Tom Ferguson % WatongA made g rat
fling speech
SPEECH AT wNNEyIEw.
Wfnn-Tfsv, o. T. Sept 2-Tootxf1t
Flynn spoke here In ne chu-h- The
whole township was out Men. women
and Children attended Tonight they
were 300 strong. At ore tine they were
ten children asleep On the platform
md a. many babies In arms IN the au-