The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-26
ON THE WAY TO MECCA
PEORIA REPUBLICAN TRAVELLING
MEN STOP OVER FEW HOURS.
Addressed by Ex-senator Warner MIL
Ter from a. Balcony-Re by
Local Commercial Men.

Denison House and to make their visit the
occasion of an informal little Republican
rally at the hotel. The special train over
the Big Four which brought the club to
the city a little behind the time on
which it was scheduled 1t was expected
that it would arrive at 1920 o'clock, and at
that hour a vast crowd assembled at the
Union Station to greet the visitors. 1t was
more than an hour however. before the
train pulled in, and it was nearly o'clock
before the visitors reached the Denison
House.
About $50 members OF the Commercial
Travellers Republican Club of this city
were at the station to escort the visitors
to the hotel. AT the station a procession
was formed, with Spencer's Band, of soeo-
ria, one of the best brass bands in the
West. at the head, the members of the To-
cal club following escort, and 342 Wis
itors completing the procession. The visit
ing club made attractive appearance.
Nearly every member wore silk hat and
linen buster and carried three pampas
blooms dyed in the national colors. Arrived
at the Denison House, everybody was in
good condition to enjoy the excellent din
ner which Manager Cullen had provided.
and the dining room was the most attrac-
tive splace for the visitors for the next half
publicans were on hand to bid them well
come as they arrived and to make the
short stay of the visitors as pleasant as
possible.
BY the time the meal was eaten a thou
sand people had gathered in front of the
hotel, for it had been whispered about that
Warner Miller was in the house, and that
he had been prevailed upon to say word
or two from the balcony. The band which
accompanied the visitors was also expected
to render a selection or two. A little di
version in the hotel lobby while the tardy
ones were getting out of the dining room
was a song from glee club which accom-
panied the Peoria people.
On the balcony the band had assembled
in the meantime, and after rafting good
piece Carey Mcpherson, president of the
local club stepped forward and bid the Wis
ltors welcome. He said that no one appre-
ciated and felt the hard Democratic times
better than the travelling men, and no one
better deserved a revival of business. He
extended the greetings of Che Commercial
Travellers Republican Club of this city to
the visiting club, and then introduced ex-
Senator Warner Miller, of New York. Mr..
Miller spoke as follows:
EX-SENATOR MILLER SPEAKS.
"Gentlemen-It gives me great pleasure
L travel over this State speaking for
the cause which you all espouse to meet
travellers from Illinois, and especially from
Peoria. Last week L had the pleasure of
being in Peoria and of addressing some
1000 of the city's inhabitants. L like the
town and fell in love with its people. If
there is any class of people better able than
another to judge of the prospects in cam
paign it is the travelling men. They are in
various parts of the country and come in
contact with all classes of people at their
homes. 1 have met many hundreds of you
in my travels and have yet the first one
to meet who is not for protection and sound
money We are not all Republicans in this
campaign who are of this opinion, but we
are ali men who are in favor of a revival
of business it was in 1892 We are in
favor of the opening of the mills, as Nc
party we are working to-day shoulder to
shoulder to defeat the platform of repudia-
ton. l am glad to see you going to the
Mecca of our hopes. / am glad to see you
are going to visit Major Mckinley, and
when you see him you may give him my
greeting and say to him that l find the peo-
election
II just want to say one word to you be-
fore retiring. Let us not be satisfied with
a mere majority in the Electoral College
nor with bare majority. in the great
states. we ought to have every electoral
vote IN this cause, and we will have three
fourths of them. The great States ought
not De SdllSIleu with InstJOr1t1eS of 10000
$1,000 and in Illinois you ought not be con-
tented with less than 100, 900. But make it
as great as you will and promise you that
New York will surpass it by 100000 After
learning what have since / left home-th,
Endorsing of the Chicago platform by the
Democrats, the nomination of a sound
money man on the ticket and then the nom
ination of another mani feel like | ought
70 guarantee another 1000 900. Let US pre-
pare to make the majorities so great that
never again in this generation or in the
mex century. never so long as you are on
candidate have the assurance to make a
campaign on a policy of repudiat ton
GU men represent class of business
thar is accustomed to fair dealing. With
any uncertainty of values you could not
afford to transact business at all. You
could not afford to sell goods with the pros
pect staring you in the face of being paid
for those goods in 50-cent dollars. With
such q prospect all business would stop
confident of the result next November as 7
am of the sun rising Tomorrow"
THE STREET CARS STOPPED.
Mr. Miller was cheered Justify at vari-
Gus points throughout his brief address.
The street cars interrupted him in pass
ing for while, until one big individual
from Peoria planted himself before a car
and refused to move. The motorman made
bluff at running over him, but the Peoria
man stood his ground, and the car stopped.
Then road officer appeared and stopped
the cars until Mr. Miller had concluded.
Mr., Mcpherson then introduced the Hon.
J. V. Graft, of Pekin Ill. Mr. Graft is the
Representative in Congress from the Four
teenth Illinois district He lives in a
strongly Democratic district one which
was made so by the late gerrymander of
the State. The vote in the counties which
form the district in 1883 showed a Dem
ocratic plurality of 2,50S, and yet Mr.. Graf
was elected in 1894 on the Republca n ticket
by plurality of 1858. In a private con-
versation Mr.. Graft said the district would
probably give as large a Republican major
1ty this year. He said there had been con-
siderable disaffection among the Republic
an farmers early in the campaign. but most
of the free-silver farmers had come over TO
the side OF sound money long ago. The
sound-money Democrats. he thought would
vote mostly for the Republican ticket.
When called upon by the president Of the
indianapolis Travelling Mems Club last
night. Mr.. Graft thanked the members Of
the local club and the city in general for
the hospitality shown the visitors whom
he represented. I'm behalf of the Peoria
Travelling Mems Club, 1 wish to say" said
he, that a city that gave the United
States Benjamin Harrison. who so nobly
rose to every emergency during the time
he was in the presidential chair, can never
hesitate between the st. Louis platform and
the monstrosity adopted at Chicago
The mention of Harrisons name was the
occasion of loud cheering. which lasted for
several minutes. Mr.. Graft concluded nv
some references to his own State and con-
gressional district. AT the conclusion of his
remarks, the crowd called for r. r. Shiel
but the time for the departure of the spe-
cial train for Canton was near at hand
and, with a selection from the band the