The San Francisco call., 1896-08-01
Says the Grand Army Men Love
the Candidate for His True
Devotion.
LOYAL TO THE FLAG AND UNION
Happy Address of the Republican
Standard Bearer to His Com.
rades of Years Ago.

CANTON. ONO, July 31.-A delegation
of about 400 old soldiers and workingmen,
mostly engaged in the tin-plate industry,
from Gurnsey County, came to Canton
this afternoon to call on Major Mckinley.
Ex- Congressman ]. d. Taylor acted as
spokesman. He said in part:
I'VE have come to-day, Major McKin-
ley, to tender our personal regards and to
add congratulations to the many hitherto
given you. We have not come as parti-
sans, but as friends and neighbors. We
have to-day before you in this delegation
members of the G. A. r. of Cambridge.
They are men who have learned to love
you for your patriotic devotion to your
country in time of war and in time of
peace. These old comrades have come to
pay tribute to your high personal charac-
ter and for the pubhc service you have
rendered. The old soldiers want one
thing remembered, and that is that the
honor and integrity of the old flag must
be maintained. We have come to believe
that the star of hope for the laboring man
is resting in Canton. In behalf of the
men and women in this delegation-for
there are a number of ladies who have
come along with us--I extend greeting to
you and Mrs. Mckinley
Major Mckinley spoke without manu-
script and with his usual emphasis, saying:
Colonel Taylor, Ny Comrades and
FeIow-citizens: 1t gives me great gratifi-
cation to receive this call from my old
friends and neighbors and fellow-citizens
of Gurnsey County. l have made many
visits 10 your county in years gone by,
and know most OF you personally. know
something of the quality of your popuIa-
ton. I know something of the spirit of
your people. / know something of your
loyalty and devotion to the Union in war,
and know much of your loyalty and de-
votion and patriotism and good govern
ment in peace. [Cheers.l And knowing
you as well as 1 do know you, am GER
tain that neither food nor fire would stop
you from doing what you had proposed to
do. Laughter and applause.]
II am glad to meet the representatives
OF labor who are assembled here this
morning. I am glad, my fellow-citizens,
to meet my old comrades of the G. A. r.
Tapplause] my comrades of thirty-6ve
years ago. for the war commenced thirty
i've years ago, and it is nearly thirty-two
years since it closed.
"It is not so long nor SO far away, but
as look into the faces of the old soldiers
before me to-day see that age is stamp
ing its lines of care upon them. Their
step is no longer as steady and as firm as
ii was thirty-fve years ago, but their
hearts are just as loyal to the old flag of the
Union. Tremendous cheers.] And they
are Just as loyal to National honor to-day
as they were loyal to National unity then.
.'The old soldiers never were in favor of
repudiating that debt. [Applause.] They
wanted every dollar of the debt paid in
the best money known to the commercial
world. [Great applause.] There is no.
body more interested in maintaining a
sound and stable currency than the old
soldiers of the Republic Applause and
cries of You're right, Major'], their
widows and their orphans. Your old COM
mander, General Grant lapplausel,
whose memory is cherished by all of you,
performed two great and conspicuous acts
while President 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 pay
ments, that placed every dollar of our
money upon the sound foundation of
financial honor and unquestioned National
honesty.
81 thank you, my fellow-citizens, for
this call, SO expressive of your good will
ani congratulations, and assure you that
it will afford me much pleasure to meet
every one of you personally" Jap
plause.l