The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-03-24
Grover and His Cabinet.

GIUVGI dnu Ills GdDNnG|
SENATOR VEST GIVES THEM A ROASTING
President CleveIands Home Mission Speec
in New York-Seoretary Hoke Smith Ur
dertook to NuIify Law Passed by Cor
sress.
The United States Senate was dis
turbed the other day by very ur
expected storm of sarcasm and in
vective from Senator Vest Of Mis-
souri, directed against the Presiden
and members of the Cabinet.
comparatively minor measure wa
under consideration, relating to tn,
failure of the Secretary of the lnterio
to execute the law for the opening O
an Indian reservation in Utah. Thi
led to some sharp criticism, and finally
brought Mr.. Vest to his feet for {
speech bristling with caustic personal
references to the President. The
Senator referred to Mr.. Cleveland't
recent speech in New York, where
said Mr.. Vest, "he stood with the
CHASTITY light of the hell holes and the
rum sellers of New York blazing upon
him and cantingly said home missions
must be used to civilize and Chris
tianize the West"
At another point the Senator declar-
ed that If our President would pause
In hunting ducks in South Carolina and
silver Democrats in Kentucky long
enough to go West, he would find a
God-fearing, self-reliant people.
MIR VDSf'c ri u;&l I.
fiery enthusiasm, such picturesqueness
OF language and such unctuous humor
that Senators and spectators joined in
frequent and long-continued bursts of
laughter.
There was a time" said he, "when
Cabinet officer who violated law
would be brought before the bar Of
this Senate"
Mr.. Vest then gave his personal
knowledge concerning this subject
This reservation contained the greatest
asphalt deposits in existence-sufIi-
cient to supply this country for CEN
turtles. Heretofore it was costly and
rare article, taken mainly from a
at st. Louis and large investments
made toward bringing these deposits
to cities for roofing and paving pur-
poses. a law was passed directing
the opening of the lands. but the
Secretary of the Interior nullifcd it.
1T was nullified on the excuse that
Congress did not know what it was
about. The Secretary's course was in
behalf of rich investors who were the
only ones who could bid OIL q public
auction of lands.
Mr.. Vest said he had protested per-
sonaily to Secretary Smith and had
told him the entire Western interest
would oppose his plan and that no
western man would propose it to Con-
gress. Thereupon Secretary Smith
answered that he would get friend
from Georgia to introduce it. At this
point Mr.. Vest was aroused to another
outburst
There is disposition on the part
OF the present administration, said he,
ITO treat the Western people as though
they were in condition of pupilage
as though they needed correction and
guardianship and guidance"
Our President had given q recent
evidence of this feeling toward the
West, proceeded Mr.. Vest. 1t was
during the Presidents attendance at
a missionary meeting in New York.
II am sorry to say it," said Mr.. Vest,
but there seems to be q disposition on
oiiS Ptbh " VI VIC PlCSCIlD administration
to treat the Western people as if they
were in condition Of pupilage, that
they did not know their own interests
and they must be informed ex cathedra
from the East in regard to what is
best for them I'd what should be done
for them. Even the President of the
United States lately on missionary
occasion, laughter) spoke of the West
as a land of immortality and crime.
He stood with the light of the hell
holes of the rum sellers of New York
blazing upon him and cantingly said
home missions must be used to civilize
and ChristianiZe the mer who have
left their homes in the civilized East
and gone out amongst the mountains
and valleys of that wild and wooly
West. (Laughter.)
"Our President stood with DR.. Tai
mage on one side and the Rev. Sheldon
jackson on the other and gave us q
new version of that blessed old mis-
sionary hymn which we have heard SO
often in our childhood
From MOntana's sinful mountains,
From Utah's wicked plains,
They call us to deliver
Our land from errors chains"
There was long and loud laughter as
Mr.. Vest repeated the lines in tones of
intense sarcasm.
"We are told, continued the Senator,
"by high ecclesiastical authority that
his excellency has lately laid down
his honOrs at the feet of Jesus. | am
glad to know it. 1t has been the gen
erai impression of the Democratic
party that the Mugwumps and incense
burners have got all those honors and
intend to keep them. have great re-
spect of the Christian religion and
missions at home aud abroad, but. Mr..
President, 1t is slander upon the men
who, with rifle in one hand and an axe
in the other, have gone out and blazed
the pathway of civilization in those
Western wilds. | am a Western man,
and went to Missouri when it was a
frontier in sight of the Indian and the
buffalo. have lived with these people
nearly fifty years and | say TO our
President now that If he will interrupt
hunting ducks in North Carolina and
silver Democrats in Kentucky long
enOngh to come out West we will shoW
him God-fearing, self-respecting, law
abiding people; we will show him
churches in which there is real and
unaffected picty. We will show him
happy and Christian homes, where
the son, the husband and the faith I
pray. Our spires may not go as near
Heaven as do those of Eastern citie-.
we may not have organs that ro
| delicious tones along the fretted aisles
but we have a people who fear Goo
| ap6 nhsarua tho 10 TN ond oil tbo oo.,