The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-09-10
COUNTY FAIR POLITICS.

fair that the management lelG cdlleu
upon to engage Mary Ellen Lease for
a talk before the society. Unfortunate,
because she is not qualified, either by
education, experience or training to
deliver an address appropriate to such
a gathering. She knows as little
about agriculture as she does about
questions bearing upon national pro-
gress and prosperity, and nothing
about either. Her strong point is
preaching discomfort among the
masses, and denouncing men OF ma
tionaI reputation and unquestloned
integrity.
1t is claimed that Mrs. Lease was
informed that her address, was to be
strictly non-partisan, and she so IN
derstood it. When Gen. Baker was
invited to be present and address the
farmers, he only consented on the as
surance that Mrs. Lease was to con-
fine her remarks to matters wholly
appropriate to such a gathering and
to eschew politics. With assurances
from President Parker that such
would be the case, Gen. Baker took
seat upon the platform while Mrs.
Lease proceeded with her address. 1t
took but a few moments, however, for
the Kansas cyclone to get her wind
we'll started, when she launched forth
with most bitter and vituperative
assault upon Senator Hanna and the
Republican National Committee,
charging them with high crimes and
misdemeanors in the late campaign
of the most serious character. Then
she turned her attention upon Secre-
tary Sherman, whom her tongue
dashed in the most shameful manner.
picturing him as being weak
senility, and charging President Nc
Kinley with turning Mr.. Sherman out
of the q. S. senate to put Hanna in.
In this embittered and embittering
strain she went Oh to her hearts con-
tent. and offered as an apology for
such rantings that she had to lin
dulge in politics from force OF habit''
She drew upon her imagination to
picture the hard condition Of the
country, eaten up by trusts and COM
bines, aud said that the silver ques-
tion, to her mind was not only not
dead, but was not even sleeping. Her
entire address was as foreign to the
demands or the occasion as it could
possibly be. She boldly and unblush-
ingly detied the terms of her invita-
tion and made it an opportunity for
partisan TRADE and abuse. Her state
ments were wholly unsupported by
evidence. In truth she does not rely
upon facts for her hypocritical teach
ings and anarchistic mouthlngs.
Gen. Baker would have refused to
speak had he not been urged to say
something in reply to the Kansas
woman's outrageous attacks, aud
while he was justified in sense, in
reputing her charges, it would have
been more to his credit to have utter
iy refused to given her mouthings
the distinction of notice.
But everybody is always glad to
hear the General. He gave his ideas
on such subjects as appeared to him
appropriate on such an occasion, such
as the betterment Of our roads; the
reform of our system Of taxation,
equalizing it's burdens; change in
our school system from district to
township supervision, and advocated
a restriction upon the multiplication
of the making Of laws. Then
thoughtfully and carefully he depre-
Gated the introduction of partisan ap-
peals on such an occasion. He denied
the allegations of corruption by the
Republican National Committee and
correctly stated that whatever funds
they collected were properly used to
disseminate doctrines they believed
pest and wisest for the country. The
Generals refutation of charges
against Senator Sherman was full and
complete, indicating him from the
extraordinary assault of Mrs. Lease.
Mr.. Baker entered quite deliberately
into a gentlemanly discussion Of the
dangerous teachings INDUCED by Mrs.
Lease, and pointed out the dangerous
effects of the doctrines she was pro-
mitigating. He said what everybody
knows, that her teachings produce
unrest and dissatisfaction in the
minds of unthinking people, and that
her system of Populism leads to So
cialism and from socialism to anarchy,
He cited the speech made at St. Louis
the day before by Debs, showing how
that revolutionary leader had adj
vanced along the very lines she was
teaching, until from Populism he had
become simply an anarchist.
The Generals remarks throughout
were guarded, and when he referred
to Mrs. Lease it was with courteous