The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1898-09-30
Mr.. 1rCORlITCK's SPEECH


The Congressman Of the Sixth Kansas Dis
triet Delivers AIasterFuI Address
Congressman n B. Mccormick
spoke at the court house il GOOdland
Saturday afternoon to a good audi
ence. He was listened to with close
attention for two hours and a half and
all present seemed highly entertained.
He praised Kansas and the intelIi-
gence Of Kansas people, and paid
high tribute to the intelligence and
sobriety Of the Kansas state troops
which he met at Camp AIger.
He confined himself TO national is
sues and the doings Of congress. The
silver question, he said, was not dead,
as our political opponents declare, but
On the contrary it was intensely alive,
and would never be settled until it is
settled right; and the only way to set
tie it right is by restoring silver to its
former place given it IN 1872 Ito free
and unlimited coinage unlimited
tender-tO the unit and measure of
values. It has never been disgraced,
he said, in 5000 years but on two oc-
easions-when Judas betrayed Christ
for 80 pieces of silver and when In 1873
the republican party demonetized If.
He dwelt at some length on the
events leading up to the war with
Spain. President Mckinley had no
more loyal supporters IN the house, in
the prosecuting of the war, he said,
than pOpulists and democrats. The
bill appropriating 100000 to pur-
chase ships passed without a dissent
ing vote. They also stood for every
section of the war revenue bill but
the SD, which was for the issue of
bonds, and many republicans stood
with them against this measure. The
republicans caUcussed on the bill, and
having got them all into line, the bill
was put upon its final passage as a
whole. PopuIists and democrats voted
against the biII-they had to, or vote
for bonds. The issue of bonds was not
necessary, as receipts from the war
revenue bill has since demonstrated.
It was estimated that s25,OOO,OOO per
month would meet the war expense,
and the monthly internal revenue
alone has exceeded this figure.
He spent some time on the pension
question. In the last session of con-
gress there should have been, under
the rules, A nights devoted to the con-
sideration Of pension matters and to
special pension bills. But only Il ses-
sions we're held on this important mat
ter. There we're 1000 bills pending,
some of them of a painfully pressing
nsture, which the evidence fully dis
closed, but only 500 cases were consid- /
cred. The republicans, having a large
majority in the house, would adjourn
by these Friday nights, set in the cal
endar for the consideration Of these
special pension claims, but on these
motions to adjourn from Thursday
night TO Monday noon the democrats
and pOpulists always voted "NO!"
which plainly shows who are the true
friends of the soldier, his widow and
orphan. Besides this, when the re-
solution reaf1rming the Stanley Math-
eBs resolution, making bonds payable
IN either silver or gold at the option of
the government, the republicans voted
against it, standing for payment of the
bonds in gold. Then they turn around
and vote to coin the silver seignOrage
to pay the soldiers in.
To sum up, Mr. McCormick's speech
was a powerful defense of populist and
democratic principles. 1t was free
from abuse of political opponents. It
vas strong, manly and patriotic. It
vas in striking contrast to the speech
es Of Senator Baker and Mr.. Bailey on
Wednesday evening. "Look on this
picture, now on this"