Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-09-27

ditiops possible. We had had a struggle
within von rs,oa,Sy our own party for long time as
There were great and potent men in the
party who, by reason of their advocacy of
measures measure approved by the popular con
OF the people. We trusted them, but they
deserted us and betrayed US. We had
elected a president of the United States
and scarcely had he been inaugurated when
ne sought to overthrow the policies of the
Democratic party and to commit us to the
policies of monometallism, established
| and advocated by Mr.. Sherman and his
coadjutors.
We had that great fight on our hands
that eliminated in Chicago, and out of
that convention many of the most distin-
guished and influential men in the party
went, full of a bitter resentment and u
purpose TO do whatever they could to de-
Feat 1t. Our party counsels were divided;
there was condition of party disorganiza-
Ilon And yet we went to the front and
fought a battle such as was never before
fought in the political history Of the coun-
try and came within an ace of winning 1t
fought it against the combined money in
terests of the country. frightened and
aroused. pouring their unlimited treasures
into the Golfers of the Republican orGaniza-
| ton; Men were coerced business men and
and all the agencies possible were eHl-
ployed TO force victory for the Republican
party. They won. but won by the skin of
their teeth, and want to say that never in
the history of politics did the Democratic
| party come cut of the shadow of defeat so
ltlStlllCl Will tEt SplIll VI tdliic anu 81
willing and anxious to try 1t again.
I'VE will hold up this banner, which Is
the banner of truth. | appeal TO you to-day
Democrats, Republicans and Popuilsts,
American citizens, TO tight for your coun-
try and your homes in 1888 as you fouSht
for them in 1896. If We do this, 1t may be
that In 1900 the sun will break through ana
shine upon a people disenthraiied ana re-
deemed from the financial bondage at nome
and abroad.
Let the people here organize their clubs
| this year as they did before and hold their
meetings and let every man, l care ,,iti, nothing
what he may be called. vote inteliigentiS'
loyalty and patrioticaiiy.
Coming down to the war, MIR. stone
said: Il affirm that the war with spain
was the result of Democratic insistence III
the congress of the United States. Mchlh-
ley was opposed to the war, openly anu
avowedly. Mr.. Reed, speaker of the house
muzzled that body of the peoples repre-
sentatives for weeks and months, refusing
| them the privilege of voting upon decla-
ration relating to the Cuban question
Marcus Aurelius Hanna was not only OPP
posed to the war, but he sent kilograms
TO all the great commercial bodies. includ-
ing the Merchants exchange OF ST. Louis,
asking them to telegraph the president that
the great commercial interests of this coun-
try were behind him supporting him in his
position of opposition to the war. General
Grosvenor, of Ohio, the accredited Spokes-
man of the administration. time and again
on the floor Of the house declared there
was no need of war: that the administra-
tion would settle this question without IT,
But every day our Democratic senators
and representatives were clamoring for
some aggressive action, because, as they
said. Spain. the old, bloody shewolf Of his
tory. had been tearing the life out of a
neighboring people on this hemisphere OF
| ours; that thousands were starving almost
at our very door; that the means of dying
women and children were beating at the
walls of the nations capital, and that
| American citizens were having their rights
almost daily encroached upon.
Finally, this long series of OutrageS cul-
| minated in the midnight murder Of 266
American sailors in the harbor of Havana
warships. And yet in spite of all these
things, in spite of the daily clamor and de-
| mand of the Democratic party. the Repuo-
lican administration opposed aggressive ac-
ton until an overwhelming public senti
| ment caused them to yield.
When the president called for troops,
who responded more quickly and leaped to
the front with greater buoyancy than the
sons of our Democratic fathers. In Missouri
and in the other states? Certainly Repub-
icans and Populists did SO, too. All these
boys went side by side to camp and neid.
to the glory of Manila and of Santiago and
that splendid charge of our troops at San
Juan. Our Democratic boys We're always
in the thick of the fight, and at San Juan
our troops were led to the battle by old
Joe Wheeler, of Alabama, that great and
And yet, gentlemen, in the face of all
this, these Republican papers have the au-
dacity. when certain outrages are men,
toned, to express their sentiments by these
pictorial ibels
General Miles, at the head of the army.
has denounced official peculation, and de-
clared that the food and clothing supplied
our soldiers was of such quality that
they cried out against it. When the old
ship Merrimac, that had been bought only
a few months before by a. favorite of the
administration for some $4,000, and turned
over to the government at about $500 Oo0.
was sent down to Santiago, and the ad-
miral there could find no use for it. he
sent 1t into the passage to the city under
the gallant Hobson and sunk it at the
mouth of the bay.
when our troops come back famished
with sunken eyes and wasted forms we
are told in reply that the Democratic par
ty is party of treason and copperhead-
ism.
II undertake to affirm that never in the
history of this country, and hardly of any
other, has an enterprise like this war been
so inefficiently, inadequately, indecently. IL
not corruptly, managed-s500 900 expend-
ed, when there was no need of it. 1t did
not go to supply the comforts and needs of
the men who were fighting the battles of
their country
Il am sorry that 1t is necessary to saw
these things In order to repeI the con-
temptible insinuations and assaults that
have been made upon u.s."