The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-02-02
cON0REsSMANkrTCHIN'S SPEECH
One of the Best so far Made Against
the Proposed Increase Of the Army
the Young Congressman Making a
Good impression.

| SuS IOuh& SVu&S SSSalsSau ISAoAtuS q
Good Impression.
Correspondent Charlotte Observer
! WASHINGTON, Jan. 3O.-One of the
best speeches Of the many short ones
which have been made against the
bill providing for the permanent in
crease of the regular army was that
OF Congressman kitchin. The young
Congressman from North Carolina
has taken an excellent position in
| the estimation of his Democratic
colleagues and the good impression
which he has made heretofore was
| strengthened by his common sense
utterances upon this very important
question.
He took strong ground against
army increase which he held was CT
course the real purpose of this re-
| organization bill, and went at some
length into reasons for opposition to
what he termed the imperialistic
policy Of the administration. He
said:
"Scorning the misrepresentation
| Of ignorance and bigotry, rejoicing
| and responsible to the descendants
Of the first proclaimers of American
liberty for my conduct, shall vote
| against increasing the standing army
of the United States from 10000 to
1000 men in time of peace"
He referred touchingly to the
memories which clustered around
Alamance and Guilford, and then
spoke in eloquent words of the sacri-
fees made by North Carolina in the
recent war with Spain when brave
Bagley fell at Cardenas and Shipp on
the hill Of San Juan. He said no
man could feel greater honor for the
heroes OF this war than he, but he
did not believe it was honest to the
people to take advantage of the en-
thusiasm created by the war to put
through bill providing for perma-
nent standing army which could only
be heavy burden to the: taxpayers
and which might be menace to the
liberties of the people.
Referring to the claim that it is
wrong to withdraw the flag from any
point where it has once flown, he
pointed out that Germany's flag had
been taken down from the capital of
France without dishonor, that the
English had withdrawn from Wash
ington and the Americans from
Mexico without any dishonor being
attached to their flag by this act. He
commended that the meaning of the
flag would be perverted and distorted
if it were to be kept flying in the
Philippines as symbol of despotic
Government forced upon the in
habitants of those Islands without
their consent.
"My knowledge Of the innate
powers OF my country" continued
MIR. Kitchin, ''forbids my aid to this
| unnecessary expense for military
purposes in the time of peace. 1t
would mean an increase from $25,-
900, 900 to 800, 100000 annually this
latter sum being sufficient to buy, as
shown by tax books, three congress
sional districts such as / have the
honor to represent.
He did not think that the volun-
teers should be kept in if they did
not want to remain, but that they
should be replaced by men recruited
for garrison purposes. He held that
the real danger lies in the acquisition
of the Philippines and that if the peo-
pie thoroughly understood the mat
ter, wave of protest would come
from the farms and shops, the fields,
the mines and the offices of this land
that would compel a patriotic ex-
ecutive to change the course which
the President seems to have taken
| upon this great question. Conclud-
ing he said: ''The old King of Israel,
in a moment of infatuation, yielded
to temptation, committed double
crime and in his old age mourned his
conduct. Let Congress heed the
moral and save the country from this
error, sprung upon us in a moment of
exul tation, which our wisest and
most honest statesmen have resisted
in the past"