Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-05
HALsTEAD NEARLY MoBBED.


Letter Read.
/. CINCINNATI, o., September At
will be long time before Murat Hal
stead forgets his experience with the
anti-expansionists of this city. He had
been invited to lecture before the Econ
omic Club, and addressed that body in
| the Vine Street congregational Church,
where what was to have been mild
discussion of the Philippine policy end
] ed in vehement row. The club, the
pastor and the congregation have been
] foremost here in the anti-expansion
| sentiment. Several hundred persons,
among them many women, were pres
ent.
! At the close of Mr.. Halsteads address
the Rev. Herbert Bigelow, pastor Of the
! church, made a reply which several
times called out lively demonstrations
from the respective supporters of Mr..
Bigelow and Mr. Halstead.
Secretary Danzinger,, of the Single
Tax Club, asked permission to read q
| letter he said he had received from
Cincinnati soldier who had served IN
the Philippines. He was interrupted
several times, but refused to give way,
and finally finished reading the docu-
ment
VICIOUS ATTACK ON OTIS.
The letter violently attacks Otis for
, his 'sidiotic and laundering policy.
The author, whose name is suppressed,
says:
LOTS is ruling; he is absolute mon
arch; he is unreasonable and tyrannl-
cal. No persons except those who owe
| their positions to him and those who
share spoils with him has good
word for him or his administration.
| Business here is at standstill. The
| import duties are the same Spain lev
| led on foreign goods. This ruins COM
merce without adding to the income of
| the country. Natives see that America
| is just as bad as Spain; that they are
as much oppressed and overtaxed by
us as by the Spaniards. Besides the
! incompetency shown in the admins
| tration of affairs here there are all sorts
of robberies reported in the Custom
House"
The reading caused a sensation.
who did you say wrote that letter."
| Mr.. Halstead asked.
HE is one of our own citizens and
he went out as soldier from this city,"
was the reply.
"The man who would utter such SEN
/ timents as those is traitor to his
licountry," said Mr.. Halstead.
well, those are my sentiments y
was the angry rejoinder that raised the
excitment still higher.
Eyes, and they are the sentiments of
| the majority of the people who are
here, added DR.. Longstreet, the single
tax advocate, who was excited. "They
are my sentiments
They are traitorous,' Mr.. Halstead
repeated.
ALMOST CAME TO BLOWS.
DR.. Longstreet grew angry at this
and advanced threateningly down the
aisle toward Mr.. Halstead.
do you mean to insinuate-," he
| demanded vociferously, in a question
that was lost in the cries around them.
Mr.. Halstead declared he did not pro-
pose to argue personal questions.
A Mr.. Davis began an excited argu-
| ment with the doctor, and for mo-
ment pandemonium prevailed. 1t
| looked as if blows would be struck and
| some persons climbed on chairs to see.
| The women began to rush for the door,
ssome of them panic-stricken. Mr.. Da-
vis's vicious denunciation of DR.. Long
/ street was cut short by several persons
forcing them apart
While the excitement was still pre-
Isvailing Mr.. Halstead quietly withdrew
lifrom the building and went home. The
| excitement was over in a few minutes,
! without physical injury to any one. Mr..
Halstead, in speaking of his experience,
said: 81 agreed to speak on condition
! that if discussion followed should be
allowed fifteen minutes to answer, but
the whole crowd began asking foolish
questions. l answered in good humor
| till some one made that remark. Then
called him traitor. He is a damned
black hearted traitor. / shall be older
! than l am now if l fail to warm up on
a thing like that. | think the soldier
whose letter was read never was bap-
tized%on the firing line. He must have
been a clerk"
| ROOSEVELT