Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1899-06-24

used every means in their power TO
arouse him, but he never regained
consciousness in the slightest degree.
His four sons, Theodore, Ewing,
George and John, his daughters, Fan
ME and Virginia, and Mrs. Bland,
were at his bedside when the end
came. His brother, Judge c. c. Bland,
Mrs. s. T. Thomas, his brother-in-
law, General E. Y. Mitchell and E. Y
Mitchell, jr., and his private secre-
tary, Grid Bell, We're also with him.
Mr.. BANDS illness began imme-
diately after his return from Wash
ington, early in March. 1t started
with an attack of grip followed with
relapse. Chronic catarrh of the
stomach complicated the disease.
Brain trouble came next, and he died
of cerebral congestion.
Mr.. Bland carried no life insurance
and died practically a poor man. All
he left was his farm and personal
property, which would not exceed in
value $40, 900.
Richard Parkes Bland was born
August 10, 1885, near Hartford, Ky,
in the Green river country" He
came to Missouri when about 20, and
five years later went to California and
thence to Nevada. He practiced law
there among the miners, and had am
pie opportunity to study the mineral
interests and the relative output of
| gold and silver. There he absorbed
| the doctrine of bimetalism.
He returned to Missouri in 1865, To-
eating at Rolla, in Phelps county, and
in 1869 removed to Lebanon. his pres
| II he fret a1
| to Congress He took his seat in De-
cember, 1873. In 1877 Mr. Bland COM
menced his work for the restoration
of free coinage. His most noted meas
ure was bill for the free and unlim-
| tied coinage of silver, restoring 412K
| grains of standard silver as the dollar
and the limit of value. After passing
the House it was amended in the Sen
ate by Senator Allison and was known
as the Bland Allison law. It was We
toed by President Hayes and passed
by both Houses over the veto.
In 1894 Mr.. Hubbard, the Republi-
can candidate, defeated him for Con-
gress by narrow majority, but the
silver champion was elected two years
later and again in 1895.
Bland never accepted railroad pass
Or any other present for his political
work. Early in 1865, while Bland, in
the capacity of school master on a
vacation, was visiting the young
ladies' seminary at Caledonia, Mo-, he
met Miss Virginia Mitchell, daughter
of General E. Y Mitchell, whom he
later married. Mrs. Bland is still
young, though she has been the
mother of ten children, four of whom
are dead.
1t was three years ago that Richard
P. Bland, in his unpretending farm
house near Lebanon. was one of the
most talked of men in the United
States. He was looked on as the prob
able nominee of the Democratic party
for President. He was the logical
candidate. Coming into public notice
first as the author of the Bland-Alli
son silver act, in 1878, he had been
one of the leading advocates of the
free coinage of silver in the
House of Representatives for nearly
twenty years This cause he had
set his heart upon. He had argued
for it in season and out of season.
The year before the Chicago conven-
ton he had taken the control of the
Missouri central Democratic commit
tee from the gold wing of the party
and was the acknowledged leader OF
the Missouri Democracy. The con
| vention met while he was the CHIEF
figure before his party. The eloquence
of the delegate from Nebraska tool
the honor from him and since that
time he has been little heard of.
Few have served longer in Congress
than Mr.. Bland. He was in the House
twenty-four years, and eleven of the
thirteen terms to which he was elect
ed were consecutive