Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-10-14
THE pop WHO OBJECTED.

f-oE WIN A@Ds
Not long ago there was populist con-
vention in central Kansas. 1t dragged
along its course until at last it adopted
the usual resolutions. abusing Mckinley
and his administration, declaring the war
failure and ended with:
Resolved, That we are opposed to ex-
pansion and believe that our soldiers
should come home at once from the Phil
ippines.'
Then it was that delegate from far
off township, man with gray hair and
wearing bronze button on his coat arose
and said
"Mr. Chairman: ] am going to vote
against these resolutions. In the first
place we have never had anything but
expansion since this has been a United
States. Suppose we had never expanded
where would we be today We would
only have thirteen stars on our flag and
you, if you lived in Kansas, would be vot-
ing with Spain or France or some other
power, if you voted at ALL Now the fact
is we have been expanding for the last
100 years and we have added to our do
main until we have forty-hve states
Some of these states were obtained
through war with foreign power, and
we have had war after war with the In
dams who were the wards of the powers
we obtained them from, but you see, Mr.
Chairman, we expanded just the same
Then we bought Alaska and we had ex-
pansion again and no kick coming. No
political party put it in their resolutions
against expansion in those days and now
what is the use of passing these resolu-
tons when we have already gone and ex-
banded ? You might as well pass res
outions that the Almighty shouldn't
make world that is already made Did
we not get Texas, New Mexico and Cali
fornia the same way we did the Philip
pines?
We must go forward or else go back
ward. Suppose after Dewey had de
stroyed the Spanish fleet Mckinley had
ordered him home, then we would have
had an issue. We could have passed
resolutions denouncing Mckinley for not
seizlng the Philippine Islands and come
out straight for expansion and had an
issue.
"Mr. Chairman, we have been hunting
for an issue for whole year and it seems
like the Republicans have got the world
by the tail with down hill pull.
my fellow delegates, you can't fool the
American people. They know a good
thing when they see it. They know we
are having better times than we had
under Cleveland. They know that we
have plenty of the best money in the
world to do business with. They know
that we are getting better prices for grain
and cattle. They know that men are
getting better wages, they know that al
most every factory in the United States
has raised the wages of the men without
being asked to do so. They know thai
the factories that were idle four years age
are belching out smoke day and night
They know also that those factories, mos
of them, are six months behind theil
orders. Mr.. Chairman, you can fool some
Of the people some time, but you cam
tool all the people all of the time.
81 think the people of Kansas have qui
taking Mrs. Leases advice and have qui
raising hades and gone to raising more
corn. In fact, Mr.. Chairman, it seems tc
me that everything in Gods world i.
shouting expansion; the commerce of tn,
United States is doubling up on expan
sion, even the Kansas potatoes are crowd
ing each other out of the hill and two ant
three ears of corn are on almost ever,
stalk, all shouting expansion.
"Wel, what are we going to do abou
it2 As i. my part think these reso
lutions on expansion should be stricken
out for l do not honestly believe tn
American people will sustain them at tn
next election, don't for fact, Bryan Il
the contrary, notwithstanding"
N. B.-The resolutions didn't pass
Abilene Reflector. (Kas.)