The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-10-12
REPUBLICANS OPENING RALLY
They Had q Parade, For q Change-wis
consin Senator Talks of Protec-
tion, Trusts and the Evils
of Imperialism.

There was nothing large about the
parade that preceded the opening Of the
Republican campaign in Canton, still
1t was parade. The line of march
was short, and the marchers formed on
South Market street, w. H. Little acting
as chief marshal. The line moved at
1880 p. m. in the following order:
Canton troop, IA men on foot.
Speakers in carriages.
Thayer's band.
Canton Republican club, 6S men.
Massillon band.
Massillon Republicans, 81 men.
Dueber- Hampden club and others, 1.7
men.
There was red fire along the line, and
the two bands ran opposition perform
ances. At the head Of the Republican
club marched Attorney James A. Grant,
Postmaster Frease, Will Day and a few
other notables. The procession halted
at the Barnett house while the commit
tee called for Senator Spooner, of Wis
consin, who had been far from well all
day, and escorted him to the tabernacle,
where the meeting was held.
Eighteen hundred people were in the
tabernacle by the time the meeting
opened, and the order was poor on OPEN
ing. Added to this, Senator Spooner
had been taxing his voice too severely
and was so hoarse that he could hardly
make himself heard at first.
MEETING OPENS.
County Chairman U. s. Johnson called
the meeting to order first, at 7:45. The
stage was filled up with vice presidents
and then John H. Sergeant, of Cam
bridge, was introduced, and sang q
couple Of patriotic songs.
Then Chairman johnson introduced
the chairman of the meeting, F. z.
Case, of Canton. He was greeted by
applause when he asserted that the is
sue this year was "the Republican party
against the field" Case touched on the
race question in the south, and declared
the Republican party was going to stop
the disfranchisement of the negro vote
in the south. Mr.. Case paid high COM
piibient to Senator Spooner, as he in
troduced him. The senator from Wis
consin was applauded for half a minute,
and then spoke for hours and So min
utes.
The audience waited long for the
speaker to get away from prosperity and
free silver and touch on trusts and i'm
perialism. He was an hour and half
reaching the trust question, and had
been speaking two hours and ten min
utes when he tackled the issue OF I'M
perialism. Then he talked with energy,
and in very much of an off-hand way.
"There never was a more complete
sham," said the speaker, imposed on
this country than this issue of imperial
ism. The late war was forced on Nc
Kinley. He didn't want that war. He
resorted to every art Of diplomacy to
prevent it. I thought once he would
succeed, but war had to come. Some OF
MS stood by him, as you know, and one
of these was that splendid Canton citi-
zen. who sprung in short time from
comparative obscurity to high pin
nacle of brilliant craftsmanship, whose
name will go down in the archives OF
the nation-Wiliam r. Day" Gap
plause)
linen Int SDtdhtT HColtdtcu q hohSAs'
In an instant the hall was still; the con-
fusion had ceased. 1t was plain the
audience wanted to hear Spooner on the
Philippines. The senator said:
Little things sometimes turn the fate
of nations. If Dewey had found the
Spanish fleet on the open sea and de-
stroyed 1t there might have been
A DIFFERENT PAGE.
in Americas history. But instead OF
that we got our flag up at Manila. was
one Of the Republicans who didn't want
the Philippines. thought we ought to
be contented with Manila bay. What the
president meditated at first, I do not
know. Ultimately, he came to the con-
clusion that II we got anything out there
we must take all the islands. And when
I came to consider the question con-
cluded 1t was the only thing President
Mckinley could do. There never was a
minute since the flag went up at Manila
that 1t could have come down without
smirching our national honor. Why
Because there were Germans, English
and French residents and property ir
Manila and when we drove the Span
iards out of Manila we drove out thu
only protection for those people and
their property. We became their pro
tectors. Aguinaldo wanted to loot Ma
nila then. II Mckinley had taken hi
men away from Manila and It had beer
followed by loot, murder and rapine
when could we have wiped out tina
stain?
"Aguinaldo commenced to fight us
We acquired those islands from Spain
There was nothing for Mckinley to d.
but just what we gave him the troops
for. There never ought to be any dis
cussion. never any debate. behind tn
back of an American soldier when h
has an enemy in front Of him. Presi
dent Mckinley simply kept his oath
The president
CANNOT cEDE THE PHILIPPINES
Congress alone har the power to dis
pose Of them and regulate them. Th'
control will always be In your haudl