The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-05
TALKED PROHIBITION.
Presidential Candidates Visit
Mankato on a Special.
Entertaining Talks Given at the Union
Depot Friday Afternoon to Large
Gathering.


The special train bearing the Prohi-
bition presidential party in its tour
around the country arrived in Man
kato at about o'clock Friday after
noon and remained three-quarters of
an hour. The train passed through
the city early this morning, went west
and returned, after stopping at several
towns, where speeches were made.
When the train pulled in the cold
water candidates for president and
vice president, Messrs John G.
Wooley and Metcalf, and Oliver W.
Stewart, chairman of the national
committe, took their stand on dray
on the east side of the depot, where a
crowd numbering three or four hun
dred people speedily gathered about
them. Mr.. Woolley opened the pro-
ceedings by introducing Mr.. Metcalf,
who gave brief talk. Mr.. Metcalf
took the economic side of the question
and gave figures to show the i'm
mensity of the liquor traffic. He said
that last year it amounted to more
than the incomes of all the railroads
in the country, and once and half
as much as the income of all the rail
roads of Europe.
Mr.. Woolley next spoke. He was
somewhat hoarse from his previous
efforts of the day. He gave some rea-
sons why he had left the Republican
party to join the Prohibitionists, and
declared that no saloon keeping poll
tician would have collar upon him.
He declared that he had not ghost of
show of being elected to anything,
but he would rather be on his truck
talking freely his sentiments than
VIM. Mckinley on his throne. The
people who believe that womanhood
and childhood should be protected
from the liquor traffic should vote the
Prohibition ticket.
Mr.. Stewart was introduced by Mr..
Woolley and said that no great issues
have been settled by the Republican
and Democratic parties in the past
thirty years He asked whether any
one in the audience had heard of any
question which they had settled. A
man in the crowd replied that the
Republicans had settled the currency
question. Mr.. Stewart replied that
Secretary Gage had declared that I'M
der the present law Bryan, if elected,
could without legislation put the coun-
try on silver basis in thirty days.
The Republican leaders today are 60
ing to the people and saying that the
gold standard is not safe from the
Democrats, and Republican orators
are talking on it. Therefore, it can
not be settled.
Mr.. Stewart said that the Democrat
ic party always makes failure when
| it has the chance. When they had the
government in their hands they
wrangled for year on the tariff ques-
ton and then passed bill that Cleve-
land would not disgrace himself by
signing, and it became law without
his signature. The Democrats cannot
settle anything that they stand for in
this campaign. The Democratic party,
which has been suppressing the black
man s rights at home, pretends that
| it wants to help the brown man to
more rights in the Philippines. The
Democrats pirate of equal rights for all,
but the fact is that the men who rule
the Democratic party are men who do
not believe in government for the
people, and therefore it never will be
had from that party. The Republi-
cans claim to be in favor of civilizing
and Outstanding the Filipinos, but
it takes the flag there with an army
canteen on one side and an American
beer saloon on the other side. The Re-
publican party does not represent the
will of Heaven in its dealing with the
people who are for the time being at
least under our control.
Mr.. Stewart declared that long
suffering people is getting tired of in
competence ofboth the old pa rites
The Prohibition party is here to give
the people change from this kind of
thing. One million Populists voting
for free silver in 1892 made that the
issue in 1895, and half million Pro-
hibitionists in 1900 can make the
liquor question the issue in 1904. Men
are coming to the Prohibition party
as never before.