The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-26
FUSION RALLY.
Labor Commissioner Kent Of
Nebraska Speaks.
Addresses an Audience of 500
at the Grand.
DISCUSSES THE WARS.
Says Contest With Spain Was
Glorious.
Calls 1t the Opposite Of War in
Philippines.

The fusion meeting at the Grand
opera house last night was not very we'll
attended. not more than 500 people be-
ing there. The audience though small
was attentive and applauded frequent
~. Few people left the house until the
speaking was done, which is something
unusual for a political meeting
s. J. Kent, labor commissioner of Ne
braslza, made the principal address of
the evening, and although not an orator
he held the close attention Of the audi
ence Mr.. Kent is an Englishman, and
Shows 1t plainly by his talk, as ne ire
QueutIy fOrgets about his his" He read
q great deal from the report of the pro-
Beer meeting in England, and compared
the Boer war with the war in the Phil
ippdnes, stating that both wars were for
conquest and would benefit only a few
great capitalists while they would work
an injury to the common people.
Our war with Spain was a glorious
war because 1t was waged in the interest
OF humanity; 1t was a war of justice
and right; a war against greed, and for
such reasons could not be other than
successful, not only in point of arms but
in its results It is the exact opposite
OF our war in the Philippines, which is
the black spot on the escutcheon of this
country. They say we want to civilize
the people Before we civilize the Fill
pine let US let in the light of sunshine
IN the sluns Of New York and Chicago.
There is room there for all the noble
work that the people of this country
can do.
The Filipinos are in the right in their
war. and should win. We can not offer
as an excuse for the war that we bought
the. islands; that is simply a very poor
excuse to cover the desire of conquest
If we did buy them We did not pay the
price to the Tightful owners for the Fill
ipinos are the only people who had
right to sell. The land was theirs as
much as the land was ours when as
colonists We threw off the chains of the
mother country which bound US prior
Ffff71 Al crTy no
blood of the young men of this country
for sordid gain. Mothers hearts would
not have been broken and fathers hair
would not be tinted with silver If this
country had stood by its agreement with
the FiIipinos-"
Mr.. Kent took a side shot at the full
dinner pail and Tidiculed the idea that
Mark Hanna or Mckinley had anything
to do with the filing of it. The full din
ner pail appeals to the stomach, but you
working men know that you want some
thing more than full dinner pail. You
want to give your children a chance to
do something and to be some one and
that is an impossiblity SO long as the
trusts run the nation. All our children
can hope to be are servants of the
trusts"
In his reference to the president he
said: Mckinley is a clean man. a man
or good character, but he lacks stamina
He is like a Weathercock and changes
with every breeze. He was at one time
q great silver man, and condemned Gro
Yer cleveland because ne was Tor gold
Now he stands just as Cleveland does
on the gold question. He recommended
IN his message that this country allow
Porto Rico free trade and then signed
The tariff measure passed by the senate.
lie has nc policy, but is moved by the
great money interests
In speaking of the price of labor he
said: You laboring men viii never get
anything from the Republican party.
All you have gotten has been through
your Organizations, and not through any
work of that party. They tell you that
you are better paid than the working
men OF the old country. I want to tell
you that you are paid no better, and
that you do not get half of Saturday as
they do in that country. I found while
7 was attending the labor congress in
London that the miners there receive
S250 for each days work How does
that compare with the wages paid in
the coal mines of this country? 1t is
almost double the wages received in the
anthracite region of Pennsylvania, and
the American does almost twice as
much work as the Englishman.'
Mr. Kent spoke in favor of the postal
savings bank, where a labOrlng man can
put his money without danger of some
capitalist running away with it" He
also advocated the government owner
ship of the telegraph; favored the i'm
mediate Withdrawal of the troops from
Cuba: advanced the idea Of the rejec-
ton of the Hawaiian islands, and ia
vored the recognition of the independ-
ence of the Fzlipinos. He said the cure
for the trusts was the letting down of
the tariff bars Il am in favor of ex-