The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-09
The KEYNOTE
IS SOUNDED BY
GOV. ATKINSON.
The Principles of the Republican
Party Clearly Outlined in a
Masterful Address
AT CONVENTION.
Party of the Living and Not of the
Dead-Never Failed to Meet
IN Issue squarely.

Special Dispatch to the Intellisencer.
FAIRMoNT. w. Va. May Son as
sumlng the temporary Craftsmanship OF
the Republican state convention to-
day, Governor George W. Atkinson
spoke as follows:
My Fellow Citizens Of West Virginia:
Il thank you for the honor of being
called to preside over the preliminary
deliberations OF this, the first state con-
venton in the campaign Of 1900. We
meet to-day In this thriving ana grow
ing city. under suspicious circum-
stances. The outlook for the success Of
the Republican party this year is arch
ed by nm unerrng bow Of promise.
West Virginia Republican voters are
more enthusiastic than / have ever be-
fore known at the beginning Of cam
pnign. They seem to be conscious OF
sure victory. Their faces are every
where radiant with hope. They are full
of courage and fight. and they will not
lay down their arms until the setting OF
the sun on election day. These are ia
vorablc omens Of success. For myself,
my fellow citizens. have not even the
shadow Of doubt as to a satisfactory
result, The Republican party has
made good every one of Its promises
which We're given to the country four
years ago, and It. therefore, enters this
contest conscious OF duties faithfully
...rss,-,,....sI .,1 ,,t,b ~. I,,IIoF Jnon1,,
grounded that It is invInclble. because
it has at all times dealt fairly with the
people
AS was expected at the close of the
campaign of 1896, In which free silver
was the issue. this year we would be
confronted with something new, and
we have not been disappointed The
Democratic party fought us with free
trade until they wore themselves out.
and well nigh bankrupted the govern
ment and the people. Then they took
up the free and unlimited coinage Of
silver, Mt ratio Of 16 to l, and they
went down under that; and now they
have decided to make expansion and
trusts their war cries, with free trade
and free silver in the background. and
on the side
Will Meet ALL Issues.
1t makes no difference to us what
their hobbies are or may be, we will
meet them on the hustlngs, and will
vanquish them again in the arena Of
free thought and free speech. Our
West Virginia people have become too
well Informed and too well educated to
be again led astray by any ignus tatuus
or will-o'-t hc-wisp. For a while they
allowed themselves to be carried away
by passions, prejudiccs, and false pro-
misses. but It can never be done again.
AS Mr.. Lincoln expressed It, IAN of the
people can be fooled part OF the time.
part of the people can be fooled all the
time. but It is impossible to fool al! the
people all the time" We tasted for
four years under Cleveland free trade,
and that is enough to last us for
quarter OF century. We cannot cas-
lily forget the glowing promises that
were unraveled before the country in
1892, and as long as those who lived
through the catastrophe Of that awful
mistake remain among us, we viii ncv-
er repeat the experiment. again. They
promised us bread. and gave us
stone. They promised us fish. and they
gave US serpent They promised us
good times. and they gave us desolntlon
and despair. They promised US pros
perIty and gave us idlencss and soup
houses They promised us n tariff for
revenue only, and they gave us a tar
IN for deficiency only. They promised
us to I'll the national treasury with
money. and filled It instead with a
vacuum so wide and deep that It will
take years OF Republican rule to restore
the healthy condition which existed
when the government was turned over
TO them. 1t is n well known fact that
treasures under Democratic manage
ment are always empty. The only way
the Democratic party can ever furnish
n surplus in this country is BY borrow
ing 1t, as Mr., Cleveland did during his
last administration.
The Party Of The Living.
Everybody knows that the Republic
can party is n party OF the living, and
not Of the dead. To act, to assume re-
sponsiblltles, to confront emergencies,
TO go at every problem to solve and
settle it--thls is the genius Of the Re-
publican party. 1t dcspiscs evasion, It
detcsts compromises. It rcjoices In OPP
portunities. Endeavor IS It's clement
opposition is It's QulckenIns spirit 1t
is the party for young men TO live In,
and for old men to die In. The Repub-
lican party keeps its face to the future,
and Erapples only with living issues,
while the Democratic party, forever
protesting, follows In It's wake, and It's
Sark ana gloomy pathway is dImly
llghtSd b. +se smouldering camp fires
OF the party Of progress. Our party
lives in the prcsent-thc other In the
past The Republican party has never
failed to meet every issue squaroly II
has never failed to fulnll all OF Its
promises to the people. Why, my
friends. for more than quarter of a
century nearly every line Of American
history is but the life story Of the Re.
publican party.
The Puerto Rico Tariff.
My fellow citizens. rs result OF the
war entered upon with the Hottest pur-
poses and nj the practically unanimous