The Van Buren press., 1900-07-14
The Eloquent Webster Davis Takes
Leave or the Republican
Party.
By the Associated Press.

Leave Vi inc hepuDilcAu
Party.
By the Associated Press.
KANSAS CTR, July 5.-The speech OF
Webster Davis, recent assistant Secre-
tary of the Interior Department under
Mckinley before the Democratic nation
al convention this afternoon was as
follows:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the
Convention: l have never yet read or
heard a platform that was so intensely
American as the platform read here.
(Applause and cheers.) Old conditions
have passed away, old questions have
passed away, and good many new
questions are now before the American
people. l care not the snap of my finger
for party or private criticism. | care
nothing for office, but voluntarily gave
| up one better than any you can give me
great applause and cheers), and the
man or newspaper that makes the state
ment tsat / was forced to leave the
administration against my will absolute
ly, unqualifiedly and maliciously lies,
Applause and cheers.)
l love liberty. love equity of rights
and / love justice, and when the party
that l belong to is too cowardly to take
stand for liberty to represent this
government against British aristocracy
and monarchy. | leave it and leave it
for good. wild and enthusiastic ap.
plause.) In some parts Of Europe and
Africa the charge is made by the British
press and the British officials that there
Is a secret alliance between this country
and Great Britain to the effect that in
case of any foreign nation attempting to
intervene In behalf of poor Beers, that
this republic will stand by Great Britain
with its army and navy. (Cries of mo,
noD. have yet to hear Of the nd
ministration denying that report de-
Tended the administration in every ad
dress made in behalf of the Beers since
my unfortunate visit to that country /;
for me say unfortunate financially and
politically, but | say now, I will never
defend 1t again, because 1t has not taken
the chance at its national convention to
tell the American people that we are for
liberty and republican forms of govern
ment. (Great applause. Liberty-we
all love the splendid word, the sweetest
word that ever blossomed upon the
tongue of men, and as one great Re-
publican said In the United States senate:
ut has come to pass that we must
whisper the word liberty In Washing.
ton. Ia 1t fact that liberty Is to be-
come obsolete In the American lexiconH
Is it a fact that this great republic must
chain itself to the chariot wheels Of the
British empire In its mad race for land
and goldY sympathized with the people
struggling for liberty In Greece and
when the war broke out with Spain they
said II was not a war for conquest, not
for glory, but for carrying liberty to
people who were crying for help at our
feet cloud applause. And the boys
marched up from the Northland whose
fathers who once marched In tattered
blue with the song their fathers loved,
my Country, IT'S of Thee, and the
boys came from the Southland, they
whose fathers once marched In ragged
gray to the music Of" Way Down South
In Dixie, and they followed the man
who ut once led the Northern and
Southern army down to Cuba and into
other lands and into the islands Of the
sea. They marched under the flag In
In behalf Of one country to the music Of
one splendid melody rs they felt In their
hearts the music that inspired the men
In the days gone by.
In the beauty Of the lilies, Christ was born
As no died TO make men holy, lie. us die to
make men free.
(The crowd at this point broke into u
demonstration, yelling and waving flags
and hats. and It WAS some time before
order was restored, the speaker attempt.
Ing several times to 20 on, but was
forced to wait. He finally proceeded
as follows.)
Up until that point the war was right,
but when we passed beyond that point
the administration went too far, but 1t
was another indication of following the
footsteps Of Great Britain. When our
flag rose over the flag Of rotten Spanish
monarchy the American republic could
not resist the temptation to follow In
the footsteps Of Great Britain and 1t
thirsted for land and gold and that Is
where the mistake WAS made, We
should have stopped Mt the end Of Spanish
victory when we brought liberty to tho
people who were being ground to death
under the heel Of Spanish tyranny. We
do love justice and liberty. The masses
Of the American people stand for the
blessed idea OF liberty, justice and
equality OF rights and dare say today
II 1t were possible to get the newspapers
10 cable TO Boer farmers In South Africa
that the representatives Of six or seven
million voters send word Of sympathy
to them, many u Boer would shout for
10Y In the hills Of the Transvaal. Grand.
er struggle for liberty was never made
In all the world history than the strug
gle being made by the Republicans and
Democrats In South Africa. Let us
sympathize with them.
| am glad that you have taken this
action today. At the polls In November
follow II up. Let American principles
ever live, Let them 20 on down for
years TO come as an inspiration to
generations yet unborn, Liberty love
OF country, one flag, one country, one
splendid destiny alone, | stand upon this
platform to support William Jennings
Bryan.