The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1900-08-15
a "Reminiscences.

all affairs, in your paper, (The Advo-
cate of Democracy l will give
you little more of my experience
of sixty years of observation gather
ed from the wayside along the
path of life
In the first place i have no ak to
grind. am not interested in any
candidates election. My interest
is for the welfare of the American
people. L think the time has ar
rived when all true Americans
should take double interest in
the affairs of this once happy
country and render all the assist
ance in their power to maintain
our independence that we SO dearly
purchased in our struggle with
King George We have it in our
power yet to say what kind of a
government we shall have, not
withstanding few'would.be rulers
have ignorned the Constitution,
our Safeguard. We have been
without President twice since my
recollection. In 1848 the 18th of
March came on Sunday We had
no President for "a hours. Again
in 1896 to 1900 we had no Presi-
dent He said in his speech to the
miners of Kanawha that the Gov.
eminent had no more right to set
the value on money than it had to
set the value on wheat or cotton.
Now, there was one of the two
things in that declaration: He is
either ignorant or else he thought
his audience was, for no other
power in the United States dare to
make coin and attempt to pass it,
no matter if the dollar had two
ounces of pure silver in it. If /
can understand the Constitution
says, that Congress shall have the
sole power to coin money and set
the value thereof, hence, / think
when we have President that
doesn't know that much of our
Constitution, or one that thinks
his hearers are all ignorant, we are
without President from 1896 to
1900 Now we will review his
management of our government.
When he took his seat we wero at
peace with all our follow men the
world over. In three years of his
misrule we are selling our silver
bullion at 60 cents per ounce, for
England says we must not coin it
into dollars, she wants the bullion
to send to India in exchange for
wheat; she can get ono dollar per
ounce for it which will make the
wheat cost her 60 cents per bushel.
We had a great lamentation go up
in 1896 about the so cent dollar.
[ am II years old and [ never saw
silver dollar coined by this gov
ernt that was not current at n
dollar.
Now we will take the moral view
of his administration. Ito has in
his management made n debt that
the next three generations cannot
pay. We now have 10000 men in
the army stationed in our expan-
stoned country. The effects of the
climates are making raving mani
acs of more of our sons than are
being killed by the enemy. L saw
call for three more regiments for
the slaughter pen. This war has
been on for two years, and no man
can form any idea when it will end
[ we'll remember in 1861 Lincoln'a
first call was for $4,000. In avery
short time he called for $4,000; in
short time another call for 1OO,-
600, next 100000, next 100000.
That call was not to be had by vol
unteers. The next step was a con-
script or draft. Every State had
to furnish her proportion, accord
ing to the number of able bodied
men from 81 to so years old. I
saw the wheel of fortune turning,
in the building now occupied by
The II. G.. Nease Go. as store,
and the greatest anxiety among the
audience until the county's quote
was filled. Now it is just as plain
to me that we will see that wheel
in use again, if we don't elect a
man for President that is in favor
of stopping the expansion craze.
This little piece of history L put
before the young men that have
growp up since the draft was used
here. 1 hear some say they can
not draft man to go to the Phil
iDDines. This government has the