Omaha daily bee., 1902-06-01

cigars, and that is the nice kind Of work
Gurley and Mercer were engaged in.
Now, / want Mr. Mercer 20 answer this
question through his understudy: Would
Mr.. Mercer remain in Omaha IL he was
turned down7 Would he remain and retain
his residence in Omaha II we should not
nominate him his fall, or r~e-elect him, or
would be 90 back to Washington and en-
gage IA the old business in which he was
trained at Lincoln in 1887?
Reference has been made here to my
opposition to Mr.. Mercer on account Of the
transfer Of the headquarters Of the army
into the old postofhee building. That hap
pened nearly three years ago. Now, the
contract for locating the headquarters OF
the army was made in 1889. years before
Mercer was thought OF for congress. Did
Mr.. Mercer have anything to do with bring
ing It there or keeping it there? TIE army
headquarters was located in The Bee build
ing before ever the building was con-
structed, under a contract with the gov
eminent During the democratic administra-
tion OF Grover Cleveland my republican
and democratic enemies exeTted all their
influence to have II moved, but Mr.. Lamont
saw through their motives and kept
II right there because is was recon-
mended by the commanders Of the depart
ment. The rent paid by the government
was not unreasonable. We are getting more
rent from the tenants that we have on
that floor today than we got when the
army was there. Will my friend inform
this audience why he has injected the army
headquarters into this debate? Was it to
confuse the minds Of the public2 The
truth is that my opposition to Mr.. Mercer
can be plainly stated in a few words;
First and foremost, republics are not un-
grateful. neither are republicans. We have
lone everything that could be done for this
man. He has had FIVE successive terms,
and that is more than any other man has
had, west Of the Missouri river, but one.
There is but one man west of the Missouri
river in the lower house Of congress that
has been there longer than Mr.. Mercer.
Not one man in all New England has been
there longer than Mr.. Mercer, and the men
who have been retained from New York.
Serene Payne, the leader Of the house Of
Representatives, and Wadsworth, from New
York. General Bingham Of Philadelphia and
DalZell Of Pittsburg. These are about the
only men out of the entire New York and
Pennsylvania delegations. Henderson and
Hull from Iowa are the only two men that
have represented Iowa in congress more
than Eve successive terms, and Hopkins,
Hit and Cannon Of Illinois. Every one
Of these men is recognized as q leader, with
whom Mercer canno stand comparison.
Out Of the entire galaxy Of democrats in
southern states only FIVE have been there
longer than Mr.. Mercer.
Now, then. let us admit that II was we'll
and proper for US to make a struggle for
Mercer in 1896 and give him a third term.
Let us admit that we gave him a fourth
term for the very simple reason that we
had still many things unfinished. But why
a sixth term? Let me call attention to the
fact that Mr.. Mercer in his hrst term Sc
cured the South Omaha postofhce appropri-
alton In q democratic house and with a
democratic president. He was there only
one term, and 1t was not so much because
it was David H. Mercer, but the pressure
Of John A. McShane, the pressure Of the
packing houses and the influences behind
them gave the appropriation to South
Omaha, and Mercer took the credit.
In the very first and only term that John
A. McShane served he got the appropriation
for the Omaha postofice and had one mil
lion two hundred Thousand dollars appro-
priated during that term. My friend don't
seem to remember also that Senator Man
derson had something to do with securing
these appropriations. We all know thai
the appropriations had been voted for the
purchase OF the grounds and q part OF
the Omaha postofhce building when Mr.
Mercer came in. The government surely
would not have left the building unfinished
after It had made such large appropria.
tions for the acquisition of the grounds and
the construction Of the lower portion Of the
building.
Mr.. GurIey has said to us here that h,
-. 49,. 49,, A. Rnl.nd ~ M Maroar
There is a man by the name Of Johnny
Wright, a colored man. who runs a hous'
Of about the same character as the notori'
Gus Midway in the lower end Of the Third
ward. That gentleman rents his house
from Mr. Gurley and from Mr.. Ransom, twt
very intimate friends and gentlemen Of tn
same stock. Mr.. Gurley, Of course, claims
to be a republican and Mr.. Ransom claimi
/ TO be a. silver republican democrat. Mr.
! Gurley went to Mr. Wright when Mr.. Mer
!, GER was running for a fourth term, that is
In 1898. and he said to Johnny Wright:
whatever Ransom tells you to do, yol
4 do. You help out wherever he wants yol
: to, ! canno give you any directions"
! Wright, Of course, had to take his In
structions from Ransom and Ransom wa
E for Hitchcock, the demopop competitor o
Mercer. Here is loyalty for you.
e MIR. GURLEY.
Fellow citizens, again will I ask my dis
= tinguished opponent when was II that h
FIRST discovered that David H. Mercer haI
= ceased to be a useful member Of congress
! from this district When was Il? Has b
o given you any reason? He talks 70 yol
8 about our introducing facts for the purpos
e of confusing the issue, and then he read
: to you from the hotel ledger OF the CAPT
8 toll hotel Of 1887. Oaughter.) Is that ma
r terial to the issue? ] think not. Now. fel
: low citizens, he says that in 1895 he CAV
. Mercer credit for many things which h
. did not do. He says that he gave Merce
. credit for many things when others wer
: entitled to part Of the credit. He said tina
in the Eighth ward; he says that sub
e stantially tonight. In other words, m
fellow citizens. he tells you that in 1Ss
he made false statements about David Mer
Ger, knowing them to be false, for tn
purpose OF e~leeting him to congress becaus
e he wanted hin elected. II that is so, ism
- IL fair to assume that tonight he woul
I make false statements about Mercer, know
T ing them to be false. for the purpose o
g defeating him. because he wants him de