River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-06-23


me, | would indeed be able TO speak with
the tongue of an angel. / can only speak
with the faltering tongue Of tired man.
| thank you. | bid you Godspeed and to
carry the flag day in and day out until
this victory for justice and Cook (and
Cook here means justice) great APP
plause) and Roosevelt is won and we
will have representative government in
Wisconsin, the will of the people will be
carried into legislation and administra-
ton, and with that we will have one
other thing which we all want and the
people want--we will have peace. Great
and continued applause),
Senator Quarles' Address.
Chairman introduces Senator Joseph
Y. Quarles.
Senator Joseph V. Quarles addresses
the convention as follows:
"Mr. Chairman and Fellow Repub-
licans: You have been making history
and you have caused 1t to be written in
letters of living light that here sits the
legitimate and only lawful Republican
convention in this year of our Lord.
(Applause.)
"There is every reason why / should
love the Republican party. When first
came to the discharge of the duties Of
citizenship the drums were beating and
they were calling together those men who
were willing to sacrifice their fortunes
and their lives for the safety Of the Re-
public, and it was then out of the white
heat of battle that the Repub ,an party
came to the front. Slavery held this
Republic by the throat and it was the
first noble duty of the Republican party
to organize an army of patriots who
would go out and shoot slavery to death.
"It was under those circumstances that
| in my youth became attached to the
Republican party and the love that |
came to feel for it then has ever since
resided in my heart and there comes a
feeling that can hardly be expressed in
words when l see the face Of Abraham
Lincoln rising again over that scene Of
turmoil and carnage.
"Having been welded to the party by
love that could never change, | have
stood by it's fortunes; | have never yet
scratched name on its ticket and |
have never failed in my humble way to
maintain its principles and its policies.
(Applause.)
'hfhere is another reason why / ought
to love the Republican party and that Is
because it has been so kind to me. 1t
has honored me fer beyond my deserts
and language simply fails me now to de-
scribe the feeling that l entertain for this
magnificent organization by reason Of the
honor that it has extended to me, and |
can only say that gratitude will dwell in
my heart while it is vet visited by drop
of warm, red blood. Great appausel
"Felow Citizens: The spectacle Of to-
day and the happenings of this hour has
n tinge of sadness for me. | look back
along the line that the great Republican
Marty has followed; i remember its vic
tories and triumphs and defeats, and |
see now that we have reached the parting
of the ways and that those who have
been brothers and comrades with us, who
have touched shoulder in many n cam
paign, who have joined with us In many
a political fight, have turned from us
and taken another road, But, gentle
men, we have only to reflect a moment
to understand that what has happened
here today was unavoidable in view OF
the character and the spirit Of the Amer
lean people. (Applause.) 1t was only
a question of when 1t should come,
whether today or next year, but 1t was
as certain to come as the Republican
party was to exist, and this gathering IS
not the result of any sudden impulse, IT.
has not been brought together by any
enthusiasm of the moment. For | go
back now to time in the history OF TINS
great party when there were three patrl-
| otto members of that party in Wisconsin
| who were candidates for the office of
chief executive OF this state. The party
| had been torn and rent with discord ana
| an appeal was made to these three men,
| in the interest of harmony, in the interest
| OF the destiny of the party. we all loved,
| to withdraw their personal ambition, TO
| step out Of the field and permit certain
| other man to be chosen without OPPOSE
| ton the Governor of this state and the
| leader of this great party. Many of you
| attended that convention where the relns
were placed in the hands OF that man
| and he was assured that behind him
stood the whole Republican party. we
| hattered ourselves that that was the end
| of schism and discord and from that time
| on we would have but one party~-but
| what happened? From that moment un-
| til this hour a faction in the Republican
| party took charge of it's organization, as.
| sumed the responsibility Of its manage
| ment, and large faction of the party, q
| substantial and respectable portion or u,
| were from that time to this absolutely
| ignored; they were never consulted. Ihey
| sat in the conventions Of the party to see
| that faction name its ticket, take its pat
| ronage conduct its proceedings, ana men
who were present when the RepuDncan
! party was born, men who defended ~
/ when it was weak men who had STOOD
| by II through all it's early battles, We're
| relegated to the rear and thrown outside
/ the breastWorks, and for six long years
| those men whose hair had grown gray In
| the service of the party have been per-
mitted merely to tag along ut the emu Oh
| the procession as though they were camp
| followers instead of members or the or
| ganization in good standing. (Appause)
| "From year to year protest mas Deen
recorded in the hearts OF the people. It
! found no expression, and | shall never
| cease to feel admiration for those patient
| loyal Republicans who were willing to
| take that subordinate position and tramp
| along at the end of the procession With
| out being consulted, without sharing the
| offices or the honors Of the party-simply
| because they believed in the destiny or
| that great organization and hoped TOT
the best. (Applause0
political history hardly furnishes
| paralleI but fellow citizens the crown
| ing outrage was reserved until the year
| 1904, when, it being apparent that that
| faction could not secure q laWful ma
| iority Of the convention, committee
| known as the State Central Committee
arrogated to itself powers that never yet
| have been recognized as existing IN any
community. (Applause)
'You may say that under party usage
| it exercised a dual function, the one
purely that Of State Central Committee
whose duty it was to make q primary
rule for the purposes Of that convention
! and put upon it the names OF all regular
ly accredited and uncontested delegates.
But it had another power and what was
that? The power Of committee on Gre
dentials Now we have all been ia
miliar with committees on credentials,
and what is the province Of that com
mittee? Like any other committee, IT Is
to Investigate, to take evidence and to
report (Applause) That is the function
of every committee that is known any
where In parliamentary usage-to report
But here is a committee that arrogated
to itself the power to act TO usurp the
functions of the body whose creature 1T