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

"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen OF
the legally constituted state eonven-
ton: (Applause) want you to for
get for the moment that | am a
congressman, and | want you to
know that 1 am not a game warden;
daughter and applause) but | am an
American citizen and / believe in the
rights of citizenship. (Applaase). | be-
lieve in the rights Of the majority to rule
in this republic. / believe in the right OF
every citizen to cast an honest ballot and
have that ballot honestly counted; zap
plause) and he, whoever he may be that
would assume to usurp that right, wheth-
er it be in a convention or at the polls, IS
not faithful to the institutions Of this re-
public. / returned to your state from the
national seat Of government trying as best
| might to preserve harmony and unity IN
the Republican party of the state of Wis
consin. | love that party. L have
marched beneath it's banners since arriv-
ing at years Of manhood, and my heart
bIeeds now at the condition that / find
prevailing in that organization. But,
thank God, have this qualification of
knowing that before me are seated the
substantial men Of the state of Wiscon-
sin; men of high character, Of noble pur-
poses, actuated by the highest motives,
and the grandest body Of representative
men ever assembled in the state Of Wis
consin. (Applause).
Gentlemen, we belong 70 party
whose foundation is laid upon the idea
of human rights and liberty under the
flag Of this republic. We were organized
to see to it that every citizen beneath
DUR flag should exercise that right. Our
party in every one Of its platforms has
proclaimed to the people of this republic
that every citizen shall have the right to
exercise the. right Of franchise. We have
condemned conditions in other states Of
this union, and we have promised to right
them All, but our hearts bleed when we
turn to our beloved state and there learn
that the same system that DISTINGUISHES
one-half of the people of the southern
states is to be organized here in this
Badger state. (Applause.) Gentlemen,
I am here, as 1 always have been, a Re-
publican; and | cast my lot with you
gentlemen (applause), and you will have
all the talent that God has implanted in
me on the stump this fall to secure peace
and harmony in the Republican party
and the election of my old comrade, Sam
Cook.
"Ah. gentlemen, / would rather go
down with the men whom | see sitting
before me than to go up with a rump
many good men there. They are good
citizens. For the time being they are led
astfay. Gentlemen, when you go out Of
this convention do not go with clubs and
brickbats, but go out with the olive
branch and coax back our brothers.
When you go out Of this convention go
with firm resolve that your action taken
here today shall be ratified by the good
and the intelligent people Of the state of
Wisconsin.
Gentlemen, it may not be proper for
me to refer to it, but | want to say to
you In all truthfulness that your state
at the seat of government in Washington
never yet, in all it's history has attained
to the position that it has attained to
now. (Applause.) Here are two gentle
men that have been elected from our
state to the upper house in Congress, and
l want to say to you they are the peers
OF any there. Great applause) No two
men in the Senate Of the United States,
the greatest parliamentary body in the
world, stand higher in the estimation Of
their colleagues. No two men stand
closer to Theodore Roosevelt, that splen-
did type of American citizenship that is
now President Of the United States, than
do they. (Applause.) No two men can
shed more glory and lustre on this
Badger state than they. And in the
House of Representatives. will be
modest about it, but want to say to
state has your delegation forged to- the
front as they have done now. There
were never so many chairmanships for
the state of Wisconsin as now; never
delegation that would accomplish so
much and bring back so many laurels to
disturb it? (Cries of mo, no.) No, you
won't, because the people are going to
join with you this fall They are going
to restore the old Republican party back
to its mornings. II you don't do it, God
knows what will become of this delega-
ton Of whom l have been speaking.
Nov, just one word in reference to
your nominee for Governor. During the
great conflict when /, with many others,
were at the front, great, tall, lean,
lank, beardless boy came to my regi-
ment. 1t was not long before the Of
ficers of that regiment, began to learn
the value of that green looking beardless
boy, and they learned this, that when
ever they put him on guard, no matter
the dangers that surrounded us, that boy
was given the post of honor, and the
officers and men of that command, when
slept contented, because he was
splendid, faithful reliable soldier. That
man, that soldier, that green, gawky
boy, if you please, 1ong-legged shang-
hap as they said of him, is your nom
inee. for Governor. daughter and great
applause.) Gentlemen, | have known
him as a soldier, l have known him as a
citizen, | have known him as a repre-
sentative, and I know him today to be
as pure minded, as honorable and as sue
cessful business man as there is in this
state, and you have made no mistake
today.
"Now, just one word more: Bows, go
out from this convention not thinking
your ticket is to be defeated, but hoist
the banner to the masthead and declare
by all there is on earth and heaven, the
skies, that Sam Cook shall be the next
Governor, and he will be-" (Great ap-
plause)
Cries of Barney, Barney"
Speech Of Hon. S. S. Barney.
Chairman introduces Hon. S. s. Bar
ney to the convention.
Hon. S. S. Barney addresses the con-
vention, saying:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of
the convention, with a capital IT.
daughter and applause.) 1t is hardly
fair, and almost ungenerous, to call
me out here so unexpectedly at this
time after hearing as you have from our
two distinguished senators and other dis
tinguished orators. 1t is hardly fair to
me to do 1t, as you all know at the pres
at the same time | want to assure you
today, my Republican friends, that I love
the Republican party now as / always
have; and that I am loyal to the Re
publican party today as l always have
been; and that is why I sympathize
with everything you have done today.
and with the object which you have In
view. L want to say to you gentlemen
that in nv indignant fndau 6a