The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-09-25
From Thursdays Daily /.


McCleary as the republican candidate
for congress from the second congress
sional district was ratified last even
ing with,>a demonstration of whom
any man might be proud. 1t was an
outpouring of the citizens to do honor
to fellow citizen who had won hon
or, and to extend to him their cordial
greetings.
Early in the evening the Twentieth
Century band played selections in front
|of the Saulpaugh, while hundreds off
citizens thronged the corridors and eX-
tended congratulations to Mr.. McCleary.
From there he was escorted by the band
to Jackson street, where a platform |
had been provided. Mr.. McCleary took |
Il seat upon this platform, aceompan- |
Editor August Blissenbach and Paul
Iverson.
Little time was wasted in cere-
Ony, but almost as soon as the band
ceased playing Professor Nettleton rose
ito introduce Mr.. McCleary The street |
was packed with people, men, women
and children, from one side to the |
other, and the crowd extended up and !
down the street for considerable dis |
lance and was fanked with carriages |
and automobiles
introduced By Mr.. Nettleton.
Professor Nettleton said that he had I,
been called upon to perform a service
that was unnecessary-to introduce the /
speaker to Mankato audience. He |
remembered well when, as student |
at the normal school, twenty seven
years, ago, a new face had appeared
in the faculty. The new teacher was
a small man with side whiskers who
wore spectacles. (Applause.) 1t was
Professor J. T. McCleary. Those in
his classes knew that there was one
thing to expect, and that was absolute
thoroughness. Professor McCleary had |
always been very popular with the
students. Later the speaker, then a
resident of Illinois, had read of Con-
gresham McCleary's rise in national
fame with pride feeling of that he
was once his instructor. All now feel /
a just pride in the next Congressman
from the second district, Hon. j. IT,
McCleary. (Applause.N
Next Congressman Speaks.
Mr.. McClearv then advanced and
spoke in a happy mood, not once re-
ferring to politics, but touching chords
that were responded to by all present. |
He said:
"This is very kind of you, in
deed, and l appreciate it more than
/ can tell. [ take it not as an
expression of political fellowship,
but as an expression of good will
toward one of your neighbors who
has been honored by his fellow )
citizens
"Two years ago it was my lot
to accept defeat. | tried to ac-
cept it gracefully. One of the
kindest, sweetest, and most gra-
cious things that ever entered in
to my life was the banquet given
me by by neighbors of Mankato,
and participated in by gentlemen
of all parties. l never knew and
never since haye heard of a man
being banqueted in the hour of
defeat. 1t was thej kindly Manka-
to spirit expressing its sympathy
with one of its own people. And
now tonight, you have come to
express your sympathy not
in any partisan way, but in a hui ,
man way, with one who has receiv-
ed at the hands of his fellow
citizens an honor of which any one
might well be proud. 1 am ex-
ceedingly grateful to you, more
than | can express to you. This
means that everywhere there are
men of kindness and neighborliness;
and more among us than we
sometimes think. As we go about
our everyday affairs, we necessar-
lily have to look after our own
interests. But when sorrow comes,
we come to the rescue of the
stricken one and hold him up i'm |
his bereavement; when Joy comes
to him we are glad to show that
we do share his joy. This is but an
expression of the higher something
that is within us. We have our
differences = honest differences of
opinion-on so many things. But we
all love virtue We Vail admire
manliness
Only Difference Is Politics.
"We all love our country and our
only difference in regard to. pol |
itics is as to how best serve
her interests. Therefore, my coun-
trymen, in all of these controverII
sizes that are political, there is no
need and there is no room for any
unkind world or any unkind
thoughts. As we have one common
object of affection in the land I |
that we love so well, we can afford
to talk kindly during the re-
mainder of this campaign, and dis
Gus the issues that are before us
in the spirit of those who desire
only the good of our country and
whose differences are simply as to
the ways and means. I thank you.