Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-06-18
RECORD OF PARTY
Senator Lodge Euloglzes the
Work Of Republicans.
LONG LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS
Battle Cries Of Party In Power De-
elarsd Always to Have Been the
Watehwords Of Great Causes
President Roosevelt Praised.

Chicago, June Ex-senator Lodge Of
Massachusetts, permanent chairman OF
the Republican national convention. on
taking the, chair addressed the dele
gates substantially az follows:
Gentlemen of the Convention:
thank you most sincerely for the great
honor you have done me in choosing
me to preside over your deliberations.
have, indeed, heard Of conventions
where the honor Of such post as
that now occupied by me, is dubious,
and where. II excitement is present,
pleasure is conspicuous by its alb.
sence. But to be the presiding officer
Of a Republican convention is ever a
high distinction to which no man can
be insensible. Gentlemen Of the con.
vention, again ! thank you.
shall not delay or detain you with
many words. You resolutions will set
forth the principles of the party and
declare the policies upon which we
shall ask for the support Of the people
of the United States. With fullness
and with eloquence your temporary
chairman has already reviewed the
history Of the party, has given you
account of what has been done, and
has set forth what we hope and mean
to do. Ny duty is merely to aid you,
so far as | can. in the orderly and
prompt transaction Of the business
which has brought us together. That
business is Notwithstanding less
than to name here the two men who,
speaking with the simplicity Of truth,
will be the next president and vice
president Of the United States. In or
der to win for them, and for our party,
an assured as well as merited VIC
tory, we must defeat our opponents,
whose exclusion from power is desired
by the country and deserved by them.
Achievements Of the Party.
No political party in modern times
can show such record Of achieve
meht during the last 80 years as the
Republican party. Upon that record
we can stand and challenge all com.
ers to the lists. The American people
must choose next November between
us and the Democratic party. With
the Democratic party, and with that
alone, must the comparison be made.
We differ from that party in some i'm
portant particulars. We both, it is
true, have past and history, but we
treat those possessions very different
ly. They wish to keep their past
profound secret. We seek by all means
to publish ours to the world. II we
refer to their history they charge us
with calumny. We regard ours, truth
full and undistorted, as our greatest
glory. To the youth of the country
they say: Judge us solely by our
undiscovered future" We say: Read
our record; judge US by our past and
our present, and from these learn
what we are-what we have been and
what we mean to be-" Recall the cries
which have sounded from the lips of
these two parties during the last half
century. On the one side: Slavery,
secession, reputation Of the public
debt, fiat money, free trade, free sill
yer, the overthrow of the courts and
government ownership"
On the Republican side: Free soil,
free men, the union, the payment of
the debt, honest money, protection to
American industry, the gold standard,
the maintenance Of law, Of order and
of the courts and the government reg
ulation of great corporations" The
old shilbboleths Of the Democrats
are to-day the epitaphs Of policies
which are dead and damned. They
serve only to remind US of dangers es
capped or to warn US of perils to be
Stunned. The battle cries of the Re
publicans have been the watchwords
Of great causes. They tell Of victories
won and triumphs tasted-they are
embodied in the laws and mark the
stepping stones by which the republic
has risen to ever greater heights Of
power and prosperity.
The great body Of the American PEG
pie, neither very rich nor very poor,
the honest, the thrifty, the hard-work-
Ing, the men and women who earn and
save, have no base enyy--no fanatic
hatred OF wealth, whether individual
or corporate, II It has been honestly
gained and is wisely and generously
employed with 4 sense Of responsible
Ity to the public. But this great body
Of our people, BY habit and instinct
alike wisely conservative, these peo-
pie, who are the bone and sinew Of
our country and upon whom Its for
tunes and its safety rest, began to OBJ
serve, with deep alarm. the recent
Of the new economic
More and more they came
TO believe that these vast fortunes and
these huge combinations Of capital
were formed and built up BY tortnouS
and dishonest means and through q
cynical disregard Of the very laws
which the mass Of the people were
compelled 70 OBEY. They began 70
tear that political power was being
rsft from their hands and put into
ne possession Of the money holders.
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