Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 264, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1910 — Republicans Hold Good Meeting At DeMotte Thursday Night [ARTICLE]

Republicans Hold Good Meeting At DeMotte Thursday Night

There was a good turnout of republicans at DeMotte Thursday night to hear Emsley W. Johnson speak and the meeting was one of good feeling. Mr. Johnson made a crackShg good speech, praised the work of Senator Beveridge and asked that .he be supported by every citizen who wanted to see his fight for the interests of the common people continued. The audience gave the closest attention to the argument and Applauded it liberally. Senator Abraham Halleck,- who spent a good part of his life in DeMotte, whs called upon and made a good speech. He recalled the period from 1893 to 1896, when some citizens built a canning factory at that place and saw their industry ruined by the general depression that followed democratic control of the afTairs of the nation. He said that along about the same time he was engaged in the hay business there and that the common wages paid for a day’s labor was $1.25 ® day. although it was a common thin*? for a man to get only a dollar a day and then he didn’t get work half of the time hardly. He stated that when there was some work on hand he used to fire up his engine and blow tho whistle as a signal to the workmen jind_ they flocked in for a chance at the. work so thick and fast that not all of them could be employed. This recital of the condition that existed during that time brought many a,titter end several gave utterance to their recollections. One man said that when Abe’s whistle blew the responses were about as numerous as the doorkeepers at the last session of the democratic house of representatives. » Senator Halleck spoke about the Burk bridge extension and asked if there was any one in the hall who had worked on the job. Luther Frame said that he had and Senator Halleck asked him to tell what he knew about the length of the piling. He replied that he did not know the exact length and was not there all the time, but worked on the job eleven days and that he knew they were busy sharpening and splicing piling all the time and he thought some of it was 60 feet In length. This is the job that Babcock said the piling was only 9 feet long on, or rather he said he was “reliably” informed that it was only .9 feet long. Senator Halleck capped the climax when he referred to a man who had formerly lived in that section and who during the last democratic administration got In so badly that he pulled out “between two days’ and left a number of creditqrs. He then read a letter from this man, who plead for another democratic administration so as to get rid of high prices. The letter recounted how one of his children was teaching school and getting S6O a month and how his 16-year-old son had made SSO a month during the summer. He said he was getting along pretty well himself but wanted to get back again to democratic control and the restoration of the condition that caused him to make himself scarce “between two days.” Many of the candidates were present and the meeting was a good one.