Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1896 — A SUCCESSFUL OPENINCI. [ARTICLE]

A SUCCESSFUL OPENINCI.

A large audience greeting Hon. W S. Kenworthy, at the first Republican speech of the campaign, at the opera house, last Friday afternoon. In fact it was a surprisingly large audience, considering the fact that, the speech was in the day time, and a bad day of the week, at that; also that the farmers are so very busy, just at this time. But the opera house was crowded to the limit of its seating capacity, below, and the galleries nearly so; and during most of the time there were a number present who were unable to find seats. And it is a notable and very encouraging indication of the interest people are taking in the campaign, and of their desire to hear the political gospel of Republicanism, that scores of ordinarily very busy farmers left their work and came in to attend the meeting. * Mr. Kenworthy is a very able speaker, and a very interesting one, and for full two hours he held the undivided attention of his audience; and who seemed, by their frequent and hearty applause, to be fully in sympathy with all the speaker said. The money question claimed the greater part of the speaker’s attention but the tariff was also touched upon at considerable length. On both of these great questions his arguments were so clear and lucid and his facts so conclusive as to fully justify the remark of a workingman who heard, that anyone could understand the subjects as he presented them.