Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-10-25


1864, X. OF L., GrndstOne City, Mich.
DEAR SIR Returning home to-day, |
| found your communication on my |
table and herewith respond TO your |
questions:
1t has been the rule Of my life to be
| honest and sincere III my political con- |
victiOns and equally so in expressing |
my sentiments. | believe a man who |
secures Office by misrcpresenting his |
position on questions Of public inter |
est, is no better than one who obtains
money under false pretenses. am
therefore perfectly willing to answer
any and all questions with reference to
those subjects, which are or may be at-
fected by legislation.
TO your first question | will answer
yes, without reserve. 1t is as much a
means of conveying intelligence as the
mails, and / would US soon think of re-
| turning to the old stage coach for con-
veyance of letters, etc, as to oppose the
advance step of government telegraphy.
To you second question ! will say
that | will go even further than either
bill you refer to. am opposed to Civ
ing any part of the public lands tQrail-
road and other corporations. ! am in
favor of and will vote, If elected, to for
felt every acre Of uneaned land grants
and restore all such lands to the people
for actual settlement. ! am opposed TO
alien ownership in land in this country.
| am opposed to any individual or cor
pOration owning more land than they
can use. | do not favor nonresident,
idle lands any more than ! favor idle
capital or idle or unemployed labor. |
do and shall favor land for the landless
and homes for the homeless, and also
favor such policy us will give good
prices to the producers and good wages
to the Wage-WOrkers, so that they Will
be enabled to purchase homes for them
selves and comforts for their families.
70 your third question. OF late
years every patriot has looked with the
graveSt apprehension at the cOrruptlng
influences of wealth in securing posi-
tions in the United States Senate, hence
I favor the policy of bringing the cleo
ton Of these officials nearer the people
by direct vote, the same as that for
Governor of a state or representatives
in Congress In this republic the peo-
pie are the source Of all power. All Of
ficials are the servants Of the people,
and the more directly responsible and
accountable their servants are kept the
better for the people. Hence | willnot
only advocate the admission Of such an
amendment but will vote for it.
TO your fourth question. | am OPP
posed to anything which brings convict
or pauper labor into competition with
honest, intelligent labor; hence will ia
vor any measure which will restrict
not only the transportation of convict
labor, or the productions Of convict la
Dor from one state to another. but will
favor any measure that will restrict the
importation of convict or pauper labor.
or the productions of such labor, from
foreign countries to this country.
shall also favor all measures which
have tendency TO educate, elevate, en-
noble and improve the condition of the
labor of this country, shorten the hours
of toll and increase the compensation
of all classes OF wage-worGers.
The questions you propose do not
cover the important question of tinan-
cial reform. | am wiling to state my
position clearly in reference to them:
LIST. The coinage Of gold and silver:
! am opposed to the position of the
present Democrat administration in
its policy to stop the coinage Of silver.
| believe that silver is IA fully legal
money as gold. and the effect of demon
itiZing silver would be to increase the
purchasing power of money and thus
inhict a direct injury Oh the debtor
class and the producers and wagework-
y ers as well as on the business interests
of this country. Gold appreciates in
value by reason of its scarcity. hence
5 would favor less gold in the unit Of
3 value instead of increasing the silver
, in the American dollar.
I'd. Currency. | am opposed to the
!. policy Of the present Democrat admin
i istration to retire and destroy the
: Greenbacks which the United States
Supreme Court, few years ago decid-
ed was full legal tender currency.
believe that that decision. concurred in
by every member of the court except
Justice Fields, a Democrat, was right.
, / am opposed to any policy that would
increase the purchasing power of mon
ey or diminish the volume of circula-
ton below the business necessities of
the country. believe that cheap mon
ey and dear labor and the products of
labor and the farm are essential to the
prosperity of the people.
, ! was raised a poor boy on farm, and
passed through all the privations of
early pioneer life. / spent many years
of my life in log cabin, and am per-
sonally conversant with the hardShipS
Of those who have to pass through a
similar experience. l left my farm
home at fifteen years of age. / have
never inherited one farthing from any
human being All of the education
and advantages Of life / have obtained
has been through my own unaided and
personal efforts. There is not that man
living who can say that | have taken
from him one farthing that he will not
admit was legally and equitably mine,
hence | would be unfaithful to those
: who are struggling now with the world
to better their condition. and unfaithful
= TO the interests of all classes should |
advocate measures which would de-
grade labor and increase the hardships
of the great army Of producers and