Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-10-29
Winans and Smith.

John Winans and William Smith
spoke to a good-sized audience at Tur-
ner hall, last Wednesday evening, in
favor Of the Democracy 1t is ques-
ton, however, whether they did the
cause any good. The speakers came
here evidently expecting to find an
audience of backwoodsmen and ignor-
ant men who do not read any news
papers or know what is going on in the
world. It is with this class of people
that arguments such as Winans and
Smith presented best pass current. We
have heard more than one Democrat
say that if Democratic campaigners
have nothing better to offer than the
GAINESVILLE emissaries gave them, the
party deserves to be beaten. Their
wholesale misrepresentation about the
tariff, the administration of state affairs
and the attitude of the two parties on
the Bennett law, cannot be explained
except upon the theory that they were
made purposely to deceive. Winans
and Smith both knew they told more
falsehoods than facts For instance, if
they wanted to- be honest with their
hearers, why did they not tell them as
regards the interest received by state
treasurers that the last Democratic
treasurer, Ferdinand Keuhn, and all
former Democratic treasurers, did pre-
cisely what is done now. In fact, the
precedent was established in Demo-
cratic times many years ago. Nobody
ever questioned the right Of the treas
urers to this money, SO long as they
were responsible, as custodians, for the
safe keeping of the funds and gave
their bonds accordingly. Why did
they not tell of the 100000 defalcation
by Edward II. Jansen, Democratic
treasurer during the administration of
Gov. Barstow, which was an outright
steal, and the only steal ever perpe-
trated upon the treasury? Why were
they silent about the $125,000 of old
and worthless bonds and mortgages
now lyingin the treasury, representing
that amount of money loaned and lost
by the Barstow administration from
the school fund? Here are ''steals as
are steals" but they are not pleasant
things for Winans and Smith to talk
about, because they are Democratic.
Their remarks about the tariff were
equally deceptive and fallacious. Does
Smith believe, what he said, that of
every 500 worth of goods one buys, $50
goes to the manufacturer? In one
breath he tells what wonderful profits
the manufacturer is making, and later
on he says the manufacturer must have
free and untaxed material, or he can't
live. How does that harmonic, Mr..
Smith? He said the duty on binding
twine has been increased that the
taxes on banks and railroads and COR
that the burden of taxation has been
removed from everybody's shoulders
except the farmers, who are carrying it
by means of tariff protecting every
body s interests except theirs; that the
tariff is legalized robbery; that it does
not favor the farmer in any manner,
but is entirely in the interest of the
$4,000 people whom he says own one
half of the property in the country;
that boots and shoes, stoves, tinware,
clothing and all kinds of goods are
higher, and will be higher still, on &C
count of the tariff that prior to the
passage of the Mckinley bill there was
no duty on boots and shoes; and much
more of the same sort, all of which was
gross and willful perversion of the
facts. On the whole, it were better for
the Democrats had this meeting been
omitted. Winans was not in his nor
NAL condition, and made rambling,
incoherent speech which satisfied no.
body. Smith and the truth were such
entire strangers during his talk that
the only impression left by the speaker
was that he was insincere and unre-
liable. His harangue did the Demo-
Gratis no good, nor did it do the Repub-
licans any harm.