Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-27
THE SIDE OF THE PEOPLE.
Hon. De Los z. Phelps Makes HIS
First speech at Cable.
A strong Argument In Behalf OF Dem
.crat,c Principles Dy the Chairman
of,be state Central Committee-Ed-
ward Russell nc Davenport.
NOV psIos p. PHELPS AT CABLE

|
there from Aledo, Presumption. Reynolds
and several neighboring towns, but the
mos, notable part Of tie attendance was
The number of grey-haired farmers, men
who have been pioneers OF the state OF
Illinois and men who should know
whether their conditions will or will not
be bettered by an addition TO the tariff.
and TO hear the comments of these same
gentlemen after the meeting, twas
easily seen that Mr.. Phelps had struck
the right chord. II was Mr. Phelps first
speech of the campaign and he began by |
telling that he WAS born on farm and
that he had worked there till he had be-
came of age. Then. after brief term at |
college. be became law student, and at
ter being admitted to the bar, he prac> |
iiced at Monmouth for fourteen years; that |
he was instrumental in opening up rail- |
road from Peoria to kelthsburg and that |
now he was interested in the manufac>
ture OF plows OF all descriptions and
consequently was manufacturer. He
then defined the principles of the demo-
cratic party. saving that from the time
of Thos. Jefferson down to the present
they were for tariff FOR revenue only,
and that tariff to be imposed on the lux
uries and not upon the necessaries of
life, that ali this country needed was
tariff to run an economical government
and it was unjust aud unconstitutional TO
exact one cent more from the people,
that protection is sn injury TO everyone
except the owner OF the raw material,
that our American industries are no
longer infant industries: that three mil
lions of dollars were recently expended
on an iron mine before one pound of ore
was extracted tie then showed that it
was American genius and not the tariff
that had given US cheaper goods. and
thst il we were not hampered by this
tariff we would be the leading CONNER
cisl nation of the world. He showed
that England paid better wages in COM
parison 10 the number of people to
the square mile. and that if we
had busbel OF wheat or other
produce that we had to sell
it in the markets of the world, but if we
wished to buy We were compelled to buy
At one certain place. and claimed that If
we had to sell our goods in the markets
OF the world and ut their prices. we
should have the right to purchase the
goods we needed from the markets of the
world. Then he told how and on what
grade of sugsr the tariff had been taken
of, but the Old tariff still remained intact
on the grades that we use. but the re-
fners could have their raw material
shipped in free, he claimed that the
farmer hsd as much right to have
bounty on his produce as the sugar raiser
had on his. but that the giving of boun
ties wss wrong and wss q custom that
belonged to the old countries He con-
cluded by imploring the people to vote
for the man THAT would stand in your
place In the lower house of congress to
speak for you IN dispose of your prop
erty, TO exercise all powers IN your
name IL is solemn trust he seeks.
Would you trust man in ordinary mat
tiers of business life unless you knew ex-
actly what he would do as your agent,
knew that he would act as you would act
in the same placer That man Is Ben T.
Cable icheers). Mr.. Phelps closed with
an appeal for the voters to select men
who would represent their aims and pur-
poses.
RUSSELL AT DAVENPORT.
Mr. Edward Russell, of Minneapolis.
for many years editor Of the Davenport
Gazette, and for twenty years postmaster
at Davenport q man VIII o in the time of his
editorial vigor, was one Of the most fore
most and most pronounced republicans
in the state of Iowa, but who has been con-
verted to the democratic idea of the tar
III, delivered mastery address at Dav>
export Saturday night. Judge Nathaniel
French, another republican of the old
stock, who could not sustain the oppres-
sions and iuiquities OF the so-called pro-
tective policy, presided. and introduced
the speaker OF the evening In opening
his address Mr.. Russell reviewed briefly
and concisely his own record ss a repub-
licau, and his abandoning tue party when
1t came to occupy ground to which he
could not couscieDtiously follow it. He
dwelt briefly upon his action, and then
passed to the issues of the day. and de-
voted himself chiefly 10 the tariff. The
Democrat in reporting il said:
Then he proceeded in manner s,rik>
iDgly lucid and com prehensible, TO state
the case as it stands; the existence OF
numerous industries with their various
products. and the existence of a necess
ity of exchange of these products with
other people, manufacturers, growers.
producers of other goods. The argus
ments Of the republicans to the farmers
10 the effect that the tariff will build I'd
home industries and home markets, were
punctured with the simple statement OF
fact that farms have deprecated t. %
per cent Of their value 20 years ago I'm
der the very walls of the factories they
have been taxed TO maintain. Henry
Wilson, Of Pleasant Valley township. was
quoted to the effect that agricultural land
there, even in favored Scott county. sells
TOT great deal less than 20 years ago
And AL this depreciation occurred under
protective tariff. During 30 years of
protection, he cited statistics TO prove
the farmers have been steadily losing
~grOunj. The home market fallacy he re-
futed amply with the statement that we
are now overburdened with oyerproduc-
ton. We can't consume nearly all we
raise. To seek 10 DO SO is to deceive
ourselves.
Tine wage question was then taken IN
Reliable statistics show that less than 90
per cent. of the cost Of ali our products
IS labor II it is simply desired TO pro.
tect our lsborers 1t would seem 10 be ra-
uonal 70 cover this Item Of cost with a
tariff Instead Of that this Mckinley bill
puts on tariff averaging A. per cent.
The talk OF need Of protection for Amer.
ican labor is all bosh, for it is a matter Of
record that American cloth makers and
hardware men have testified before the
senate commission that their goods are
made by them more chesply than the
same goods can be in England. Our
improved machinery and methods and in
tellgent labor more than completes with
the cheap labor of Europe. Mr.. Russell
made TINS so plain. in the course of his
statements and statistics. tina, il was
fairly luminous,
MT Russell went on to crossfre the
republican policy that seeks. tbrougb the
Mckinley bill. to cut of our trade With
the rest of the world. A hundred and
TWENTY