The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-09-26
THE COUNTY FAIR.
The Annual Fair at Garden City
a Splendid Success.
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly gives his
first Campaign Speech for the
Alliance.


closed Friday, was complete sue.
cess in every way. The bad weather Of
Thursday served to lessen the attend.
ance, though great many Mapleton
and Good Thunder people were present
Yesterday the weather cleared up and
what seemed likely to be disagreeable
day proved to be a splendid one, and
the attendance was as great as it ever is
; on the last day. The entire gate re-
ceipts of the three days were over $500
which shows that at least $500 people
and probably 5000 paid at the gate
The exhibits were as whole fully UP
to the average of the past few years, and
in Floral hall and in certain classes OF
the stock exhibit there was marked
increase in the number of entries.
The first DAY was devoted, as usual, to
getting the entries in order. The event
of the second day was an address by
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. He did not
arrive until late in the afternoon, and
was unable to speak very long, owing 10
the rain. Many bad left the grounds
and did not hear him. The races were
postponed until Yesterday on account of
the rain.
Again Yesterday the great attraction
was Mr.. Donnelly, who spoke for an
hour and half in the afternoon, in his
usual eloquent strain. He came out
fairly and squarely for the Alliance.
From his opening remarks one might
gain an impression that the county fair
was being run in the interests of the AL
nance party. A lumber wagon was
hauled under the shade of large tree
and used as stand for the speaker. a
large audience was attracted, and listen
ed with the closest attention. The
speech making began at shortly after
two o'clock.
Mr.. Lysander Cook introduced Mr..
Donnelly, who said:
This is understood to be an Alliance
meeting, in behalf OF the Alliance ticket.
The Alliance movement Is compare
lively new one. Parties are created by
the circumstances of the times. The
speaker traced the origin and growth OF
the old parties, those the country and
city. The Democratic and arlstocratiC
parties after the revolution divided the
people. From the cities of the east the
aristocratic party changed its grouni 10
the south, where II was led off to a de-
Tense of slavery. The recessitv of op-
posing slavery created the Republican
party. That party Old righteous and
gigantic work, and | am not here to say
one unkind word about it. If the sup
preston OF slavery was all ii lid, would
be here to stand up for it. New dangers,
issues and doubts have since arisen, aud
we are in the presence of new facts.
Slavery has gone past resusltaton, and
the war is passed. The same ueceeslty
TO resist slavery exists to-day, and sum
mons all to come to the support of the
movement-the Alliance movement.
In tie state are over 1000 Alliances
numbering 80, 600 member. There ie
scarcely state in the union where it
does not exist. 1t contains 100000
members, black and white, and is ad-
vancing into q party.
What are the facts that justify this
movement? The laboring classes are
on the down grade to the pauper con-
ditions of Europe. This is no verbiage.
The state assessor Of New York stated in
a recent report that the farmers are be-
ing swept off the land by the burden OF
debt, and IN 40 or so years there will
not be a single farmer in New York who
will own his farm. The whole farming
population will be tenants, as in Europe.
The speaker outlined the debased, de-
graded, hopeless condition of the Euro
pean land tenants We see this prog
ress downward over the whole country.
This county is veritable garden of the
Lord, with every natural advantage and
institution that can be desired Yet al
most every farm is mortgaged, and the
people are struggling to hold themselves
from ruin. How long can those who
have kept the mortgage off still continue
free? What would become of you and
your families if a few poor crops oc-
Cured on top of your mortgages? A
few years would lay your heads be-
meath yonder grave yard; your families
would wonder to the city, where power
ty and HOPELESS wretchedness would stare
them in the face. American labor is
coming to the choice between submls-
sion or starvation. In Europe they can
hold down the poor starving wretches
when they begin to rise, by putting the
bayonets at their Threats. Ia America
there is different, freer state or affairs.
When you have made the farmers and
laborers slaves you have ruined the re-
public. Before that state of affairs is
reached, labor will break out in rebel
lion,as there is no standing army to hold
1t down.
Some will say that this is demagogue
talk. In the original sense the word
means leader of the people, than
which there Is no more honorable posi-
ton. In the present sense it means
one who, taking advantage of the errors
of public thought, rides into power. Mr.
Donnelly reviewed his own career to
show that he bad always been on the
side of the people and that by prevent
ing some steal he was from that moment
doomed by corporate power. There
have been many schemes and rings to
rob the people, but no man has or ever
can allege that ever had finger In
these operations. No man can deny
that l came back from Congress as poor
a man as when | went there. No man
has ever accused me of being fool, but
certainly if had attempted
to make money when the chances
were offered [ would have been fool
It is the servile tools of the railroads
who ride into Office. How many men
have you sent to congress who don't
know enough to come in when it rains?
/ couldn't even be elected president OF