The advocate., 1890-01-23

Extraots from q apeooh Of Hon. A. j..
stroster, Ex-Pre0ldent Of the Farm
ers alliance, Delivered nt Mlnne-
apolls Dot. 8 1897.

apolIs Dot. 8 1897.
And here state a truism. The pros
perlty Of nation Is measured by the
prosperity oflts working and producing
people. When the common people are
prosperous, then the nation is prosperous
indeed; but II the workers in the fields
and factories and mines are poor, and
have not the means TO pay their debts and
support their families comfortably, then
such nation Is poor indeed, though It's
public treasury like ours be full Of mon
ey, and lts commercial cities booming
with wealth untold am not here TO
speak III Of those who have acquired
wealth. presume they have acquired IL
honestly under the existing laws and reg
ulations, some Of which need changing
badly. You wealthy men Of large cities,
hear friendly word for am here to
speak for many thousands. You are kill
ing the goose that has laid for you 80
many golden eggs You have piled up
on the laboring and producing people a
load that they no longer feel able to bear.
| don't mean TO say that you have done
this Intentionally, but in your desire to
acquire and amass wealth, you are sap
ping the foundation Ofthe nations prosper
ity. In /, gislatiOn you have obtained the
advantage, aud until the fundamental OBJ
lect in making the laws has been lost
sight of-that is, IL should be the object
and intent Of the law to protect the weak
er membera Of society from the encroach-
ments Of the former and this principle
holds good be they either physically or
financially week
We are not here to beseech you to let
up and let us live, but we say In plain
English you have got to let up The In
dustrial people must be saved from inn
pending ruin. They must live. And we
propose to teach the government, both
state and national that II is their duty to
legislate in the interests Of the common
people for awhile; to enact such legisla-
ton as will help the people to pay the In
debtedness, now so great that they are no
longer able TO pay the annual interest
thereon. The government has more than
once opened the doors Of its vaults to ac-
commodate the banks when hard pressed
for money, and stand readyto do 80 again
but when did the government open It's
vaults to help the people when in distressH
Is this government Of the common peo-
ple. as our fathers made IL, or is 1t a gov
ernment Of moneyed arist6crOts that have
usurped and overthrow the government
that we have inherited from our fathersY
DO YOU ask what we wantG / answer we
want cheaper4ates on transportation, and
the same rate to all, though one lives In a
pilded palace, and the other in a dugout
on nlb llLJle IAEHl'
We want cheaper rates for the use Of
money, to the end that we may be able
to pay OIL the mortgages that are now
eating us out Of house and home. The
government is furnishing the banks with
money at cost of one per cent per an
nun, and we have to borrow the same OF
the banks and pay from eight to twelve
per cent in advance Is this iustices
Who gave to banks such special privil-
eresY The law-the law that makes one
class rich and the many poor We want
the government to issue the money of the
country, and in volume to meet the re-
ouirements Of business In the country,