The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-10-25
Hons. w. W. Dixon and w, Y. Penn
bertOn Address an Immense
Audience.
AN OVATION TO THE NEXT CONGRESSMAN
Ihe issues Of the CAMPAIGN DIS.
cussed in Il Very Mastery
Manner.
Our Canadian N~eighbors Preparing To
Celebrate the Completion of the
Great Falls and Canada
Railroad.

The large dining room of the Park
motel was filled with chairs Tuesday night
ana every seat was occupied, while many
were compelled to stand. The audience
was composed of representatives from all
the walks of life. Ira Myers presided
as chairman of the meeting. In we'll
chose words he introduced the first
speaker, Hon. w. W. Dixon.
MIR. Dixon made no claims to being an
orator, but he presented the questions be
ore the people with such logic and with
such force and clearness that the audi
ence was convinced. The position of the
democratic party on the tariff question
was clearly defined. The party is in fa-
Yor of a tariff for revenue commensurate
with the wants of the government eco
nomlcally administered. The republican
policy has been to increase the duties be-
You'd the wants of the government to such
II point as will protect the so-called infant
industries. and robs the people for the
benefit of the manufacturer. The repub-
licans have recognized the necessity of
reducing the revenue, but have done
nothing but make promises. For years
they have promised to lower duties, but
every time they touched it they have in
creased the cost of the necessaries of life.
The democratic party, under Cleveland,
made an effort to reduce the tariff in the
Mills bill, but that was defeated by a re-
publican senate.
The Mckinley bill embodies the ideas
Of the republican party on the subject.
They claim that it does not increase the
cost OF the necessaries of life. Mr.. Dixon
asked each voter to settle that question
by going to the merchants, the retail
dealers, and inquiring for himself. The
i injustice of increasing the prices on car
pets, window-glass, tinware, wooden
clothing, linen, hardware, boots, shoes
and other necessaries was made evident
when it was shown that the duty on silks
and other articles for the exclusive use
Vi IN ihbAl wac L''b lhLl CuDSNs ~ Ju6U
of silk velvet is not increased; the price
of cotton velvet is advanced. Silk dress
goods remain at the old price, while
worsted and cashmeres, the dress goods
that a poor mans wife mus wear, is in
creased. He showed that the claim that
a high tariff is followed by high wages is
false. No workman has yet received no.
ice of an increase in his wages since the
passage of the Mckinley bill. The tariff
is paid by the consumer of the goods and
the subject should be thoroughly studied
by every man. If there was any need
for a thigh tariff, if the govern
ment was in want of money to pay its
expenses the people would submit to
the tax cheerfully, but there is no need,
there is no call and the increased duty is
unjust. The bill was framed in the in
trsts of the New England manufacturers
and against the western farmer, stock
man and woolgrower. Mr.. Dixon made
a strong point when he said the people
do not stand together and work for their
interests. Tie leaders distract their at
tentlon by some political issue from their
WI interests, get them divided and while
the eastern states get all the benefits the
west and south must suffer. He insisted
that western representatives. should stand
with men who work for the interests of
the west and leave politics out of the
question.
In discussing the silver question he
SAID: "Both parties claim to favor free
coinage. The difference in the par
ties is not in their professions butin their
practice. The republicans demonetized
silver in 1878. Up to 1878 the United
States had two kinds of money, gold and
silver, and there was no difference in the
value of one dollar over another. In
1877 the democratic house passed II bill
providing for the free coinage of silver,
but it was defeated in the republican
senate and a compromise bill known as
the Bland bill passed. This became a
law, but the enemies of silver have re-
stricted the coinage of silver under it.
The enemies of silver are in tho east, and
the west and south must combine to de-
feat the power of their wealth. He showed
that the republican representatives IN
congress had refused to stand with the
democrats in favor of free coinage, but
had been whipped, through the caucus,
to submit to the eastern gold bugs. He
asked what the republicans have
done in the matter. Having
both the houses IN congress and
the president they could lave passed Il
law, but they did not. In regard to the
wants of this country he said we want
silver to be just as it was before 1875, we
don't want TO look in the paper every
morning to see what a dollar Is worth.
The pledges of the republicans have not
been kept in this matter. We want a
man who will JOIN with the men of any
marty to work for the interests OF our
mart of the country and who will not al
low his political p%rejudices to cause him
HS u.s.
to desc. t the interests of his constituents.
Mr.. Dixon explained the rejection OF
the votes in Precinct "a so clearly that
no one could fail to see that the whole
thing was done by men devoid OF hon
esty to steal the state legislature. While
on this point he stated that the election
board was composed of a majority of re-
publicans appointed by a republican
board of county commissioners, who dis
franchised ia voters because of supposed
frauds committed by this republi
can election board. Judge Mediation,
who was denounced by the repub-
cans for his Just decisions, has been
renominated for district judge and the
republicans have been unable to find a
man to make the race against him. He
appealed to every voter to study this
question and 10 avoid endorsing the
crime by refusing to vote for candidates
who have endorsed it. He stated that
this election will determine whether an
election elects or whether a partisan
board OF commissioners shall have full
power to amend or change the returns or
throw them out altogether.