The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-07-03

wastefnl expenditure of time and eff
fort. The work can be done better
and more effectively before than after
the conventions are held. The plan
to be followed in New York is to
form clubs all over the State and
make them the centers for organizing
the party and stirring up the voters
to sense of the Importance of the
campaign. A similar plan is on foot
in Minnesota and other States, and is
working admirably. The energy and
fOrethougt the New York Republi-
cans are showing is highly encourag-
ing. If it were copied in every Other
State this year the Republican party
would find itsely in admirable shape
at the beginning of the Presidential
campaign of 1892.
The Cubans seem to have struck
Snag in connection with the reciproC-
ity treaty between the United States
and Spain, which provides for the
free importation of Cuban sugar into
this country, and very considerable
lowering of the dnties on American
products imported into Cuba. To
counterbalance the loss Of the reve-
nue. resulting from this arrangement
the Spanish minister for the colonies
proposes to tax sugar plantations
The effect of this proposal has been
to eXasperate the Cubans, and a meas :
ure which might have been expected
to conciliate them may, through this
direct tax scheme, operate to still
further estrange themfrom the moth
er country.
Senator-elect PETER, of Kansas.
made a speech in New York city Mon
day evening in which he tried to pic
ture the condition of the country and
people in the most sombre and mel
ancholy colors. He said among other
things:
One-half of the homes of this coun-
try are mortgaged for more than they
are worth. If the whole State of
Kansas were put up at auction at 80
days notice it would not bring enough
to pay her Indebtedness. l make the
same assertion regarding every agri-
cultural State in the country. We
are not starving in Kansas. We pro-
pose to pay our debts, but we can't
pay 10 per cent. debt out of per
cent. business. The farms are worth
a little more than the debts upoR
them, but the railroade of the State
owe four or five times their value.
There is no better way to describe
such talk as this than to call it ''Pef-
ferlsm." Senator PETER is the pro-
duct of calamity himself. If there
had been no bad droughts and short
crops in Kansas, the Worlds cata-
lOgue of great men would never have
been enriched with the name of PET
fer. Having thriyen on misfortune.
Mr.. PETER believes it his duty to keep
up the impression that the country is
going to the dogs. The facts and fig
ures, however, are stubbornly against
him. The Kansas farmer now begins
to see the end of many of the diff
cultieS with which he had to con-
tend in the past three or four years
There will be little real necessity this
year for the calamity in Kansas
There are very few industrious farm
erS in that State who will not find
a good balance on the right side of
the ledger at the end of this season.
That will be the end of Mr.. PETER.
He will sit in the United Statea SEN
ate for six years, and do his best to
say solemn things in the most solemn
way, but they will have as much In
fuence on the policy and progress Of
the country as the midnight croak-
ings of a lonesome buli-frOg. Mr.
PETER has mistakan his country and
his mission There is no room here
for calamity party, and this is no
time for Pefferism.
Senator PETER has had his whiskers
trimmed The old parties expect tG
give his political organization trim
ming next year.