The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-10-16
FIRES THE FIRST GUN
II is Discharged at the Old Marx
But Hangs Fire.
Little Enthusiasm in the Speaker
or Audience.

6ut hangs FIRE.
Little Enthusiasm in the Speaker
or Audience.
The struggling manner in which the
people gathered and dispersed from Ii
brary Hall on last Monday evening,
during the address OF Congressman
Picker, is typical OF the shattered con-
dition OF the grand old party Of our
fathers IN this year OF our Lord 1891.
Had the Hon..John a. Picker visited
the Hills, or appeared before a Rapid
City audience as a representative OF the
People, we should have refrained from
critisizing his address, but appearing as
arepublican he becomes public property.
While Of fine appearance and apparent
ly perfectly at home upon the platform,
The gentleman is not an easy speaker, at
least on political questions. His SUBJ
ject appeared to bore him and he APP
parently spoke against time. Occasional
ly he caught congenial themes and the
audience caught q glimpse OF what he
perhaps is when in attune with his sub
ject.
The greater portion OF his very long
address a devoted to the poor old
tariff. sis it or is 1T not a taxi" That
old steel rail story was trotted out, with
many OF it's comrades SO familiar 20 all
>stnd the point fully impressed upon his
hoo oro thai Tho +o r;Sf 10 70 1>oor M
wages and build up markets for our
farmers. No reference was made to the
rapid rate at which we are importing
laborers and farmers and an indepen-
dent wonders how much the one lacks
OF offsetting the other. The gentleman
drew a very pretty picture OF the home
OF a laborer and farmer. A finely fur
nished house, carpeted floor, musical
instruments, educated children. If he is
an honest man, how wildly before his
minds eye must have arisen the true
picture OF the average home OF our farm
ers? He was very personal on tin mat
tiers and in his loud Boosting OF the
amount OF that metal which the Hills
would soon produce even brought a
blush of-pride to the face OF James
Fowler.
Before the Mckinley bill he bowed in
alteration and called aloud upon the
farmers OF prohibition Dakota to sup
ply the barley which the tariff had
closed out.
The old soldier racket vas next
worked. Here he was more at home
and worked in a portion OF an old re-
union speech. He touched the subject
up nicely, but exposed the bait when he
declared that he failed to see how an
old soldier could ever vote any but the
republican ticket. This assertion
knocked the underpinning from all his
pension theories. The day when the
republican, or any other party, car pre-
empt all the old soldiers is past. In the
independent state convention the Grand
Army badges were conspicuous and the
nominee OF that party is an old soldier,
On the silver question he warmed uE
and roundly denounced the demoneti'
zation in '73 as a crime. He admitted
that more money was needed and that
it should reach the people, but had not
a word for that measure looking to this
end which he introduced (by request)
the sub-treasury bill.
Very often was the sentence "my dem
ocratic friends heard during the adj
dress. AS the bully pitches onto ;
small man, SO the speaker attacked TIL
party Of 10000 votes, while the part,
OF $4,000 was accorded a few moment!
OF ridiculc at the close. He first in
suits the intelligence OF the "a indie
pendents by asserting that crop failur
drove them from Che old parties. Thel
follow assertions which he proceeds t,
prove a lie. No party, he says, is 81
dominated by bosses, and in the mex
breath he hat the lndcpen
dent party is above bosses; for he state
that at Pierre they overlooked then
all and chose a righteous one above re
proach. Again at Huron, he states, ne
boss was chosen but plain FarmerSmiti
Here the gentleman became patheti
and cried, come back! Why will yol
leave us! What have you found tina
the republican party has not offered
What principles do you demand tina
the old party will not give? Ca voice
Government ownership Of railroads"
Well, ah!-yes, all, that is a weight,
= question. l favor myself, full government
control, but scarcely ownership, and tn
financial question which is advocated
consider one Of the most important, bu
the old parties will take them UP. Com
back to your fathers house! why will y
feed on husks? Friend Picker, thes
many years we'vefed onhusks. TVS corr
wa'ra after