The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1891-04-24
THE CONGRESS.
The Second Day of the Western Congress
Devoted to Speeches and Reading of


the commercial congress met yesterday
morning ex-Gov. Click, of Kansas,
made brief address, reviewing the de-
pressed condition of the agricultural in
terests of the country and the remedy.
Hon. p. P. Elder, of Kansas, also spoke.
The Kansas man was followed by DR..
Parsons, delegate from the agricultural
department. Mr.. Parsons discussed the
department he represented, spoke of its
policy and purposes, of the good it had
accomplished and expected to accom-
plish. His remarks were well received
and the congress showed that the new
department of the government was a
popular one.
q. S. Hall, president of the Missouri
Farmers Alliance, was given a more
cordial reception than any of the speak
ers who had preceded him He had
prepared an exhaustive argument on
the subject under discussion, but the
twenty-minute rule prevented him from
celebrating. He said: 'I think that
the enactment of unjust legislation has
been through the influence of party pol
itics, which has prevented the agricult-
ural section of the United States from
standing by and supporting economic
principles that are beneficial to that sec
ton. We sec this well illustrated by COM
pairing the votes of the two great agri-
cultural states of Texas and Kansas on
the great economic question of the
tariff in 1888, when one of them gave
100, 600 majority one way and the other
50, 200 majority the other way, when
their interests are the same.
This is only brought around through
the influence of partisan politics. The
legislation that has been enacted
through the influence of partisan poll
tics that has brought this depressed con-
dition is what maintains high tariffs, de-
crcasing the volume of the currency,
and allowing railroad companies to
water their stock and charge excessive
passenger and freight rates to yield
dividends on this watered stock.
'The Importance of the money ques-
ton springs from the fact that the peo-
pie have gone in debt when the volume
of the currency was from $50 to $40 per
capita, and since contracting those
debts that volume has been decreased
no less than one-half, thereby doubling
their debts, according to the teaching
of the best political economists upon
monetary matters.
"When Mr.. Sidney Dillon, the presi-
dent of the Union Pacific railroad, as
serts as he does in the April number of
the North American Review that it is
an imrertinence in any citizen to ques-
ton the right of railroad corporation
to increase the amount of its capital
stock to any amount it may desire, he
asserts n proposition that must re-
fleet either upon his intelligence
or his candor for any one
to claim that a railroad corpo-
alton which can only exist by grant
of power from the state has right to
pay 81, 500 a mile for railroad and then
increase its capital stock to 500, 900 a
mile and then demand of board of
railroad commissioners that it shall fix
rates that will allow such company to
declare reasonable dividend on their
increased stock, is certainly preposter-
Gus. The best refutation of such a
proposition is the stating of it.''
State Senator A. L. McKelvey, of
Ohio, made a ten-minute speech at the
close of U. S. Halls address In it Mr..
McKelvey discussed the causes of the
great depression in American commerce
from radically protective standpoint.
zone of the gravest causes" he said,
sis the enormous patronage of foreign
markets. Last year S315, 900, 900 were
sent abroad to foreign producers at
the very time when that money
was needed most right here
at home. Why is it that Americans
will spend 500, 900, 600 for foreign wool
when that might just as well go toward
nurturing the home product2 Over
$40, ,O00, 900 were expended for foreign
breadstuffs, tobacco and fruits, when
our own bakers, planters and nursery
men were mortgaging their business
for want of trade. That is the prime
reason to be attributed for the great
depression in our markets"
Congressman Crisp, of Georgia, spoke
on the subject of taxation, and Con-
gresham Gear, of Iowa, and others
spoke upon the needs of the west and
south.
INDoRSED BY DELEGATES.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, April 16.-The
news of the action of Secretary of State
Blaine in his reply to the Italian Pre-
mier Rudini was received with interest
by many members of the congress.
Mr.. John C. Wickliffe, of New Or
leans, who was one of the leaders
against the Malta in the lynching last
month, felt an especial interest in the
matter. When told that Secretary
Blaine had denied the right of indemni-
ty in the cases of the slain Italians,
with the exceptions cited, Mr.. Wick
life said: "Good for Mr.. Blaine. i
knew he would come around on this
matter in time. The Italians who were
killed in New Orleans were not killed
by the government and the local officials
did their duty as they knew it in their
efforts to keep the mob away. He is
right in saying that aliens have no
special privileges, but must content
themselves with the right of the courts
such as is accorded every American cit
izen."
Congressman Tarsney, of Missouri,
said: 81 think it is good for Blaine.
There was no other course for him to
pursue. When foreigners come to this
country they know, or ought to know,
what laws they are to be amenable to,
and they as well know the protection
the government affords them"
Gen. Post, of Illinois, said that he
thoroughly indorsed Secretary Blaine's
letter. 1t was the only stand that |
could consistently be taken by the ad- |
ministration. and the only surprise was
that Blaine had answered as promptly |
as he had, notwithstanding the report