Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-01-17
THE FAR MERS.
lGNATlUS DONNELlY MAKES
A GREAT SPEECH.
Railroad Robbery, Political Rascal,
ity and idiotic Conservatism -
The Wood Tick and the Honey.
Bee -- The rlutocrats and the
People

" WV" a ~ AhN WV tAtHtN
Bee $780, The rlutocrats and the
People.
At the recent State Convention of the
Minnesota Farmers Alliance, in re-
sponse to repeated calls, lgnatus Don.
nelly, who is now known to be the
author of caesars Column -, delivered
remarkable speech, copious extracts
from which are published below. Mr..
Donnelly has been suspected of working
IN the interest of the Republican party.
His emphatic condemnation of both par
ties and his consequent advocacy of in
dependent political action would tend
to show that the charge was unfounded
On the other hand, however, the pure
ly greenback theories which he has
long been known to entertain seem
rather inconsistent with his latest radi-
cal utterances. Has he progressed Z
Is he sincere? We hope so. Mr.. Don.
nelly said in part
We must not get into bed with either
Of the old parties. If we do we will con
tract their diseases. And the worst dis
ease they have is the disposition to re.
gard the people as something to be hind
cred, thwarted, lied to, humbugged.
Their highest idea of statesmanshp ia to
obtain power by fine promises, in a
grandlloquent platform, and then stick
their tongues in their cheeks at the
people and sell out to the corporations.
This thing has gone on year after year
until thousands of men have risen up in
their wrath and declared it must stop.
And it will stop You have but to com.
pare the statute books of the last ten
years with the platforms of the two old
parties, to perceive the villainous frauds
that have been practiced on the people.
Both parties have declared, time and
again, that the water must be squeezed
out of the watered stock-but there has
not been enough water extracted to wet
the lips of thirsty Arab in the desert
Of Sahara. The fraudulent capital
lzation of the railroads in Minnesota, in
the face of an enactment declaring il a
penal otfense, has increased about 1898.
00O, 900; and the average capitalization
of the roads Of the State has risen from
about $37, 900 per mile to $43, 800 per
mile. If 1t il crime to steal a loaf of
bread from one man, how much greater
is the crime to steal the money that
would buy that bread from the pockets
pF d million If - 30
forge a note for $40 how much greater
is the crime to forge Il bogus mortgage,
for which no money is expended or re-
ceived, and saddle it on the backs of
great communities. to be paid, principal
and interest, out Of unrequited toll
through generations of misery
" Everything Is comparative in this
world, Jay Gould with his $3.50, 600 900
of watered stock would consider it an
abOminable piece Of radicalsm" If
single dollar of it was confscated by an
indignant public. The people will regard
it as rank conservatism if a single
dollar of it is left IN his hands. The
Lowland Scotch have a proverb, at is
i'll getting the breeks off a Highlander;
- for two reasons :: - first because a
Highlandman will fight like the devil on
the slightest provocation and secondly,
because he has no "breeks," or breeches
to take off. But the llighlandman's de-
fense Of the place where the breeks"
ought to have been, is as nothing com
pared with the fight which bogus
capitalization will make for the defense
of its tigment Of possessions. The High
Il ,,nriu -hrnaiyu a.
the cold but the capitalist s non capital
is as good as refined gold, to exclude the
blasts Of poverty, SO long as a patient
people submit to be plundered to make
it good, by paying interest on it, out of
their hard earnings.
There was rich man in San Francisco
who was very corpulent and troubled
with penduous stomach. He consult
ed Chinese doctor. The disciple of
Confucius shaved his head, put plaster
on it, stood him in the corner, and told
him to stand there until the plaster drew
his belly up. | don't know but he is
standing there yet.
"The old political parties in this country
have had the people in corner for 20
years past, drawing up their bellies with
the plaster Of fair promises. The belly
shrinks but it does not rise. When the
victim complains the doctor changes the
plaster - he takes off the republican
plaster and puts on democratic plaster
And still it draws, and stiu the victim
waits, for both pla-ters are made out Of
the same materials and bought in the
same shop-the old shop Of monopoly.
IT piyiIiyaiiou of tho trorlJ T., I., =,
the civilization of the wood-tick and not
the honeY-bee. The wooitick sucks.
but it creates nothing. The thing that