Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-27

IfepupIlcan c.,nuldaIe Ior representative IN
congress Mr. Lincoln briefly ran over the
record of the record of Democracy as he
viewed the same.
The Democracy Denounced.
He said the Democracy of before the war
was noted for several things. One was the
advocacy and establishment of state banks
and wild cat currency: another was the
upholding of slavery ivineinstitution;
another was a contempt for workingmen
o. the north, whom the southern and
major and ruling contingent of Democracy
called "mudsi,ls." Lincoln couldn't see
how any self-respecting workingman could
be a Democrat when he remembered these
things Another Democratic doctrine Of
those days was that we were an agricultural
people and did not need manufactures.
Industrial Progress Since 1850.
The speaker then spoke of the progress OF
the country since 1879, which he ascribed in
large degree to Republican legislation. The
country had prospered under Republican
laws. Said he, referring to the time before
the war: 1--WE were then a distinctly agrl-
cultural country. We had no iron for our
railroads, and the good women at home
could not buy an American made Brussels
carpet. Today, on the contrary, steel rails
sell for $50 a ton that then cost $50 ton,
and you can buy American made Brussels
carpets at less than 81 that cost then $2.25 a
yard. And the same thing is true in regard
to hundreds of other articles. This was
mainly brought about by the Morrill, tariff
law and subsequent notifications Of that
wise law. Tariff laws, together with Amer
lean genius and inventive skill, have
brought the prices of all these goods down
to so low scale that it is simply astonish-
ing to those who lived back there and paid
the prices charged under Democratic aScen-
dency. [Cheersl.
Wages and Cost of Living.
American wages have, on the other
hand, been doubled and trebled during the
time of which l speak. The Republican
policy has enabled the working people to
purchase more with their money and has
secured to them more money with which
to buy. The Democrats wish to break
down this American policy They say
that the cost of living has increased. This
utterly deny. All articles can now be
bought on an average one-third cheaper
than they could thirty-five years ago. l
speak of quantity. 1t does cost more to
live but this results from what is called
the American mode of life. The working
people and others demand more comforts
now than then The American mode of
life is not, | assure you, known elsewhere
on earth.
Cheapness of Foreign Goods.
"They say that coats are cheaper in Eng
land than in America, The difference is,
my friends, that the American laborers
can BUY the coats. Across the water there
are crowds to be seen who could not buy &,
coat If they were selling at one cent each.
[Cheers.] They say that the prices of
manufactured goods would be cheaper if
we had free trade Well, I think that
would be true for time, and perhaps for
all time, but not for the reason you are
asked to believe. With free trade our man
ufactores would have to go out of busi-
ness. They could not live and pay wages
that would enable American workmen to
buy their goods. The occupation Of the
workmen would be gone and OUR country
men could not buy coats at one cent each,
The Great Armies Abroad.
"In foreign countries from 10000 up
; wards of able-bodied men are serving in
the standing armies of each country; yet
foreign workingmen are coming here to
get American wages / do not believe that
our workingmen, who see these plain
truths are going to scuttle the ship that is
carrying them safely and prosperously
through life" [Cheers.J He didn't be-
lieve the country wanted Democratic rule.
There had not been that sort of rule for
thirty-two years. for when Cleveland was
president there was Republican senate.
The Democratic party was not in full
power.