The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-09-23
THE POPULISTS' MEETING.

OoSCI duUlClpdUlouS Cdluc Ou rudy
night at the city hall. There was a
small audience gathered in the front
part of the hall, many of whom were
PopuliSts. d. A. Thayer, deputy
state lecturer, was the speaker of the
evening and announced that the OBJ
Ject of the meeting was to answer the
arguments made by Prof. McCleary in
his recent address to the Scandinavian
club. Mr.. Thayer was wound up to
speak SPELL" as he put.it, on each
point made by Prof. McCleary, and as
he continued to speak the audience
dropped out quietly by ones, twos and
threes. until during the last spell"
there was little left but empty seats.
Mr.. Thayer started in by saying
that the principles of the Peoples
party are well known, butthose of the
two old parties are not. The latter
have been boarded together for thirty
years to prevent the people from max
ing reforms. He was condescending
enough to give Prof. McCleary credit
for being an honest man, as the Pro-
fessor had admitted that he did not
know much about the tariff but re-
lied upon the words Of the great lead
ers of the party. Prof. McC. had said
that the subtreasury scheme would be
an innovation and would not work,
but the speaker declared that it had
been tried in some other countries
and worked for theirinterest. Prof Nc
Cleary had denied that there was
contraction of the currency since 1866,
but the speaker produced statistics to
show that there in now 5000, 1000, 600
less money than there was in 1866. in
the United States, while there are 3d.,
900, 900 more people. How the speaker
arrived at this result was not plain,
but is was evident that he miscon-
strued some of the figures.
Prof. McCleary had stated that he
did not favor free coinage of silver
under the present conditions. The
speaker declared that in 1873 Congress
passed bill which demonetized sill
yer. though the people did not know
it, and that no Congress since then
had been honest enough to restore it.
The law is in the interest of the bull
lionists and bond holders of Wall
street and Europe. They buy our
silver at 20 cents on the dollar and
sell it in India for products at par,
thus taking the difference out of the
American people. The Democrats
and Republicans are controlled by the
bulliOnists of the world, and Prof.
takes the same position they
do.
Prof. McCleary has stated that cur
rency is not money, but is merely
promise to pay. The Republicans
and Democrats generally believe this.
The government can make money
which no man can question. All ma
tions have used fiat money and pros
pered by it. The FREE PRESS has
talked of cheap money, he said, and
of the Argentine Confederation, but
the latter has never issued dollar to
the people. The plan there has moth
ing similar to what the Peoples party
wants to inaugurate. What we want
is nearly like the banking system.
The Argentine money is not cheap
but is the dearest money, as
the interest is ten per cent. France
used fat money during the war and
great prosperity followed. The same
would be the case in this country.
There would be no idlers in the land.
Think of it, the public debt is great
er than all the money in the United |
States. There is but two per cent, of |
gold in the country to all the bank |
deposits, but three per cent of gold
and silver, and but ten per cent of all
How near BANKRUPTCY we are.
In case of war and everyone had to
pay up there would be general bank
ruptcy. 1t is time for the people to
take this question seriously to them
selves. The financial condition of
the country is staring the people in
the face. There are 1000, 900 to 3, OOO,-
900 people out of employment, and
the condition of things breeds tramps. |
Prof. McCleary had spoken of the
honest dollar, but Mr.. Thayer denied
that there was one in the country.
There is no specie payment. Prof. |
McC. had said that the Republicans
always did the right thing at the
right time. The speaker said that
from 1860 to 1875 he would challenge
to find blacker page in the |
history of the country. The country
has been prosperous in spite of the
tariff. The speaker then branched off !
onto several other subjects.
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