Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1892-10-28
speak of this as f..e land of the free and
the home Of til ,rave. It will soon be
the home OF IT,. -ich and the land Of the

speak of this as .e land Of the free and
the home of til .,rave. It will soon be
the home OF IT,. Itch and the land Of the
slave.
Labor and ":lpital should not be an
tagonists, but lilies rather. They should
not be oppolr..ts and enemies, but col
leagues and ailxilaries whose cooperating
rivalry is esse .itial to national prosperity.
But I cannot forbear to affirm that a
political system under which such des-
potic power can be wrested from the
people and vested in the few is a demo-
cracy only in name. A financial system
under which more than one-half Of the
enormous wealth Of the country, derived
from the bounty Of nature and the labor
of all, if owned by a little more than
30, 900 persons, while 1000, 900 American
citizens able and willing to toll. are
homeless tramps, starving for bread, re-
quires adjustment. A social system which
offers to tender, virtuous and independent
women the alternative between prosti-
tuition or suicide as an escape from beg
gerry, is organized crime, for which some
day unrelenting justice will demand
attonement and explanation. Mr.. Pres
ident, the man who loves his country and
studies her history will search in vain for
any national cause for this appalling con-
dition. There has been no general failure
of harvests. We have had benignant
skies and the early and late rain. Meth
er famine nor pestilence has decimated
our population or wasted its energies.
immigration is flowing in from every
land, and we are in the lusty prime of
national youth and the strength, with
unexampled resources and every slim
ulous TO- their development; but sir, the
great body of the American people are
engaged today in studying these prob
lens that have suggested in this morn
ing hour. They are disheartened with
misfortune. They are tired of the exact
ions of speculators. They desire peace
and rest. They are turning their attention
to the great industrial questions which
underlie their material prosperity. They
are Indifferent to party. They care
nothing for republlcanism or democracy.
as SUCH They are ready to say, "a
plague on both your houses, +" and they
are ready also, Mr.. President, to hail and
to welcome any organization, any meas
ure, any leader that promises them relief
from the profitless strife of politicians
and this turbulent and distracting agi-
tation which has already eliminated IN
violence and may end in blood.
If the proposition were to be submitted
to the votes of the people Of this country
at large, whether the silver dollar should
be recolned and silver remonetized not
withstanding the prophecies, the predic-
tion, the animadversions of those who
are opposed to it, l have not the slight
est doubt that great majority of the
people, irrespective Of party, would be
in favor of it and would so record them
selves. They have declared in favor of it
for the past fifteen years, they have been
iuggled with, they have been thwarted,
they have been paltered with and dealt
with in double sense. The word of
promise that was made to their ear in the
platforms of political parties has been
broken to their hope. There
will come time when the people will be
trifled with no longer on this subject.
Once, twice, thrice, by executive inter-
vention republican and democratic, by
parliamentary proceedings that need not
characterize, by various methods of legis-
lative iugglery, the deliberate purpose of
the American people irrespective OF party
has been contumaciousy trodden under
foot; and | repeat to those who have been
the instruments and the Implements no
matter what theimpulse or the motive of
the intention may have been, sat some
time the citizens will elect a house Of
representatives, they will elect senate,
they will elect a president who will
carry out the pledges and execute the
popular will.
Mr.. President, it may be cause, it may
be coincidence, it may oe effect, but it is
historically true that this great blight
that has fallen upon our Industries, this
paralysis that has overtaken our financial
system, coincide in point of time with
the elimination of the circulating
medium of the country. The public
debt was declared payable III coin, and
the power of silver was destroyed. The
value of property diminished in proport-
ion, wages fell and the value of every
thing was deprecated except debts and
gold. The mortgage, the bond, the cou-
pom and the tax have retained immortal
youth and vigor. They have not depre-
cated. The debt remains, but the capa-
city to pay has been destroyed The ac-
cumulation of years disappears under the
hammer of the sheriff, and the debtor is
homeless. while the creditor obtains the
security for his debt for a fraction of
what il was actually worth when the debt
was contracted.
There is Mr.. President, a deep-seated
conviction among the people, which
fully share, that the decentralization OF
conspiracy to deliver the fiscal system oi
this country over to those by whom i,
,, has, in my opinion, finally been captured