San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-25
Ex-Gov. ST. JOHN, OF KANSAS,

Talks in Rische's Opera House on
Prohibition-MOre OF the Old
Parties as SavOrless Salt
But Most Against
Tariff.
This distinguished orator had
good audience Saturday night in
Rische's opera house. He lie an easy
and vigorous. speaker and makes his
issues clear and sharp. We, with
many others present, had supposed
that his theme would be prohibition;
but learned later that his aim was
much broader and his views more
radical than that of prohibition SIM
pie. He told US that the saloon had
no Inherent right to exist; that it was
an outlaw, and existed only by statu-
tory provision. He said no one could
point to signle blessing emanating
from q saloon as small as o thumb
nail, much less as broad as Q blanket.
He gave us the oft quoted figures. the
cost OF the dram shop and is deadly
work. He said too that the saloon
man was no worse than the saloon,
and the saloon no worse than the ga
loon maker; the saloon maker no worse
than the saloon voter; and that the
dram. seller, with his white apron be-
hind his coun ter and the deacon with
his white neck-tie voting to license
the dram chop. were engaged in the
same work. In fact he seemed TO
have kind of grudge against the
''cloth" and white neck ties" forget.
ting that If the voice of the pulpit
could be eliminated from his cause,
ne would appear like bug on a chip
on the waves of the Mississippi,
f1OaJing down TO irretrievable OBJ
livion. He soon laid prohibition aside
and tackled the democratic and re-
publican parties, as the powers be-
mind the saloon, or rather as the
obstacles in the way of the third par
ty. After kicking and cutting them
awhile, he announced himself free
silver coinage man; but had to admit,
like any sensible repu biican or demo.
crst, that gold, silver and paper
should all be equivalent, each
havelpg the same purchasing power.
This is free coinage onlyin name. In
closing. he turned his batteries loose
on the Mckinley tariff; termed all
revenues collected by any tariff le
galized robbery, emitting to state that
1t was the only method provided for
in our constitution by such old fossils
as George Washington. Alexander
Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison and their associates. Why
didn't he assail these fathers for
giving US the tariff system of taxa
ton for our national government
Why didn't he tell his audience the
fact that direct taxation was prOhib-
tied by our constitution? 1t is sur
prising that a sneaker of bis intellf-
gence should omit to do so; because,
failing to do go, he failed to tell the
whole truth. We dislike to think
that he was willing to be thus unfair.
But as he proceeded In his arraign-
ment of the Mckinley tariff, this
lack of fairness was more
apparent. In fact he seems to have
taken what he supposed to be the
facts from some very rockies free
trade stump orator. His whole har-
apgue on the gu bject was most gross
Misrepresentation OF the Mckinley
tariff. We can illustrate. He said
the poor man had to pay as much
duties on 500 horse IS the rich man
did on $500 horse. How q man of
Gov. st. Johns intelligence could face
reading audience with such state
inent is comprehensive to me; for
will do him the credit to say that he
talked like one who wished only to
state facts. But to see how far he was
away from the truth, L will state what
the poor man would pay for his 500
horse, and what the rich man
would pay for his $500 horse. This
is the low "Horses and mules
$50 per head, (" provided, that horses
valued at one hundred and fifty dol
lars and over shall pay duty of
thirty per centum ad valorem." Now
the poor man would pay duties for
his horse $50. while the rich man
would pay $50 duties on his. In
otherwords the rich man would pay
more duties for his horse than the
poor mar would pay for horse and
duties by 500. The most of his state
ments about the Mckinley tariff
were as far from the truth as this,
and it would be useless to refer to
them. What are we to expect of
people led by such blind leader!
There is is no excuse for such blind
ness. Are we to class such man as
Governor st. John as q demagogue!
His argument on the tariff would
place him there and no where else.