People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-07

put MS mana 10 CnaC great CRIME
which took away the legal tender
qualities from $140,000,00O-money
that was helping every man in this
country; the black man and the
white man; the farmer and the mer-
chant the laborer and the mechanic,
whether working in shop, field or
factory; in city, town or country.
For what purpose was that done
Simply that they could have an ab-
solute mastery over the products of
your labor, and over the labor itself.
All, my, friends, the Atlanta Consti-
tuition has shown you from that day
to this how the depreciation of silver
has gone hand in hand with the de-
probation in this country and in
India; in one country silver being
open to free coinage and in the other
not open, you have lost from ten to
twenty dollars on every bale of cot
ton from that to the present time.
All, the poverty that hangs like a
pail over this country is due, prl-
marily, to the characterization Of sill
yer. The Democrats of the country
went before the people of the coun-
try pledged to the free coinage of
silver; yet, when the Republican
Senate passed the bill, a Democratic
House killed it. Tremendous ap-
plause.] Now, I know very we'll
that the passage of free coinage act
would only add about $3.50 per
capita to the circulation, but that is
not the point. You would have two
kinds of money instead of one. The
man who does not see that the more
money there is in the country the
more he gets for his products and
for his labor is hopeleasly blind. The
man who does not see that the less
there is the less he gets for his pro-
duce and labor, while the dollar will
not pay cent more of his debts.
Thus it is that when you contracted
IA debt, say two years ago, and one
bale of cotton would pay it off, by
this contraction of the currency it
now takes two. If I had time to
amplify it I could show it in every
phase, but I want to come to the
remedy.
Now, the country is in trouble.
Nobody denies that. Democrats,
Republicans, Peoples party, non
partisans, all acknowledge that.
That is especially true Of agriculture,
which Thomas Jefferson says ought
to be encouraged as the handmade Of
commerce and manufactures. How
do the Democrats propose to help
you? In one breath they say that
we propose to do too much for you,
and in another breath they say that
because we propose to do too much
they will not do anything at all.
+ Laughter and applause.] One says
that they are going to reduce the
tariff, and Governor Northen speaks
to you about sixty cent pillow lines.
r Laughter. Where is the bill they
have formulated for your relief?
Shall it be the Mills bill? Why, the
Augusta Chronicle and the Atlanta
Constitution fought that as hard as
Mckinley himself.
A voice. That is so! Hurrah for
Watson! Hit i'm again!
Mr.. Watson. They tell you that
forty-eight per cent tax is an un-
mixed blessing and that fifty-six
per cent tax is an unmixed curse.
Look at the schedules Of the Nc
Kinley and the Mills bills and you
will see that eight cents is the diff
ference. What patience have you
with party that seys it will reduce
ffty-six per cent robbery eight
cents ? There are ffty-six wounds
sapping the life blood out of a
wounded body, and they propose to
plug up eight and let the other forty
eight continue draining the precious
fluid.
A voice. Hurrah for McGinty
Mr.. Watson. It is impossible for
these Democrats to find out where
they are at. He could not think of
the name of his man. There are
ffty-six evil spirits infesting the
body, and this Democratic savior
passes by and-does what? Exor-
cizes eight and leaves the poor body
to be torn and rended by the other
forty eight
I say that you can never have
substantial attack upon the tariff I'M
til there is some other way proposed
for raising the revenue, and the Peo-
pies party proposes a remedy by
levying tax upon the income.
Draw the fangs of these millionaires,
who. made their immense fortunes
by favoritism shown them, and say,
"You must pay half the tax as long
as you own half the property.
Voices. That is right; that is
just. (Cheering.)
Mr.. Watson. IF ever that be-
comes engrafted on the system of
taxation it will supplant the tariff
system, and supply the revenue lost
by reduction Of the tariff.
Voices (from the gang). No, no,
no; followed by jeering, and coun-
ter cries Of approval, followed by
cheers.