The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1892-06-23

WY AAS UiuS ucicShtC DdtlSS On the
lapel of cutaway coat under which
was prominent white vest Mr.. Will
son looked calmly over the delegation
for a moment and then began. II
Gentlemen of tle Convention: thank
you most heartily for this honor. / shall
endeavor to meet the duties of the high
position to which you have called me
with the spirit of fairness and equality
that is Democratic.
This convention has high and patri-
otic work to perform. We owe mucn to
our country The mission OF the Demo-
cratic party is to fight for the under dog.
When that party is out OF power we may
De sure there is an under dog to fight for
and the under dogi the American people
When The party is out of power we may
be sure that some party Is in control OF
our government that represents section
and not the whole country, that stands
for class and not the whole people.
Never was this truth brought home to
us more defantly than by he Republican
convention at Minneapolis. We are
not deceived as. to the temper of the
Republican party; we are rot in doubt as
to its purposes. Having taxed us for
years without mercy, IL now roposes to
disarm us of all powers of resistance. Re
publican success in this campaign,
whether we look to the party platform,
the party candidates. or to the utterances
of party leaders, means that the people are
to be stripped Of their franchise through
force bill in order that they may be
stripped Of their substance through tariff
bills. Free government Is self govern
ment There is no self government where
the people do not control their own elec-
ton Rad levy their sown taxes. Waen
either of these rights is taken away or di-
minished, breach is made, not in the
outer defenses but in the citadel of our
freedom, For years we have been strugg-
ling to recover the lost right of taxing
ourselves, and now we are threatened
with the loss of the greater right of gov
erning ourselves. The loss of one follows
necessarily in succession the loss of others.
When you confer upon the government
the power of dealing out wealth you un-
chain every evil that can prey upon and
eventually destroy free institutions-ex-
cessiye taxation, class taxation, billion
dollar congresses, a corrupt civil service,
debauched ballot box and purchased cleo
tions. In every campaign the privilege OF
taxing the people will be bartered for con-
tributions to corrupt them at the polls.
After every victory a new Mckinley bill
to repay these contributions with usury
out of taxes wrung from the people. For
every self governing people there can be
no more momentous question than the
question of taxation, 1t is the question
as Mr.. Burke truly said around which all
the great battles of freedom have been
fought. 1t il the question out of which
grew all the issues of government Until
we settle this question, wisely, perma-
ne1tly, justly, we build all other reforms
on foundation of sand.
We and the great party we represent
are today for tariff reform because IL Is
the only gateway to genuine Democratic
government. .-a
The distinguished leader who presided
over the Republican conWntion boasted
that he does not know what tariff reforEl
is. Who ever said that he did? Let US
hope, with that charity that helpeth all
things, that belisveth ell things. that he
Is fully as ignorant as he vaunts himself
| to be. Tn tostunately the people are not
SO ignorant of the meaning OF protection
at least of the protection which is doled
| out to them in the bill that bears his
| name. They see that meaning written
large today in prostrated agricultural,
| in a shackled commerce, and In stricken
| industries, in the compulsory idleness OF
labor, in law made wealth, and the de
spair of the farmer. They know by hard
experience that protection rs a system OF
taxation Is bnt the old crafty scheme by
| which the rich compel the poor to pay the
expense of the government. Tariff re-
| form means to adjust this system Of taxa
tion and to purge away this system of
| tribute. 1t means that we have not
reached the equality of true freedom SO
long as any citizen is forced by the tax
| to pay tribute to any other citizens
Governor Mckinley further declared
that the Democratic party believes in tax.
ing ourselves. I am afraid, gentlemen,
! we must admit the charge. What right
or excuse have we for taxing anybody else
| Why, with q continent for country,
with freedom and intelligence as the in
struments for its development we stand
disgraced in the eyes Of mankind II we
can, and il we do not support our own
government. We can throw that support
on other people only by beggary or by
force. If we use the one we are paupers
If we use the other we are pirate nation
The Democratic party does not intend
that they should be either. no more does
it intend that they shall allow other people
to change the expenses of the government
from the possession Of these who own the
property of the country to the bellies and
backs of those who do the work of the
country. 1t believes that frugality is the
essential virtue of free government. 1t in
tends TO limit taxation to public need.
and defray expenses by the plain rule oi
justice and equality.
But we are confronted by a new cry IL
4 4 this campaign. The Republican part,
says Governor Mckinley now stands fol
protection and reciprocity. He was fol
protection alone when he framed his bill
in the house, or rather when he permitted
Il its benefciaries to frame il for him, AND
4 firmly resisted all efforts of the Statesman
from Maine to annex reciprocity to it. NJ
wonder that he favors the reciprocity
added to his bill by the senate. You may
explore the pages of buriesque literature
for anything more supremely ludicrous
than the so-called reciprocity Of the Nc
Kinley bill. IL is not reciprocity at all
II It Is retaliation and worst OF ALL retalia