Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-08-05
1t is Delivered to q Great COncOurse
of People at Mad
isOn.
FOrcefuI Facts Set Forth That Must
Make Many Democratic
Converts.

the participants being Hon. w. c. War
ner, of the New York City Tariff Reform
club, Gov. Mckinley, TIE protection apos-
tie, and ex Gov. st John representing the
prohibition element. Mr.. Warner made
telling speech and powerfully impressed
the twelve thousand people pres
ent with the Astounding merits
of the democratic cause. His stir
ring address was repeatedly interrupted
by applause. Mayor Rogers, of Madison,
eIoquently introduced yhe orator. Briefly
Mr.. Warner said:
"Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen:
In my opinion no greater honor could be
conferred than to be invited to
speak on democracy before so mag
nifcent an assembly. To speak
Of democracy is like standing
before a great mountain whose sides you
cannot scale. The democracy of the past
concerns US not today, but it is the de-
mocracy of the present and the future
which interests us. The democracy Of the
present concerns US all and we Invite the
solution Of the great problems before US,
and it requires the best ability Of the day.
Democracy means equal rights to all
and special privileges to none. (Applause.)
| The democratic convention at Chicago has
| formulated a platform OF its principles,
and it contains many Important p olnts
| By the farmers, when monopoly is riding
rcugh-shod over them and their interests,
/ the question is asked what may
be done to lift the burden
from the shoulders of toll, and
whether you can tax nation into pros
perity? | am not to commence discus
sion as to whether we shall levy tax for
revenue alone or not. You may take up
the Mckinley BILL and take up its sched-
ules with all their statistics, and you end
where you started. Examine fl ST the basis
on which the tariff tax rests. You will
commence to discover there what
has led the democratic party
to adopt the tariff plank. tApplause.) 1t
is on the standpoint Of right and wrong.
You may say that it is too much of
moral standpoint, but if you say the ten
commandments and the sermon on the
mount have no place in politics, then you
produce an outgrowth from which you
may pluck the fruit of billion dollar
congress. (Applause.)
eff tariffs are right then everything
that grows out of them is right, and they
are the better the higher they grow. Bnt
If they are built upon wrong foundation
then will You find injury and injustice.
''Let US suppose for an illustration that
the people here assembled are the only
people of Wisconsin, that you owe no
allegiance to any other power than that
which may spring up from your own crea-
ton. The first step you would take
would be the election Of a president and
other officers. Then you will begin to
enquire how are you to raise money. You
will lay a tax upon your people. You
will make every man raise the lever
which provides for your main
tenance exactly according to
his financial ability When you come to
a man with no property you will not tax
him, and the others will be taxed in pro-
portion to their belongings and the value
of their property. Suppose some man
should suggest the laying OF a tax on every
separate implement used in the industries
of your commonwealth, or upon every sep
arate article you bought, or instead upon
your personal property, upon your cloth
ing. As soon as men saw what that meant
they would vote it down. If you
wanted to raise $1,000 o not a single indi-
vidual would be allowed to escape. Such
a scheme would mean that everybody must
pay tax on everything he bought. If
you had in your community man like
John D. Rockefeller, he would have tc con-
tribute no more than a man in his rein
cries at one or two dollars day. Yet
that is exactly the manner in which the
United States government is supported
today When you raise the three to FIVE
millions necess airy to the governments
support it is not raised upon
the financial ability of the people, but
upon their consumption. Now you ask:
| Why did we not begin right?' Because
this government is the work of the ideal
of the eighteenth century, when the COM
mon people were compelled to bear the
expense of the government. Every nation
on the face of the earth wants large sums
of money, and the question is, how TO
get these large amounts without meet
ing a protest, and the poor of the
eighteenth century did not protect. Why
was there not more agitation? Because
the people did not understand. We come
into this world inheriting certain condi-
tions aad we do not stop to inquire Mr..
Mckinley himself is quoted as saying:
The people of this country do not know
whether they pay mill, or dollar, OF
hundred dollars, and what is the use of
agitation if they do not know?' Do not
think that the toiling people are quite SO
ignorant as they were four years ago, for
they will make a kick from Maine to
Oregon, for the people certainly want
change. (Applause,)