The Yellowstone journal., 1894-10-24
PLEADING FOR POPULIsM.
of Popuii-m at the Court House
Last Night.

|
gave due and timely .notice OF Mr..
Smiths appearance here last night. All
day long an empty hay wagon decked
out with banners announcing the event,
paraded the streets and at early evening
the Miles City band and an anvil bat
terry gave out periodical reminders Of
the imminency OF the event. As a result
of these efforts, the court room was we'll
filled with an audience made up, we
should say. of one third each democratic,
republican and populst when Mr.. Abra-
ham Hall arose a few minutes after
eight O'Clock and with brief allusion
10 the existing conditions. introduced
the speaker OF the evening. Hon. Rob
ert B. Smith. the peoples party candi-
date for congress. 1t is not our purpose
to attempt any reproduction OF Mr..
Smiths remarks. He spoke for full two
hours and though repeatedly repeating
himself and going over the same ground
twice and thrice. he said a good deal
more than the JOURNAL could give
space TO. even il it's readears cared for
the treat. Mr.. Smith is a good talker
and plays with some effect on the pred
iudices existing between the poor aad
the rich; in fact this theme was the
skeleton Of his talk last night on which
he hung a wordy harangue principally
about silver. taking occasion every now
and then 10 draw aside tho garnlture Of
words and reveal the skeleton Of the
rich man gouging mis- poor neighbor
with the democrats and republicans al
ternately helping him do it Such an
argument is very taking TO the
people who call themselves poor. All
are poor relatively but some claim pow
erty as birthright and TO these the ar
raignment % the richer classes by Mr..
Smith seemed like the pleading Of their
own cause, and the speaker was invari-
ably rewarded with applause. As
matter Of fact Mr.. Smith knows this is
all the veriest kind Of rot. As far as his
cerned it is all vested in his vote. He
was here the best part OF two days and
though frequently in the range OF edi-
torial vision. We did not see him in the
society OF any poor men or even laboring
men. II his bowels yearn SO over the
oppression Of the poor by the rich why
doesn't he spend his leisure time with
those who earn their bread by the sweat
OF their brows, counseling them private
ly as well as publicly in their distress
and lending them the aid and comfort
OF his magnetic presence. As a matter
OF fact, Bob Smith has got no more use
FOR the poor man than other politician
and il the poor man has got lick OF
sense he must long since have noticed
how interesting his condition becomes
to the politicians every two years and
how rapidly that interest wanes after
election. Much that the speaker said,
was in the same strain Of demagogy as
as his sympathy for the poor man. For
instance in leading up the demonstiza-
tion Of silver he had stated at the close
OF the war the public debt was s2.6OO,-
600 and that the country had in funds
available for it's payment 81 .S12. 600 leav-
ing q let debt OF $4,000. AT this
time" he said "the great silver states of
the west were beginning to put out their
wonderful product; the Comstock mines
were turning out 40 to 80 million of sill
yer year, and the other silver produc-
ing states we're running the total annual
product up to 20 millions. Something
must be done to save the gold bugs of
Wall street who went to the political
leaders and said. With their annual
product OF 20 millions Of silver. these
people will soon be paying of the nation
al debt in silver and where will our gold
be'-apd 80 at the dead hour Of midnight
on the 3rd of March 1873, the conspira-
tors slipped about two lines into the
statutes Of the United States that de-
monetized silver and reduced its
legal tender to five dollars" Now
as an sddenda to this remarkable
harangue, we would like to ask Mr..
Smith. who is it that pays the national
debts OF course he will say-it 10 the
people. That 10 true in the abstract but
for the sake Of decorating his argument
he made it appear that the owners Of
the Comstock mine. and other multi !
millionaires were piling up 20 millions q |
year for this purpose forgetting for the |
moment that these mine owners were |
among the class that he had aid were |
always oppressing the poor; and here |
thsy vsrs-for the psrpess 0f Mr.. |
Smith's ssgunsat-falling over each