The Forrest City times., 1894-10-12
WILSON AT HOME.
The West Virginia Congressman
 and Tariff Reformer
warmly Welcomed By the People of HIS District at Charlestown--The Open ing Speech of His Campaign
 For Reflection.


 thirty-four years ago John Brown was tried and sentenced to be hanged, Will liam Lisle Wilson to-day opened his campaign for reelection
 It was a holiday in Charlestown- All the people for miles around came to town to pay their respects to the states man, who is hailed by them as the fore most citizen of his commonwealth
 The farmers dropped their imple- ments of husbandry and the mechanics their tools, the merchants left their stores and countinghouses to join in welcoming home the tariff reformer.
 As Mir. Wilson entered the courthouse the band played Home, Sweet Home" and as he appeared upon the platform, Home Again, Home Again, from Foreign Shore," while the audience arose to it's feet and drowned the band in enthusiastic cheers, the ladies way ing handkerchiefs and fans
 Col. R. r. Chew, of Jefferson county, presented Mir. Wilson, who spoke as follows:
 MIR WILSON'S SPEECH.
 FELLow-CrrIzENs, LADIES AND ENTLsMEN: never realized as have to-day the truth of the saying that one of the chief pleasures of going away from home is the enjoyment of coming back. Your kindness to-day your re- eeption to me upon the borders of our county, the warm grasp of the hand. have made me realize and understand far more than thought possible the real significance of this saying I will not attempt and shall not try to make my personal acknowledgement to the people of Jefferson county for this welcome to my home.
 There are some thoughts that refuse to rise higher than the throat, and there are feelings that refuse to be articulated. beg you to be- lieve that such are the thoughts and such are the feelings with which stand before this magnificent assemblage Of neighbors to-day. But, my fellow-cftizens. know full well that this great demonstration does not mean merely personal welcome to countryman and to an old friend, or even welcome to a public off, cer. It speaks with unmistakable emphasis our devotion to the great cause. It means, with unmistakable emphasis. your sturdy sup port Of that cause, and your determination to continue to support It until we have achieved perfect and final victory.
 shall net be able, fellow citizens, to take up in any orderly and satisfactory way this afternoon the discussion of the public is- sues to which your thoughts are now so plunged, by the swiftness of railroad trans portation, from aboard the ship which brought me across the sea to this gathering in Charlestown to-day. Ihave had no single hour nor any possible opportunity for preparing such an address as ought to be given by me to such an audience as this and on such an occa- sion.
 THE ISSUE JOINED
 The issue in American politics is joined be- tween those who desire to hold to whatever tarin reform we have achieved and continue the struggle for it's complete and perfect at tainments to those who want to do away with all we have gained and to return to the policies that have hitherto prevailed in this country. I do not believe l could speak to any audience having greater interest in this question than an audience Of the farmers and working people and to the citizens generally of the county of Jefferson.
 To rob man of the fruits of his labor by un- Just taxation IS robbery indeed. but to deprive man Of the opportunity of toiling. whereby he may secure the fruits of his labor. is still worse robbery, and so far as you, fellow-cfti- zens. are concerned this question of the tariff has become, not so much q question of taxa ton because you could stand up under taxa tion, but question of markets, wherein you are to sell that which you produce, whether upon your farms or in your factories
 We have reached that stage in development of our country when we are competed to have larger and larger markets for our surplus products, and such markets through foreign trade are only the safety valves for the health and prosperity of the American laDorer in the field and Tn the factory. Fellow-eitizens. I do not believe that there has been in this country doubt If there has been any self-governing have seen during he struggle of the last ten years against our present system of federal taxation. It has ben wonderful it has been an inspiring, popular revolution.
 With it's persistent effort, with it's undying in defeat aS well as in victory: with | it's enthusiasm, with its patriotic ardor. and. I might almost say, heroism, it has been a most | notable public revolution, and for one do not | believe 1t is to cease until the results secured are fully measured up 10 the ardor and the en- thusiasm Of the people.
 On the one side lie good government, honest 1 economical government, freed industry. large | and expanding markets for the products of American labor and general dawning of an era of individual prosperity On the i sther side lie corrupt government, fettered and imprisoned industry, linita- ton by law on the markets in which amount which we can profitably produce. Those are the two systems now at issue before the American people. and as have said before. giving a somewhat local application 10 what am going to say to-day, the question for the people of Jefferson county is more markets for wheat and for the mechanics is more manufac- tured goods.
 WHY WHEAT IS LOW.
 IT there is one thing to which I gave more attention than another during my brief absence from this country it was 10 the condition Of the wheat market Of the Old World. When l in- quired why it was that wheat has gone down to a price much lower than it has ever sold be- fore in the history Of at least modern England and America. the answer was there Is 2 uni demand; that not only is the United States increasing her surplus export Of wheat, and Russia increasing her surplus export of wheat, hut Argentina Is coming forward and is now third in quantity exported to European mar kets I can not but recall the fact. and have stated 1t again and before the people Of this country that the American tax on the wools of Argentina made them give up their sheep-rais- ing and go into competition with you In the production of wheat
 p ..I sav ii is for YOU to-day question of mar kets n question Of consumers the world over for the products you produce. l believe so far as the great cereals are concerned we produce enough to feed a population twice as large as our own believe so far as the staple manu- sacturers are concer2ed we produce enough to supply population as large as our own. The question is where are we to get these marketss frpon the one system we have been hold ing up for thirty years tarin walls to keep other people from coming in to compete with us in a home market already glutted. We have now begun to tear down our tariff walls to let us out with our products to compete with the rest of the world in all the markets of the world.