Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-10-26
Robert schilling, the Wisconsin Pop
Holds Forth at the Atheneum
Saturday Night.
A Bombastic and Demagogic Har-
angue in a Wild Effort to Gre
ate Populism.
The Usual Depressing Style of. Ora
tory, Misanthropic, Demagogic
and Pessimistic. "a
Rampant Demagogy.

Robert Schilling, the populistic or
acle, orator, demagogue, and messiah,
held forth at the Atheneum Saturday
night, and for about three hours he
spouted, raved, groaned, inveighed and
stormed upon the political issues of the
period. Mr.. Schilling was greeted by a
fairly large audience, including all of his
faith in the vicinity. And he treated
them to one of the finest exhibitions OF
popullstic demagogy which has been so
far witnessed in the city.
Schilling's ability, if such it may be
termed, lies altogether in this line. He
is an arrant braggart and an insuferable
egotist-the sort of speaker, whose sole
aim is to play upon the passions and
pref udices Of his hearers. Nowhere does
he appeal to any Il of the better quail
ties of the listeners who hear him. At
no time does he appeal to the patriotic,
the generous, the ambitious. or aught of
the higher and nobler in the composition
OF his fellow men. His harangue is, all
through, a fabric of d%emagogic invective
and slander-a tissue of nasty epithets
and slurring illusions to every states
man of note. His illusions to public
men are befouled with the intimations
OF falsehood, deceit, theft andimmorality
OF whatever description may happen to
suit his fancy at the time. He is dis
tinctly and i~mmovably "agin' the gov
eminent" He has not a kind word for
any n who may disagree with him upon
the question of social or political econ
omics. He attributes honesty of pur-
pose or rectitude of intentions to no one,
either democrat OF republican, who may
choose to differ with his creed of politi-
cal morals. His bigotry and narrowne
of intellect are remarkable, l n one who
processes his extent of research. He is
a typical and thorough political and
social dyspeptic, and it is to be presumed
he is an ideal populist.
Mr.. Schilling's Saturday night har-
angue began with the usual assertion
of the sad condition of the mass of the
American people. He looked through
out the broad extent of the fairest land
on earth and saw naught but gloom.
At no time did he portray a condition
of his fellows which was other than dis
couraging and depressing. At no time
did he paint a picture of humanity
which was pleasant to look upon, and
which might give root to a single ambi-
ton, or nourish a laudable purpose. At
no time did he endeavor to create a
worthy sentiment, or encourage a patri-
otto or ambitious impulse. Nowhere
did he endeavor to encourage individual
effort for the betterment of individual
conditions.
The only doctrine he %expounded was
a doctrine of malice of hatred. His only
wit was in such illusions as "Grover the
fat, Queen L~iliuokalani's sweet heart
Carlisle, the fool secretary of state"
"The Honorable William McKin-
ley,' with a Indignantly and jealously
sarcastic drawl of the title, and in other
such pitiably demagogic efforts at inhu-
encing his hearers. Having begun with
an exaggerated and misanthropic review
OF the countless horrors of the condi-
ton of the great, American public, Mr..
Schilling elaborated upon the matter, in
his efforts at the creation of populists.
He covered a blackboard with appalling
figures, to represent the awfuluess of the
debts which harassed the nation and
the nations people. Not openly, but
with a subtle care, he endeavored to
find favor for the doctrine of repudia-
ton. It was a careful argument and en-
deavor TO provoke a sentiment against
honest endeavor, in the payment of debt.
He preached an imitation Of currency,
vast and Unlimited quantities of paper
money, as a remedy. His arguments
and figures we're superficial, and pre-
sented with a view to the influence of
the minimizing. He presented figures
tc, show that European workmen re-
ceived more wages than American. They
were i%ngeniously arranged, buttoo trans.
parently ridiculous to IMPRESS any per
son not equally as great a mental dys.
peptic as Mr.. Schilling. He promul.
gated his only tariff argument, in which
he stated that the whole amount of rev.
enue received from tariff equalled only
1927 per capita per year. Having ar
rived at these figures, he contented him
self with an endeavor to make the tariff
question a subordinate consideration be.
cause of this small amount per capita,
It was a miserable sham and %pretense.
OF the principle Of protection, he dared
not speak. OF the question as to the
amount Of American money kept in Am
erican markets by this wise provision OF
tariff, be it only 81 per capita, he feared
to speak. He endeavored to blind the
perceptions Of his hearers with noisy and
fimsy attempts at ridicule, and then to
bring them to his point Of view by the
most blatant of demagogy.