People's voice., 1894-12-13
NO. II.
Rev. B0tkin's Lecture,

The Wigwam was filed with an
audience Of about 1000 people last
right t. hear the lecture of Rev. j. d.
B tkin on "The Problem of the Unem-
! pIOyed." Rev. Botkin is looking well.
Notwithstanding the political black
eye that he got last month, and has
lost none Of his old time sociablity
and geniality. He made no illusions
to local differences, and displayed no
bitterness nor sour grapes
He was introduced by DR.. Ewing
smith, who talked in his own peculiar
vein while committee waited upon
the audience with collection baskets.
Rev. BOtkin opened his remarks by
reading chapter from the bible
the 9TH chapter of Nehemiah-the
chapter which tells how the Children
of Israel had got in debt after the
building of the walls of Jerusalem.
and mortgaged their VINEYARDS, and
were oppressed, and cried out for
relief, and God heard their cry, and
was angered at the wrongs that ha6
been done his people, and demanded
the restoration of the homes to his
people.
He said there were four million met
in this great country unemployed
He gave some individual pictures @
some of these men with whom he an
his friends had met. Many Of ther
were good, GOd-fearing men and Cit
zens, who had been cast out and fOun,
themselves brOOding over their mi,
fortunes, and unwillingly yieldingt
bad thoughts and bad impulses about
society, about the church and abou
the government. They were om
brothers and Notwithstanding somc
of them may be worthless beings, we
owe it to ourselves, our government
and our God to take them by the
hand and help them out of the slough
of despOnd by placing their feet on
the plane of opportunity. We could
not afford to educate them to swing
the 'bludgeOn or throw bombs VIZ
ought to profit by the less n of the
bloody war it cost to take the
shackles from four million colored
, slaves.
But, you inquire, said the speaker,
can this great government come down
from its high perch to look after the
prosperity of individual man? IL
the name Of God what is governmen,
for, then? Is it government to pro
tect property exclusively? Is prop
erty everything and man nothing?
The speaker then went into the
causes for idlenesS and showed that
while under the Mckinley bill the
} factories had their products piled
, mountain high, there was no mark
ct for them because the people had 90
money to buy with. Then why would
more protection help the matter?
He had conversation with warm
friend of his recently who was "a
tional banker. The banker said the
trouble with the country was that the
money was stored up in the eastern
vaults in the hands Of few men. II
confidence was restored these money
owners would loan it out and times
would get good. Hence we have on
the one hand languishing people
whose prosperity can only come
through the diffusion OF that stored
up wealth in the eastern vaults, and
the holders of the money waiting for
prosperity TO come In order to loan
their money safely. In the mean
time congress is providing employ
ment for this idle capital, in part By
issuing government bonds for its safe
investment but the unemployed msa
are left to get along as best they can.
He hoped the people would awake
to the realization of the fact that the
''maD" was greater than property,
He advocated the issuing OF legal ten
der money to be paid out to idle mee
In the improvement Of public roads,
1.-THE Coxey idea and in this way the
needed money would be got out
among the people aud the vaults
would yet retain their muni1ce1t
treasure. The western silver minss
should be opened up and the product
coined Thousands would be set 10
work in this way and this would be
peculiarly beneficial to Kansas on ac-
count Of the market it would restore
for our products.
He made a strong plea for tho
"man" as compared to property, and
urged the people to think over these
things while there was no campaign
on and while 10 possession of cool
judgment.
He was listened to closely by his
audience and at the close they throng-
ed around him to shake his hand.
Rev I ID Rotkin left this rnorntnu