The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-08-03
MR.. OWENS REMARKS.

in this city Friday marks well his
decline during the past four years as
a promoter of the best interests OF the
American people. Then he stood op,
posed to the vagaries, wild fancies and
dangerous tendencies Of such men as
Donnelly, Waite and Lewelling Now
he accepts their teachings as gospel,
and will go as far as any OF them In
denouncing the official authority OF
the nation, for using the power at It's
command to preserve national peace
in accordance with the provisions OF
the constitution. Minnesota wants
no such experience as was the fate OF
Colorado and Kansas, but Mr.. Owen
showed by his speech Friday that
Just such an experience with anarch-
istic forces might be expected, should
fate be so unkind as to infiict him
upon the state as its chief executive.
His address abOunded with hatred
of what he was pleased to call plutoc-
racy and the capitalistic press, and
was well calculated to stir up a feeling
against capital .on the part of labor,
and so widen the gulf which such agi-
tators are doing their best to create,
rather than smooth the ruffied edges
and bring the two together, which
ought to be the aim of every true
patriotic citizen. Every man who has
any capital and through it is interest
ed in the great industries OF the coun-
try, seemed to be regarded by MIR.
Owen as not only an enemy of his
country. but also as the natural enemy
of the working men.
He accepted great many fallacleS
as facts, and proceeded to argue ac-
cordingly thereon. In fact, his speech
was one long wall of calamity and the
advocacy of policy which would only
serve to make the present bad condi-
tiOns worse. OF course in his estima-
ton our financial affairs are entirely
out of order. Referring to the price
of wheatan the national debt, he as
serted that in making comparisons
with the close of the war the debt
was twice as great as it was then, and
declared that gold was going up.
Measured by the price OF wheat it is
possible that gold is, but it is just as
possible that wheat is not the sole
guide nor an infallible one. Taking
it up to the time that free trade and
Cleyelandism struck the country,
gold as measured by the price of labor
did not exhibit any great qualities OF
appreciation, and the return for a
DAYS labor in 1892 would give the
holder of the same far more OF the
necessaries, comforts and luXuries of
life than did the result of days toll
in 1865, that glowing period which Mr..
Owen so loved and would like to re-
turn to. Commenting upon this fact
Mr.. Edward Atkinson, in a magazine
article, referring to the results fol-
lowing the Mckinley law, said there
had never been period in the worlds
history when labor received such
large return of it's product as at that
time.
Mr.. Owens speech was evidently
prepared to be delivered to the
farmers, and so naturally he advocated
an increase of price for farm products.
This of itself was all right, but Mr..
Owen would hardly be likely to say to
the farmers that in getting better
prices he must pay better wages, yet
that would be the natural trend OF
better prices. An increase OF prices
without an increase of wages would
bear hard upon the laboring classes in
our cities, and if wages were simply
increased accordingly, wherein would
be the advantage to labor? The fact
of the whole matter is that the farmer,
the workingman, and everybody who
has labor or the product Of labor to
sell, is interested in getting all he can
for it, while the party who is pur-
chasing either the product or the la
Dor is interested in obtaining it at as
low figure as possible.
The trouble with Mr.. Owen and his
associate agitators is that they seek
to bring about greater degree of
prosperity through unnatural causes,
such as an issue of fiat money either
of paper or deprecated silver. 1t
would give matters prosperous show
for time, but would result most dis
asterously for the country, and bear
the hardest upon the working
people. There can be no prosperity
to any class in this country which is
not shared either directly or indirectly
by all. The experience of the country
during the past year or fifteen months
has proven that. We would all be glad
to see the farmers receive a better
price for their products, but perma-
nent improvement in that direction
cannot be brought through Populistic
methods, nor at the expense OF any
OTHER class. 1t can only be brought