St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-23
To ROOSt--A Severe Arraign-
ment of the Republican
Party.
WHAT DEMOCRACY HAS DONE
Inadgurated Reforms That
Will Go On Until the
People Rule.

@1S
Leen presided. II in a brie,
speech alluded to the Indian;
senator's career In the senate
Senator VoOrhee speech. which re
Quired two hours, was read from manu-
script, the first time he ever addressed
his people except eXtempUraneOusly
The senator was in good voice in spite
of his recent serious sickness, and
while the speech lacked fire which has
heretofore marked his public u%tterances
it was nevertheless frequently applaud
ed. Mr.. Voorhees, said:
Mr.. Chairrnan-The theory of this
government is that the people govern
themselves. In framing and adopting
the constitution under which we now
live our great forefathers planted ii
firmly and Squarely on the broad
doctrine of self-government. The
Democratic party has never rec0g-
n!Zed any control of the people ex-
cept their own, nor any master except
themselves. There is not an official
parsonage in all this broad land, from
your township trustee to your president
at Washington, who can add to or take
away one jot or title of your suprem-
acy. You are the only people on the
face of the globe to whom are guaran-
teed the inalienable rights CT man in a
written constitution.
| stand today. as | have stood for
more than the third of a century,, for
the honor. the integrity. the justice. the
patriotism, and the triumph of the Dem
ocratic party. Ii there are those who
think this a dark hour for ths great old
party of jeff ersoD. Madison, Mon.
roe, jackson, Seymour, Hen.
bricks, Mcdonald, Thurman and
Cleveland. l do not agree win them on
that point. l W. e dark hours in
the political Sky i'll my day and genera
ton; l know what they look like. L
have seen the clouds of coming dis
ness low down over our heads.
but it was only when the govern
ment itself. and all its guar
antees of liberty and union, were
threatened with the same overthrow
and destruction which seemed impend.
ing over the Democratic party. As
long as the constitution survives. the
party whose charge it has always been
10 maintain that inStrum ent in all its
purity and strength
Will Survive Also.
Mr.. Voorhees, called attention to the
fact that at no time since the Inaugural
ton of Lincoln has the Democratic
party had control Dt the legislative and
executive branches of the government
at the same time until the second inau-
guratiOn of Cleveland, and that all leg
islation in that time has been made
by the Republican party. II evil intiu-
ences have been abroad in the land,
arising from perniciOus legislation, the
responsibility and the Odium can alone
rest where the power to legiSlate rested.
There is a brutal and senseless spirit
of accusation in certain quarters at this
time against the Democratic party,
months of its legislative ~ascendancy.
been able 10 uprOOt. tear down II de-
mOliSh the entire system OF
Vicious Legislation
whereby the Republican party for more
than a generation has practically revo-
lutioniZed this government: made it a
%plutocracy instead of a government of
the plain people; established privilege
and caste in all our public aITairs; made
the rich richer and the poor poorer:
a%ggrandiZed the power of capital,
and ground and oppressed every
org anizali0n of labor. and every branch
of industry under the American flag. l
defy the ingenuity of man to show
where, and in what instance, the lead.
ers OF the Republican party ever de-
vjsed a financial measure of any kind
into a law which was not originated ana
dictated by organized capital and
against labor, whether organ
lied or ~unorganiZed. Every con
cesSion ever made by statute
to the greed and lawless avarice of the
money power, since the spring of 1861.
Is the work of the party SO long in con-
troll of legislation. During the past
twelve months hard times and financial
distress amongst the people have been
everywhere felt, and the responsibility
for such a condition of the country has
been the theme of constant. ana, at
times, of violent and acrimonious dis
cuSSlOn
Challenge History
on this subject. The Republican party,
and the great body of its one.sided and
unfair financial legislation, has been
the author of every period of hard
times. scarcity OF money in circulation,
bankruptcy. business prostration, and
unemployed labor since the first as
cendancy of that party to the control of
the government.
Four years ago l heard Henry NJ. Tel
Ter, of Colorado, II of the aDleSt aud
most reliable men l ever met i'll public
life. declare OF the floor of the senate
that one-halt the entire wealth ''of this,
the richest country OH tine globe" as
he styled it. was owned BY not nor
tiian II hundred thousand people. Es-
timating entire population at Co.,
COG, 200, this small and favored squad of
m~illionaires and Observation-Disclosures bear
inc proportion of II person to every
six hundred and fifty men, women and
children in the United States. 1t MAY
also be safely asserted that those who
actually W One-half the wealth of this
country will. through the power of
trusts, %monopolies aud t%ar-reaching cor
pOratlons, TO a very great eXent, manage
and control the other half.
To those VINO assume that the people
OF the United States have been nur-
tured into prosperity by the policies Of
the Republican party. l would also
commend a careful study of a recent
census bulletin on the
Subject of Mortgages.
1t is. indeed, a striking and an awful
Iact that The private debts OF The Amer
lean people. secured by mortgages ON
their homes and other real estate, con-
stituted a sum in 1890 three times as
great as the entire public debt of
the country. 1t is officially shown
that all the pnblic debts in the
United States put together at
that time, including national. state,
county, school and municipal obliga-
tons amounted to S2.027. 40, 5i6 as
against over six thousand millions,
which, as l have shown. the people owe
on private account. and fol- which they
have executed mortgages bearing an
average rate of more than 8 per cent
interest. Nor will any intelligent man
pretend that the condition of the people
has been Bothered by legislation in
The last four years; on the contrary
their burdens nave grown heavier, their
debts have Increased. prices for their
-uce and wages for their work have