Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1894-10-10

a. c,alings with which l stand before
,bis MAGNIFICENT assemblage Of my neigh-
bors to-day.
Rrt my fellow .citizens, know full well
that this great demonstration does not SINK
into merely personal welcome to county
man and TO an old friend, or even vel
come to a candidate for a public Office. II
.re,ts with unmistakable emphasis your
sturdy support Of that cause and your de
domination 70 continue to support 1t until
we have achieved aperfect and final victory
7 shall not be able, fellow-citizens, TO take
mn in any orderly and satisfactory way THIS
afternoon the discussion Of these public Is
sues to which your thoughts are now so ear
,sstlv directed. because have been plung-
cd almost by the swiftness Of railway trans
portation from aboard the ship when
brought me across the sea to this gathering
in Charles Town to-day l have had no
single hour have had no possible oppor-
tunity of preparing such an address IS ought
90 be given by me TO such an audience as
this and on such al occasion.
The issue In American politics IS joined
between those who cesiro TO hold on 10
whatever tariff reform we have achieved
and continue the struggle for its complete
and perfect attainments and those who WISH
to do away with all We have gained and to
return to the policies that have hitherto
prevailed i'm this country. / do not believe
could speak to any audience having great
er interest in this question than an audience
Of the farmers and working people and to
tine .it.ssns generally of the county OF JEFF
ferson. To rob man 0f the fruits OF his
labor by unjust taxation is robbery indeed
but TO deprive man of the opportunity Of
toiling whereby be may secure the fruits oil
his labor IS s.ill worse robbery and, so far
as YOU. ow-citizens, are concerned, TINS
question. the tariff, has become not so much
A question of taxation, because you could
stand Up under taxation as question OF
markets. wherein yog are to sell that which
YOU produce whether upon youf farms or
in your factories. We have reached that
stage IN the development of our country
when we are compelled to have larger and
larger markets for our surplus products and
such markets through foreign trade are the
only safety-valyes for the health and the
prosperity of the American laborer in the
field and ia the factory. Fellow-citizens, l
do not believe that there mas 0eeA IN this
country. doubt if there has been in any
seIfgoverning country, such an uprising of
the people as we have seen during the strug-
gle OF the last ten years against our present
system Of federal taxation. Ii has been q
wonderful. IL has been an inspiring popular
revolution. with its persistent effort, with
its undimmed courage in defeat as well as
i'm victory. With its enthusiasm, with its pa
triotic ardor. and, might almost say, hero
ism It has been a most notable public
revolution. and for one DO not believe il
to cease until the results secured have fully
measured mp the ardor and enthusiasm of
the people Loud applause
on the one side lie good government hon
est. economical government, freed industry,
large and expanding markets for the prod
ucts Of American labor and a general beck
oning to an era Of national and individual
prosperity On tho other side lie corrupt
government fettered and imprisoned IN
dustry. limitations by law on the markets
i'm which we are to sell, and limitations by
law ON the amount which we can prohtably
produce These are the two systems now at
issue before the American people.
And as 1 have said before, giving some
what local application to what l am going
Is say to-day, the question for the farmers
OF Jefferson county is more markets for
wheat, and for the mechanics is more mar
kets for manufactured goods. If there wa,
one thing 70 which gave more anxious at
tention than any other during my brief alb
sence from this country it was to the wheat
market OF The Old World When irquir.
ed why IT was that wheat had gone down TO
price much lower than it ever sold at os-
fore I'm the history of at least modern Eng
land and America, the answer wa, there is
o universal glut and a production beyond
profitable demand. The answer is that not
only is the United States increasing her
surplus export Of wheat and Russia increas-
ing her surplus export of wheat, but Ar
gentina is coming forward and is now third
in the quantity, at least, exported to the
European markets cannot but recall the
face, and have stated it again and again
before the people of this country, that the
American tax upon the woods OF Argentina
bad made them give up their "sheep-walks'
and go into competition with you in the
production q wheat. 1 say that it is for
you to-day question of markets, queS-
tion Of consumers the world over for the
products you produce. I believe SO far as
the sreat cereals are concerned, We produce
enough to feed a population twice as large
as our own. believe so far a our staple
manufactures are concerned, we produce
enough tosupply population twice as large
as our own
The question is where are we 10 get these
markets Upon one system We have been
building mp for thirty years tariff walls to
keep other people from coming in to com
pete with US in a home market already glut-
ted. 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, with
AN the markets of the world.
While I was in the city Of London about
two weeks ago, was honored very uneH-
pecteilv 20 myself with an invitation to
dinner by the Chamber Of Commerce OF
thatcitv. I was surprised, l was almost sorry
i'm one sense, to receive such an invitation,