River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-10-18

greatest American presidents. Benjamin
Harrison. Great applause). was by the de-
cree Of the American people voted out of
power and a Democratic administration
voted in. So that for nearly nineteen
months the Democratic party had been in
supreme control of every branch of the
Federal government; and for the greater
part of that time it has been engaged in
revising the tariff.
People Anxious 10 Pass Judgment.
During this long period while It is only
nineteen months. they are the longest nine
teen months since the war great applausel.
The people have had an opportunity for
sober reflection, steadied by the discipline
of adversely. And as they have had little
else to occupy them, they have employed
most of that time in sober, serious refec-
tion. Even congress must have observed
that the people have revised their opinions
and that they were not so long in revising
their views as the Democratic congress
and the preservation OF the Union. | come
tonight very much jaded from a dozen or
was in revising the tariff; and that they
are to-day burning with anxiety from one
end of this country to the other to pass
Judgment upon Democratic president and
a Democratic congress. We have been at
school now for nearly two years The
tuition has been free but the ultimate cost
has been very great. Ii has been a sort of
compulsory education from which nobody
has been excluded Qaughter). and while il
has been expensive | feel that it's lessons
have been practicable, profitable and per
manent.
Great RevuIsfon of Sentiment.
For, after all. one of the highest forms
of education is experience. and it is the
most efficient and enduring of all ferns of
instruction. The people have been think
ing, and those who have not been thinking
have been feeling Qaughter)-feeling the
stress of the hard times wrought by the
great change. Even the eyes of blinded
partisans have been opened, and those who
hitherto have never seen any good in the
Republican party. and who have repeatedly
voted its policy a fraud and robbery, and
its laws the eliminating atrocity of class
legislation. are now ready for a re-
consideration and change. zap
piause) Those for the most part
who voted for the change. and those who
voted against the change. have been re-
gretful and unhappy ever since. There
probably has never been in the history
Of this country such revusion in public
sentiment in so short a while as in the
last two years. Beaten in almost every
state in the Union in 1892. the Republican
party never for moment lowered its ban
ner. (Applause) 1t valued its principles
no less in defeat than in victory. for they
were not invoked TO serve in a single
campaign they were invoked because they
rested upon the foundations of truth and
justice. for the benefit of the American
people. (ApplauseD
story of Last Years Elections.
and so in 1898 where elections were
held we resumed battle on the old lines
We appealed from the judgment of the
people in 1892 to the revised judgment of
the same tribunal in 1898; and in Massa-
chusetts, that great, strong, intelligent.
conservative commonwealth. that had
elected Democratic governor for two sue
cessive terms, the Democratic governor
elected in 1892 was displaced. by the voice
of the people Of Massachusetts, with a Re-
publican governor by a majority Of &c.
600. (Applausel
I'm Iowa which had Democratic gov
ernor, the voice of the people in 1898
reversed its former judgment and elected
Gov Jackson by a majority Of more than
So 000 (Applause.D In Ohio. which had
given but little more then thousand
plurality in 1892 its people having been
moved by passion and by prejudice. after
a fun reconsideration. gave to the Repub-
licau ticket more than $4,000 plurality.
(ApplauseD Then in the state Of New
York at a special election held in two
congressional districts in that great city.
Mr. Quigg. the Republican candidate, was
elected by more than a thousand majority.
in a district that had given President
Cleveland 1900 majority in 1882. zap
plause)
And in the other congressional district,
in the very strongholds of Democracy and
OF Tammany, a Democratic majority of
more than 10000 in 1892 was reduced to
Democratic plurality of less than 1000 in
1898 fApplaGse) Then we swept on to
Pc .isylvahia In February. 1894, a con-
FRESHMAN at large was to be elected, and
chat splendid Republican. that veteran in
the service of his country, the author Of
the Homestead law, Galusha a. Grow. was
nominated by the Republicans and received
h. majority n fS5 400
piause) Then across the country to the
Pacific states Oregon's voice was heard in
the same cheerful notes for the Refubli-
can cause and the Republican party. Then
Vermont early in September. and then
almost Immediately folio wing the Pine
Tree state. the state Of Maine. gave to the
.2enuhlicsn cause nearly 10000 plurality,
the like Of which has never been given TO
that cause in that state before. (applause)
and that splendid statesman. the ex-
speaker Of the house OF representatives,
Mr.. Reed (great applausel was elected by
an increased and overwhelming majority.
(Applause)
Even the south RevoIts.
mot only. my fellow citizens. has this
reyulsiOn taken plsce ia the North, but we
see evidences Of it in the South. The
sugar planters of Louisiana. less than a
month ago. me- in convention in the city
Of New orleaT 1t was convention COM
posed CT men who hitherto had always
acted with the Democratic party-Demo-
Gratis by tradition, education and by Gus
tom. who had believed that the Industries
OF this country could be trusted with that
party. and had voted il repeatedly into
power. at last were forced to abandon that
position and publicly proclaim that the
Democratic party cannot be trusted with
the material interests Of the country; and
they declare their slliance hereafter with
the national Republican party. We bid
them welcome as we bid the tens of thou
sands and hundreds Of thousands OF Demo-
Gratis all over the country. who this year
mean TO aIlyttheir fortunes with the Re-
publican party for what il represents and
for what II accomplishes.
Every Industry Injured.
What, my fellow citizens. has been the
occasion for this marvellous change in
the public mind? II can be answered in
4 single sentence. The Democratic presi-
dent and the Democratic congress have
been running this government for nine
teen msnths. and during that time little
else has been running. daughter and APP
plausel. Every enterprise OF the people
has been interfered with; every industry,
every occupation. every investment has
been disturbed. l care not what in
vestment or property or value you
name. every one have been injuriously
affected since that fatal November day
in 1899 (Applausel. Labor has been little
employed. and when employed. at greatly
reduced wages. There has been no cessa-
ton in the waste Of wealth. wages and
property. in all these months Universal
distress has hung over this people and the
appeals 70 charity have never been so uni
versal and incessant. and their necessity
never 50 manifest. as during these months.
Congress has trifed with the sacred trust
couA5ed 70 II BY the people. has imperilsd