Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1895-09-10
Two Good Speeches.
prom tho shcpherdstown register

prominent persons from this and adj
dining States. Hon. Josiah Patter-
son, of Tennessee, and Postmaster
General Wilson were booked for
speeches, and great throng gather
ed to hear them. Col. Forrest w
Brown, of Charles Town, introduced
he speakers. Col. Patterson spoke
first. and his subject was the money
question. He took the position that
.he effect of the free coinage of silver
would inevitably be to drive the six
hundred millions of gold now. in use
from the circulationo of the country.
He compared the countries that had
the gold standard with those that had
the silver, and showed the degrees of |
progress and of civilization of each |
and made a striking illustration OF
the wages paid labor in then. He
said the true unit of value was days
labor, and men were happiest and
best off where they got most for
days work. They got most in gold
standard countries. He awoke hearty
applause when he said he preferred
Cleveland to Weaver, Carlisle to
Stewart, Billy Wilson to PETER. He
advised those Southern men who had
strayed from the party fold to come
back home, even at the risk of get
ting good spanking.
3{IWhen Mr.. Wilson was introduced
he said he endorsed and approved
all that Col. Patterson had said on
the money question. He advised
the farmers to favor the coinage of
dollar from fifty cents worth of
silver whenever the government
would agree to call two peclSs of
wheat or corn bushel. Coming toI
his subject, 1.-THE Farmer and the
New Tariff, Mr.. Wilson said that
the people were now so close together
on the tariff that it was no longer a
partisan question. He believed that
a new era of prosperity was now
dawning for the American farmer.
When President Cleveland took his
stand for sound money, prosperity
began to plume itself for such flight
as had never come to our people.
The tariff laws enacted by the late
Congress were supplementary to this
beneficial legislation. The people
prosper when they put themselves in
line with the great forces of modern
progress, and our tariff laws help or
hurt us as they are in accord with the
principles of modern progress. The
farmer lives in new world from that
of even twenty years ago. The old
days of gentleman farming are
days of the past and will never
return. The man who produces to-
day produces in competition with the
world. He is not subject to the
customs of his community but TO the
laws of the world. The farmers of
jefferson county must compete with
the farmers of Argentina, of India
and of Russia, Having moved into
the condition of new world, the
farmer must adapt himself to its con-
ditions.
Mr.. Wilson said he had used his
influence to strike from the farmer
| those burdens that would enable him
to meet these conditions, and the OBJ
ject of the tariff bill was to prevent
the agricultural interests from being
taxed to keep up another class of
people. The first years operation
CT the new tariff, he said, imperfect
as the measure was, had brought
about 10 some extent this effect. Now
as the countries of the world were
developed, so opportunities are Of
fered for marketing American pro-
ducts. The whole question of agri-
cultural products was that of demand
and supply and the great thing for
the farmer is to find markets for
what he has to sell. Mr.. Wilson
said he believed that the farmer of
the future would be as prosperous
at the farmer of the past upon this
condition: That he shall be as care
full, as industrious and as accurate as
the merchant, the manufacturer and
the business man. The absolute and
wonderful economies were what made
it possible to pay dividends in
manufacturing enterprises, and this
same system of economy and freedom
from waste must prevail among the
farmers. Tightening his burdens with
the new tariff has given him a great
life. "Hhat is to be done for the
American horse?" asked Mr.. Wilson.
He told how the new French vehicles
propelled by petroleum motors had
apparently come to stay. Steam has
been taking the place of horses, and
now electricity is taking the place of
steam. The bicycle, toy a few
years ago, is now great and popular
means of transportation. These in
ventions have taken the place of five
million horses, and another blow is
felt by the farmer. Now in raising
his products the farmer must take
account of these new forces. He
must study to raise those things in
which there is least competition, for
which there is most demand, and
which can be produced most eco
nomically and profitably. In closing
Mr.. Wilson said he was hopeful of
seeing this beautiful valley more
prosperous and its people even more
happy than they had ever been be-
fore, though perhaps prosperity
would come in different way than
of old.
The speeches of both gentlemen