People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-09-17

reception
when introduced to the audience He spoke
as follows:
Mr. Chairman, and Ladies and Gentle
men: II may be well before entering upon
the discussion Of any subjects Of special
interest to spend brief time in the ex-
animation Of one or two Of the general posi-
tions assumed by our political adversaries,
and 10 an attempt at unsettling one or two
of the main premises from which their ar
guments proceed. Throughout this cam
paign l have neither read nor heard of a
platform utterance by Republican speak
er, and have rarely read a newspaper arti-
Gle In Republican journal, which did not
begin with and carry throughout state
ments implying that the present deplorabe
conditions about which we all talk so much
were peculiar TO this country, and did not
exist in the other countries Of the civilized
globe. Perhaps the affirmative statement
Of such as fact is never made. But the
general trend and course of argument
throughout is based upon the assumption
that we Of this country are alone, among
all the nations Of the earth, in a condition
Of financial stringency and Industrial de-
preston.
"of course, to the reading and cOnsid-
crate portion of every community, to those
who keep informed upol tne current events
Of the world, this assumption is known to
be entirely at variance with the facts; but
II seems TO suit the purpose Of many cam
paign speakers and writer's, in order, sup
pose, to the mystificatiOn and delusiOn Of
their constituents rather than their enlight-
ment, TO attribute these conditions to GER
tain agencies and parties and policies, some
Of which are peculiar TO this country and
DO not exist elsewhere. Upon this negative
proposition, as l may term it, never de-
clared in words, but always implied, rests
in great part the structure Of Republican
campaign argument and Republican eco
monte philosophy,
Unrest the World Over.
"In direct opposition to what we are
asked TO infer, and in exposure Of what is
thus sought to be concealed from us, | as
sert what every well-infOrmed person will
bear me out in declaring, that there exists
throughout the entire civilized globe, not
merely in this country but everywhere, a
widespread general and almost universal
dissatisfaction and unrest, .he like of which
has rarely, II ever been recorded in the
history Of the world. What with Nihilists
in Russia, Socialists In Germany, Anarch-
lists in France and Italy, throughout all Eu-
rope for that matter, and in this country
large and constantly increasing class OF
dissatisfied and contentious citizens, il
would seem that we had indeed fallen upon
evil times.
II do not speak Of these classes Of ex-
tremists l have just named TO indicate them
as the chief elements Of discOrd, or as con-
stituting the only menace to the peace of
the world and the settled order and habit
Of society, but l speak as well and prin-
cipaly OF that larger, more conservative
and cautious body of people, whose pro-
tests thus far have voiced only demands
for changes in fiscal administration and
economic policy. II this temper of unrest
and sedltOn, as some affect TO believe il,
were confined to the people of any partic-
ular class or occupation in life, or 10 the
people Of any particular country, we might
conclude that the cause or causes, what
ever they be, were local and transitOry,
and would pass away with the recurrence Of
normal conditions.
IF, for instance Il were confined to Rus
Ea, We might attribute it to her grinding
despOtism; If to Germany, to the expense
of her enormous military establishment; If
20 France or Italy, to their burdensOme
public debts; If to England, TO her free
trade policy. II the farmer alone were
heard to complain, we might suppose that
adverse seasons or Over-prOductiOn Of crops
had worked to his injury; if the manufac-
turer, that some Over-stOcking of the mar
ket or competition Of cheaper products had
cOnspired to his disadvantage; If the mer-
chant, that some capriciOus law of trade
had involved him in bankruptcy; If the
common Wage-earner, that the avarice or
oppression of his employers, or the dis
placement of his labor by machinery, had
reduced his wages or turned him out Of
work. But when we know, as we do, that
not from one, but from all Of these classes,
and from many others, in not one, but
all these countries and many Others an
almost universal wall of distress and pro-
test goes up, We must likewise know that
the causes, be they what they may, and
whether adequate or not are general and
common to them all.
Quacks Have No Right to Prescribe
in autocratic Russia, where they kill
Cars TO rid themselves of despOtism
In Republican France where they kill
Presidents to rid themselves Of democracy,
In high tariff Germany, where they build
walls of protection against the competition
of foreign products, in free trade England
where they level down all barriers of re-
strictiOn upon foreign commerce, and in
tarin for revenue America, the conditions
OF unrest, the clamOr of discomfort and the
forces Of disorder stopping, little short of
armed rebellion, are the same: and the
man who does not perceive that these con-
ditiOns are general and not local or special
and proceed, therefore, not from local or
special, but from general causes, has failed
10 nj himself for inquiry into those causes
and has failed to qualify himself to pre-
scribe remedies for this disOrdered state OF
the body polite; the man who would ignore
the existence of this condition of the
worlds affairs or attempt to divert atten-
ton from It by speaking of it as though il
were peculiar to this country alone, who
would attribute ii to the practices or poll
cies OF certain sects or factions or parties
IN this country Is both a demagogue and a
TOOL; a demagogue in that he seeks to gain
partisan ends by a cOncealment of facts
and a fool in that he supposes the common
people of the land TO be ignorant of the
recorded incidents of current history.
i will not at this moment enter upon
an explanation from my standpoint of the
causes which have produced this anomal
Gus condition of affairs. That will he nm.
nertaken presently especially as to thi.
country and inferentially as to the others
before passing, however, from this genera
Theme, let me say that be these causes
what they may, free trade in England
protection in Germany, over production II
america, despousm in Russia, democracy
In France, debt in Italy, one fact exist.
and can not be ignored; il stands before Il!
mountain high, as it were, confronting thu
gaze at every step and turn in the cours,
OF our investigation Of the subiect:-on,
Iact exists, and you may call it coincden
OF cause as you choose, but it exists never
theless. and that is that in all these coun
tres our own as well. the gold STANDARD
OF money payment, either absolutely Of
something apprOXimating to il, exists anC
began its existence Immediately precedin,
lIe rise ana mas continued cOncurTentlj
with the spread of this world-distemper O
which l speak
The only exception to the otherwise uni
Versal rule is that of Russia, and that /!
but a partial exception. l do not under
stand that country to have as vet formally
entered upon the scheme Of gold mOnonnet-
alHsm. l do, however, understand it tC
nave been Tor years past in preparation fol
me same and to that end to have accumu.
lated in its national treasury some $4,000, ;.
Wv OF gold coin, Sj,000.0O0 of which are saiC
10 be Ct American mintage.
Republican FaIsehOOd Exploded.
Another position occupied by our Re
pubncan adverSaries must be noticed. II is
that these distressed conditions. which al
admit exist in this country, are the effect:
OF Democratic policy and the result Of Dem.
ocfatic incOmpetency in the management OF
public affairs. Unlike the other position
TINS one IS not inferred or implied. On tn,
contrary, It is boldly, unequivOcally and un
Dlushingly asserted as a fact We are TOLD
that with the accession to power Of tht
democratic party conditions materially
changed; we are told that previous TO thal
occurrence the factories were running upor
iuH time: that the fires of the furnaces
burned night and day; that labor was stead.
liy employed at remunerative wages; thai
Inc price of the products Of the factor,
and farm were ample; that contentmeni
existed everywhere and nrOsnari4,, er,;ias