Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-02-25
MCCLEARY'S SPEECH.

w NOAo4oOOAos WI OSNlAA.y AAOu IL
he is a professed bimetallist.
If the Associated Press re-
ports Of Rep. McClearly's speech
in answer to Congressman
Towne is correct the former gen
tleman must be put down, as the
most brazen and recklessly in
consistent speaker the Republi
cans have yet produced. The re-
ports make him say: There
never was time up to 1892 when
a days labor was better paid for
or when a dollar would purchase
more than it did that year, But
Professor it is the great purchas-
ing power of the dollar that the
silverites have been Directing to.
You should not get on our side
that way. It's not right to steal
our thunder. But why stop at
1892? Your principle would have
been more forcibly illustrated if
you had made it 1896. The dol
lar has made wonderful strides
in purchasing power since 1892.
And as for wages-well we farm
ers paid vastly higher wages in
'95 than in '92; therefore 1895 is
the proper year to reckon from
But then forgot. Ninety-fve is
a democratic year and McCleary
must per force prove that good
times ended in 1892. But Mr..
McC]eary went further. He alb
solutely challenged TONNES
statement that prices have fallen
centemporaneously with silver.
He then showed that beef, pork,
butter and eggs had ruled higher
since the alleged crime of 1873
than before. After knocking
Towne out in this summary man
ner he proceeds toprove TONNES
statements true which he did in
the following manner:
"Sheeting in 1878, IS cents per
yard; 1892, 6 cents, nails then i
cents per h.; now less then 2.
Drilling, such as all farmers use,
then Il cents yard; now 5 cents:
Carpets, nothing less then a dol
lar in 1873 that very good quality
for so cents. And in 1892 the
value of a days labor had risen
since 1873, So per cent, while in
purchasing power it has risen to
70 per cent. ~
It is not often that you find an
orator who can both confirm and
contradict his antagonist in so
able manner with the same
breath.
The Professor next gives an in
cident of 1873 when he searched
four towns over for buggy and
failed and that last year his wife
went back to the same towns and
discovered oyer four hundred
buggies with will dressed owners,
All, Professor you forgot. Last
year, 1895, was a democratic
year. And I fear the Denis will
quote you to prove theirs the
most prosperous era in the his
tory of the country. Now we
have you on jhree sides. Wont
you be good enough to give the
Prohibs a lift in your next speech
Professor?
But our orator did actually find
a new argument to repute the sill
verites All hail a new argument.
We have had none on that side
for long time. The Professor
has discovered that the high pri-
ces which ruled before 1873 was,
due to war. Now that's original.
But say, Professor, were you
aware that one of the greatest
wars of modern times took place
last year? And it only resulted
in the increase of the silver price.
but that increase brought up
other prices with it. .=.~...
remember however that a year
or two ago Gov. Mckinley Can
other repub lican Mack at Mimi:
eapolis showed conclusively that
all high prices had been due to
protection and all low prices and
panics were due to free trade.
Who is right? This Mack says:
s rot ction did it." Our Mack
says, War did it. Mckinley
conveniently skipped over the.
panic Of 1873 as our Mack did the.
wia'f Il Uhfns and tde present