The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-10-08
TO

every day at the house OF Major NC
kinley, and to each delegation he
makes an elegant speech full of wis
dom, honor and patriotism, second
to none recorded in history. Mckin-
icy is certainly the man for the hour,
and demonstrates his fitness for the
great Office of president by his own
acts and words. Here is q speech
he made last Friday to visiting dele
cations. 1t is worth any mans
time to read it:
''The great thought of the people
of this country, wherever they may
reside or whatever may be their oc-
equations, is how we are to get back
as Il nation to the conditions ofbusi-
ness activity and prosperity. Some
thing has gone wrong. In a single
word, the trouble with the country
is lack of confidence. AS to what
brought about. that lack OF conf
dence we may differ, but that there is
lack of confidence every citizen every
where must concede. Now what is
this thing that is called business
cOntidence?' 1t is a belief in the sta
bility Of values, faith in our markets
and our mOney-faith that consump-
ton next year will be as great or
greater than in the present one
faith that men will have work, and
that the currency Of the country will
be fixed and stable and undepreciat-
ing in value. Business confidence
never shut up an American mill; ney-
er reduced wages or curtailed en-
plOyment; meyer refused loans; new
or got up n run on a bank; meyer
stopped a mine; never created idle
ness among labOring men, and the
free soup house was unknown and
unnecessary. When confidence is
shaken misfortunes come not singly,
but in battaliOns and the suffering
falls on every community. 1t may
come from n thing or it may come
from another. Doubt in the business
world is death to business. Wehave
it now. We know what brought it.
And | think we know how to get rid
of it. We had it in the United States
to II greater or less degree from the
moment it was settled in 1892 that
our protective tariff laws were to be
changed.
"Then with all these burdens
upon us, the Chicago platform with
its reactionary provisions came to
further fret us. The effect of this
platform has been characterized, not
by republicans alone. but by old and
trusted leaders of the democratic
party, rs q menace to every vested
interest in the United States, revo
lutiOnary in character and directly
leading TO dishonor and partial re-
pudiation.
The people this year are engaged
in a great n~ationa! contest to restore
the confidence SO sadly shaken by the
succession of events which | have so
briefly named. In less than five
weeks they will speak and make
known their decree. If the people
shall with a ringing and impressive
voice declare four weeks from next
Tuesday that the public credit shall
not he lowered, that the national
currency shall not be degraded, that
the peace and tranquility of this
government thall not be broken.
that the revenues of the treasury
shall be no longer insufficient for the
needs OF the government, and then
that the tariff shall no longer be in
adequate to protect the American
workshop and the American market,
business activity will return, conf
dence will come back again, courage
will take the place of fear, work be
resumed, and prosperity will come to
bless and benefit us ALL"