Willmar tribune., 1896-02-18
TlLLMAN'S SPEECH
! ON FINANCE.
Strongly Advocates the Free
!, Coinage of Silver.

WI VA6Ay SA0SOS3ISo sAS AAS~
!, Coinage of Silver.
FROM A FARMERS STANDPOINT.
His Conception of the Duties of = Senator.
Too Much Controlled by Party Behests.
President Cleveland Charged With the
Betrayal Of Democracy-seoretar Car
Isle Scored.
Mr.. President, shall mako DO apology
for doing what is my right hereto e1er-
else the functions of senator and discuss
tho issues presented to tho senate.
know, sir, that custom has made it a rule
that new members of this body should lis
ten rather than be heard, and my brief ex-
pericnce-and while in tho city I have
been very attentive upon the sessions OF
the sanate-has shown me that tho custom
Is wise ono, because new men who come
in here, especially those who, like myself,
have had little, in fact DO, legislative ex-
perience, realize very soon that what they
do not know about the affairs OF this great
government is far moro than they do
know or can hope to learn without much
labor
My experience has been in q different
arena. am a farmer, pure and simple,
with no collateral occupation. The
speeches that have made havo been upon
tho hustings, out IN the open air under
the trees, before the common masses OF
tho country, whore mon aro allowed, il
they feel disposed, to applaud the utterances
of tho orator. I find here that the senate
considers it beneath its dignity to applaud
anybody, and the galleries are reprimanded
severely If they break over tho rule and
indicate that they approve something that
has been said. 1 find, further, that, no
matter how we'll pleased men are with
what is being said-I mean senator's, for
look upon those in the galleries as muz-
zled nutomatons merely, you know-the
rule is to Gorgonize tho speaker with q
senatorial stare and turn him into stone
almost. What has been the result?
find that men eminent in our history,
whose speeches are read all over the coun-
try, get up here like schoolboys and read
essays in n monotone to empty chairs,
when the senate of the United States, sup
posed to be in session, has gone to tho
oloakroOms or somewhere else
So far as 1 know, am the only farmer,
pure and simple, in this august body.
Yet out of the 70,O00,oco people in this
country S5, 600, 600 are engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits alone. If, then, one farmer
has broken down the barriers and forced
his way here, upon his head rests the re-
sponsibility Of giving utterance to the feel
ings, the aspirations of his fellows, and Of
giving utterance to the sense Of wrong
which they have. Therefore, Mr.. Presi-
dent, feel constrained today to raise my
voice to speak, and before l get through
you will realize the fact that 1 speak
plainly and bluntly and use Anglo Saxon.
the vernacular, the language OF the COM
expect to tell you how they feel, and what
they think, and what they want.
A Farmers Standpoint.
Tho senator from Ohio Mr.. Sherman
said the other day that the question Of the
FREQ coinage Of silver is old straw; that it
has been thrashed and thrashed and thrash
ed; that there is nothing new in it. 1t
has been thrashed, sir, by lawyers; it has
been thrashed by railroad magnates; it has
been thrashed by the president of this
corporation and the attorney of that cor
poration. 1t has not been handled on the
cannot get few grains more wheat-of
truth-in the handling of tho question.
Farmers use a pitchfork in handling
straw; therefore the similc is good if the
statement is good. They also use pitch
forks to handle manure and perhaps
shall find some Of that in my pathway be-
fore I get through.
What is the position of tho Republican
party as set forth by its acknowledged
leader, the senator from Ohio Mr.. Sher-
man12 I am sorry he is not here. How
did he set it forth in his speech on tho Sd
of January? What did he propose to do?
He said that the present trouble with the
finances Of tho country arises from a deficit
in tho revenues, and the remedy is to is
sue more bonds and tax the people. That
is all-increase the tariff in order to in
crease tho revenues and issue bonds to pay
the deficit and get the gold reserve
straight, and we will all be happy. That
Is the Republican policy. They do not
propose any other scheme Of relief. -
Cleveland's Financial Policy.
What is the policy outlined by tho lead
er, as you say, on this side, the man who
lives at the other end of the avenue? His
policy is more bonds, no increase of reye-
nue-he has enough revenue just now
retire all the greenbacks, all the silver
certificates. and perhaps tho national banks
may graciously como in and fill tho void
by issuing notes.
In what respect do they differ? Mr..
Sherman wants coin bonds; Mr. Cleveland
wants gold bonds. Mr.. Sherman wants
higher tariff; Mr.. Cleveland wants the
present tariff. Mr.. Sherman, as means
Of relief to stop tho endless chain-which
is q patent contrivance, with thieves at
one end and dishonest officials at the ether,
to rob the American people-wants to keep
e the redeemed greenbacks In tho treasury,
50 no one can get them to raid the treas
ury, while the president says that tho only
refuge he sees is to redeem, to blot out
and Issue bonds in place Of every solitary
piece of paper that circulatos without in
terest. And both of them mean contrac.
ton, lower prices, harder times. l.
Neither of them tells us W hat is to bring
relief. Mr.. Sherman does give what he
considers comprehensive, q good scheme
for future use. Mind you, not now. The
whole idea appears to be that promise o1
this government, which is q mortgage or
the labor OF this country for 80 years tt
come, is better than promise of this gov
ernment without interest, which circulntes
as money in the everyday affairs Of tht
people. Now, I ask any man here who ha,
scintilla OF honesty In his heart or in hi'