The San Francisco call., 1896-10-16
Four Thousand, Wage-Earners
Show Loyalty 10 the Cause
of Protection.
OTHER DELEGATIONS ARRIVE.
To All the Visitors the Major Talks of
the Necessity of Sound Money
and Home Industry.

CANTON, OHIO, Oct. 1.-THE COM
manding feature of the day at Canton was
the great spontaneous labor demonstra-
ton which took place late in the after
noon. Four thousand Canton working
men called on Major Mckinley. They
assembled at the public square at O'Clock,
fell into line and marched to Major Nc
Kinley's house. All went quietly and
without ostentation. Hundreds of men
caue Just as they left the mills, the foun-
dries and the shops, attired in blue
blouses and carrying their dinner-palls.
The workingmen arranged the call them
selves and they filed every inch OF room
in the Mex inley yard and were tightly
wedged in. Several hundred could not
get within hearing distance OF the
speaker. After the spokesmen, Messrs.
Krause and Jones, had made some re-
marks and a glee club had been heard
Major Mckinley said:
L have witnessed in front of this porch many
scenes which have touched my heart, but
none which have more deeply moved me than
this gathering OF the workingmen of Canton.
Fringed about this assemblage are the wives
and the little ones whom you love so much and
Tor whom you want an opportunity to work.
I bid you all hearty and sincere welcome TO
my home
The currency, which since 1879 has been on
q safe and sound basis, is now assailed by our
political adversaries. 1t involves the old
question OF the honest payment of the public
debt and the pensions Of our soldiers and OF all
public obligations which the people long ago
determined on the side of good faith, good
morals and common honesty. But with that
settlement some people are not satisfied. So
we are called upon by them to pass upon this
question. There Is still the question OF pro-
lection against free trade or tariff reform. In
1892 free trade as against protection was the
paramount issue of the campaign, and free
tIsde irinmphed before The great tribunal of
the American people, and this year we bring
the question to you again. We ask you 10 re-
view, TO express your reconsideTed and better
and mole matUred judgment on that issue,
after three years of dreadful experience.
I spoke in the city of Canton on Monday
evening, November 8, 1892, and in that
speech 1 appealed to fellow-citizens at home as
7 had appealed to them elsewhere not to over
turn the protective policy which had brought
US such universal prosperity, and which at
that very moment was spreading its blessings
and benefits throughout the entire country
and in every industrial center, and in the
course of that speech said what was true then
and what is true now. This is what said
four years ago: but, again. the Democrats
say thatif we have free trade we could buy
cheaper than we do at present Yes We
might while the struggle between American
and foreign industries was going on, butwhen
the former are wiped out the price would go
up to whatever figure might be dictated by
the foreign manufacturer, and in the mean
time labor will be scanuly employed and at
reduced wages Free trade cheapens the arti-
Gle by cheapening the artisan; protection re-
duces the price of a product by giving the
artisan just reward for his labor and receiv-
ing its reward on higher skilled industry.
Free trade cheapens the product by cheapen-
ing the producer; protection cheapens the
product through the skilled genius and indus
try OF the producer. [Applause.l
But, my countrymen, nothing is cheap at
any price which comes from abroad that en-
tails idleness upon the American people. zap
plause. The maxim of free trade is "Buy
where you can buy the cheapest" I win give
you maxim worth ten thousand times more
than that buy where you can pay the
easiest" Tremendous cheering But where
labor receives lis highest reward, and that is
in the United States OF America, or was four
years ago, during the years of protection every
manufactured product had been cheapened,
but in that process, thank God. men, living
444G4ig uhu uSNtI DCtu tutdI6ueN. h0ll6 the
products OF the country had gone down in
price, labor up to 1892 had more than held its
own, and work1ngman at that time was re-
-ceiYing go per cent more for his labor than he
received in 1860. All we have done by pro-
lection is to take care of our own households
and great National family. That is what we
propose 10 do in the future by our ballots on
the Sd of November.
said another thing then: ''If by your bal
lots you adopt this free-trade policy while
things may be cheaper in the United States
you viii have less labor and less wages with
which to buy them" Was l right, men of
Canton [Cries of "Yes."l Those were the
words spoken to you four years ago and were
my best and most mature convictions do
not believe in my re ations with you, with
many of you for more than a quarter of a CEN
tury have under AIKEN to Deceive or mislead
or misguide you. [Cries of "You never have ~
My opinions may have been wrong, but they
were honest opinions, and none were more
.honest than those expressed in 1892. How
ar they were truly and worthily spoken you
can now Judge. We have passed from the
field OF prediction into the kingdom of fulfill
ment. daughter and applause We have
passed the period of prophesy since then and
have experienced in our own homes in our
own employments and IN our own lives the re-
suit of partial free trade and tariff tinkerlng
You know the conditions in 1892. You know
the conditions now. Which do you prefer?
[Cries OF ''The conditio rs of 1927
My felIow-citizens: AS if the dreadful ex-
perience Of the last three years and a half was
not enough for our people TO bear, We have in
iected into the eamp paign a new ard very
grave menace, affecting the currency of the
country. This menace must be removed be-
fore confidence will come back again, and the
4 ic In fha orf
which proposes il. We cannot have business
confidence. we cannot have more uninter-
rupted prosperity, we cannot have good en-
ployment and good wages until we have re-
stored confidence TO the business OF tie United
States. We cannot do that until we have
established an unalterable purpose to keep
every Obligation Of the Government sacred
and every dollar OF our currency as good as
gold Nor will business activity revive SO
-. a