The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-24
ALL FOR THE RICH
Governor AltgeId In His Speech
to the Illinois Convention
Says Our Government Has Re-
turned to HamiltOn's Idea.
HAMILTON BELIEVED
That the Government Should
Be Entirely Administered
In the Interests of the Wealthy
Classes.
HAMILTON BELIEVED

Peoria. Ill, June 24.-At the Demo
cratic state convention today Governor
Altgeld stepped upon the platform and
for several minutes there was the most
enthusiastic uproar that had yet been
witnessed. Governor Altgeld was
called for. He stepped forward and
said
-Four years ago our people met un-
der brighter skies. We swept the coun-
try by such a majority that fidelity to
Democratic principles would have in-
sured supremacy for quarter of
century. But before the inaugural fes-
tivities had ceased at Washington the
head Of the new administration sought
strange gods and espoused alien prin-
ciples.
THE interests of money were placed
above those of humanity, organized
greed was fed with golden spoons, while
the cry of the husbandman was I'M
needed and the sweat OF the toiler
brought him no bread.
THE Republicans had inherited the
principles Of Hamilton, according to
which the government should be a con
venience for the rich. Our president
tried to crowd them out and to place
his own feet on the ground AS the
months rolled by every principle that
is vital to republican institutions was
violated and every precept Of Jener-
son, every doctrine fundamental to
Democracy was trampled into the
earth
Since then defeat has followed dis
honor. until we have lost even what
we formerly had All might have
been well if the administration had re
spected republican Institutions and not
used its great powers to increase the
burdens of our people for the benefit
Of the foreign and eastern ShylOcks
But the spirit of Democracy is i'm
mortal.
Today the Democratic hosts are
again mastering on the plain. UnfOr-
tunately we have pursued a course
which has led many to question our
Democracy and to doubt our profess
sions We have allowed ourselves to
be Influenced by men who have not
drop Of Democratic blood in their
veins.
THE first thing necessary for US to
do is to stand for something definite,
stand for those principles upon which
the hope of humanity depends IF we
do this and once show the people that
we are in earnest no power In this land
can prevent our shaping the policy and
guiding the deStinies of the republic
The question of protective tariff has
long been an issue in this country. For
the first time we took an uneQuiVOcal
position on it four years ago and we
won. The tariff has been revised and
the probabilities are that neither pOlit-
zeal party viii make any radical
changes in it. 1t is no longer worth
while to discuss The theories of a tar
iff. It protects tie proprietor but not
the labOrer; for while ii checks the i'm
portation Of goods, 1T cannot prevent
the importation of cheap labor from all
over the earth.
The climax has been reached in the
passage of that legislative mOnstrOsity
known as the Mckinley law This
law was based on the theory that if
taking blood out of q patient was bene-
fetal, then the right thing to do is to
draw it all out a once and be done 1t
produced a deficit in the United States
treasury of about $40 600, 600. while
wages We're gradually reduced and the
conditions throughout the country con-
tinued to go from bad to worse, until
the final crash came in 1892
We must maintain a reasonable tar
if which will not be so high as to stop
all importation and viii therefore sup
ply the treasury with revenue. But we
must look elsewhere for the cause of
that paralysis which is destroying our
country
Between 1873 and 1880 this country
and all of the nations of Europe. by law
destroyed one-half of the redemption
money of the world and reduced by
fully One-half the annual addition to
the stock of money Of the world. Silver
when used at all was put on the basis
of paper money. The effect of this was
to double the work which gold had to
do and by doubling its Importance its
made two hundred cent dollars. As the
debts interest, taxes and other fixed
charges were not reduced it took nearly
everything which the farmer and the
producing classes generally could
scrape together to meet the fixed
charges.
This destroyed the trade Of the .mer-
chants and soon forced the factories to
be shut down. The conditions are get
ting worse day by day and there can be
no great prosperity in Europe and this
country until the wrong that produced
this distress has been righted- AS it
was done by the arbitrary act of gov
eminent, so it must be undOne by the
act of government.
AS the Democratic party represents
the great tOiling and producing mass
es, it must take the lead in undoing
this wrong. 1t will be a fierce strug-
gle for those INSCRIPTIONS men who
by corruption and trickery fastened
this system on the world viii resort
nay. are already resOrting to des-
perate means to hold their advantage
The Democratic party must speak
with no uncertain sound on this cues
ton.
The men who. year ago. made
about ten million of dollars out of the
government in a small bond transact
ion, carried out through a secret con
tract with the president and the secre-
tary of the treasury. viii do all in
policy. They viii try to capture the
Chicago convention and. failing, in
that, viii move heaven and earth to
control the new administration in case
we succeed.
I'm Europe the ratio was 151k parts
of silver to 1 of gold of equal fineness, I
and nearly all their monetary systems
were in harmony with this standard /
In our country it was 16 to l. and
our whole system is in harmony with
that ratio. A declaration in favor of
16 to ] means nothing new, not an ex-
pertinent. but return to what we
had.
Last week there was held in St
0-rfe a convention