The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1896-01-11
WILSON'S SPEECH.

Congressman Wilson recently made
speech il the house of representa-
tives and it was a very good speech
In the maineits sentiments are elevated,
the reasoning sound and logical. But
he made slip, and it was a serious
one because iticonyeys an idea repug-
nant to broad and liberal Americanism.
Speaking of the occasion for the bond
bill against which our representative
was protesting, he said:
''Ghis legislation had its origin in the
alarm of the president of the United
States. What caused this alarm? The
people are not afraid. There has been
no cry of terror gone up from the
mass of the people throughout the
length and breadth of the land We
have not heard the voice of fear in the
great city of Chicago or anywhere in
the great Mississippi valley, the gran
cry of the world; it does not come from
the mountains Of the West. Whence
has it come? From the interest gath
erers and money changers of single
street i'll New York, the direct lineal
elected from the temple. They are
without a country and nationality;
they owe no allegiance to anything but
gold; they are absolutely without cour-
age and without patriotism; they bow
down humDly to any kind of q yoke
and would cheerfullv permit any insult
to their country and subject themselves
to any kind of indignity so that they
M u 70,
gather in their unearned profits"
Now, there was no occasion for that
slap at the American Jews as a race.
There are plenty of American, English,
German and French money changers
on Wall Street, just as culpable in
every respect as the Jews. Does it fol
low, then, that all Americans, English
men, Germans and Frenchmen are
without a country and nationality,
and owe no allegiance to anything but
gold, together with the rest of the in
Vective Mr.. Wilson INDUCES? We
don't think Mr.. Wilson's language ex-
presses exactly the thought he had in
mind. He meant specifically the Wall
street Jews as a class and an integral
part of the money power, generally.
The indictment which the language
seems to charge on the Jews as a race
was no doubt intended to apply to all
the Wall Street money changers with
equal force, and confined to them. The
Boise Statesman inadvertently aggra-
Yates the misstatement of Mr.. Wilson
by endorsing the speech in toto, and al |
ieging that it is in perfect harmony
with the sentiment of the state. The
Statesman is inaccurate. There is no
sentiment here-except possibly among
radical Populists-against the Jews as
a race. There are many Jews whose
patriotism is consumed by their avar-
ice, but nnhappily, there are many
Americans of the same brand 1t is a
mistake to charge that an inordinate
love of money is peculiarly a Jewish
characteristic. The Vanderbilts are
not Jews, nor the Armours, nor the
Carnegies, nor the Crokers, nor the
Morgans, nor the Pullmans. In plain
terms the great American people enjoy
about as robust a love for the all
mighty dollar as any people on earth;
they also possess a remarkable genius
for making it, but they are not largely
endowed with that providential mig
gardliness which alone enables the aver
age man to accumulate it, and therein
the Jews show superiority. We re-
greet Mr.. Wilson should have singled
out the Jewish race as alone worthy of
execration, and we protest against the
claim that Mr.. Wilson's
speech in its entirety is in perfect har-
mony with the sentiment of this state"