The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-09-19
PowpERLY FOR GOLD.
Ills Talk to the wage-Earners OF Ne,
York City.

Il
Knights of Labor T. V. Powderly, as 70
lows:
.'Mr. President and Friends: Did l n
| licve an apology for my presence on IN
platform necessary. ! would say that
| am here because ! believe the right OF u
| American wage-earner to receive the higl
| est rate OF compensation for service rel
| dered and the right to claim and receive II
| best kind of money In exchange for h
labor should not be interfered with.
-Four Years OF Democratic Rule.
'"rhe platform of four years ago pledge
| the party entering into power to the Owe
throw of the American system OF prote'
ton. and with all his and their powe
with the force and influence at his an
their command. the man and party upo
whom the power was conferred lahore
10 place the foreign workingman on hig'
err plane than his American competitor. ar
that platform was anything but meaning
less. Four years ago the pivotal poir
around which the democratic piatforr
swung was free trade.
when congress assembled there was n
deficit: the revenue was amply sumcien
for the needs Of government and Their
was no income tax upon the statutes @
this nation. The income tax law was a
after consideration: II was no part or tn
democratic platform of 1892. and was onl
thought OF when II became manifest {
its originators that they had sawed OF "a
revenue limb on which they had been SIT
ting in their mad attempt to undo VIVA
their republican predecessors had SO We
planned and so faithfully executed. T
make amends for a blunder they woul
perpetrate a crime, and the income tax lay
was no less than q crime.
Il may be charged with opposing one u
the cardinal principles OF the knights o
Labor. which demanded that gradu
ated income tax be levied. That section
was adopted by the Knights OF Labor !
opposition TO my earnest and emphau
protest l never believed in 1t and hav
always opposed II.
when congress assembled in 1898 ther
was no income tax law upon the statut
books Under the provision of such Law
no revenue accrued to the government, arr
IL Is unfair. as well as dishonest. TO chaTg
a falling revenue to something which MAJ
no existence when the agitation for
change in our economic laws began. Doe
Il not appear inconsistent in the defender
of the Chicago platform to assert that they
are opposed 10 English rule in America oil
the finance question after they have openc'
our ports 10 the product of the English fac
tory and mill? Our chief competitor II
the domain OF manufacture is England
and lie must be an ignorant man indeed
who will demand the abolition of our tariff
laws and not know that the gamer by tn,
abolition OF these laws will be England
They tell Us that the manufacturers ar'
rohber barons. and that the tariH WhicF
protects them and those who work iol
them is robbcr tariff. Well, what OF u
If worli!ngmen VIII not organize as The
window glass trade and railroad work
men are organized TO unite with employer!
in protecting their trades and callirgs
thcy will have themselves to blame foi
not securing all the advantages ofprotec
ton.
where the Farmers Lose.
..The fact that $3.50, 900 worth of agri-
cultural product was imported TO this coun'
try in one year and that II was bought and
consumed by Americans proves most con-
clusiyciy that to that extent at least the
agriculturists Of this country were the
losers. and had they been protected in theii
industry by judcious tariff law the con-
sumcrs of the land would have bought that
product OF their hands instead of that
which came from foreign lands. and thai
vast sum of money would be circulating
among the people of the United States
paying taxes ana debts in thc Tri;ed State:
instead OF enriching the proauccrs ~ Cor
eign landslide 'robber barons' of Europe
THE farmer is told that the cause os MS
ills is because he has not been blessed witt
free silver. But whoever tells him that ue-
ceives him to his injury. Those who advo-
cate free silver tell the farmer that The
crime of 1873 is responsible for the Ills he
bears. Since 1873 farming in the United
States has undergone q radical an almost
total change. and causes other than the
characterization of silver have combined
TO cheaper his product.
els II any wonder then that the prices
Of wheat. corn and other grain have fallen.
and does IL not seem plain 10 the observing
man that the agencies which have pointed
out have been far more potent n leveling
prices than the decentralization OF silver?
The farmer needs a market, and he should
have a market in which TO sell at fair,
reasonable price: unfortunately he has
been taught that he should buy IN a cheap
market and sell in a dear one, but II ne
wishes for high prices for himself he should
interest himself in obtaining high prices
for others.
Sample of "Statesmanship."
Here. then. are two cause.-the intro
duction OF improved machinery and immi-
gration-which combine TO lower the prices
of products and deprive the farmer OF his
market. and the crime of 1873 has had
nothing TO do with either one. What rem
edy docs the Chicago platform offer for this
condition of affairs? That II recognizes
such condition is true, for 1t contains a
plank calculated to lead the unthinking
into the belief that they would abolish one
of these evils. 1t reads:
We hold that the most efficient way of
protecting American labor is to prevent the
Importation of foreign pauper labor to CON-
pete with II in the home MARKET etc.
There is a sample Of craftsmanship for
you. They pitch their tents where the
Knights of Labor extinguished their camp
fires L. years ago. In those days we de-
marded that the importation of foreign
labor under contract-not pauper labor
mark you-should be abolished Those
laws were passed In 1885, and to-day such
thing as .he Importation of labor Is
hardly known. Had these patriots who af-
feet TO talk in the name OF labor been sin.
cere they would have inserted immigra-
ton where they flaunt the word importa
ton.
They tell US that We lack money: that
there is not enough in circulation, and
that the mints should be started to coin
silver in unlimited quantities for the good
of labor. but just how the man who has
no silver to be coined is to be benefited
has not been made clear TO us yet. and
j believe II Will do the country more good
to open our mines. mills and factories 10
the unemployed than to open our minis 10
the unrestricted coinage of silver at the
ratio OF sixteen to one. That there il not
enough money In circulation may be true
but, II so. II is because labor has not beer
employed: IL is because we have been i'm.
porting rather than exporting. When II IS
asserted that our per capita is not suffic,cn,
II must not be forgotten that labor itself
Is In no small share responsible for this
n n hestE laAx