The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-10-28
Il LAST WORD.


REPRESENTATIVE before election.
When we greet you again either
Bryan or Mckinley will be president.
II the former wins we shall enter up
on tremendous era of Reform. that
may extend through the next fifty
years. The people will be at work
considering every law and every
method which Expresses or impover-
ishes them, and striving by peaceful
legislation to wipe it out and improve
their condition. IfMajor Mckinley Is
elected the same policies which have
brought the masses to the verge of
universal bankruptcy must continue
for four years longer, unless the wide
spread wretchedness of the people pro-
duces armed revolution God
forbid.
We do not see how the Republicans,
even with the best intentions in the
world. can give the producing classes
of this country prosperity. The prices
of our great taples,-wheat,w wool, cot.
ton. meats, iron, copper, lead, etc. ,are
fixed in the markets of London and
LIVERPOOL; and there they are deter
mined by the relation which exists
between the primary money Of the
world and the amount Of the COM
modities offered for sale in the world:
and if that primary money is gold and
gold alone, as it will be if silver is de-
feated in next two weeks battle in
the United States. then the prices of
the productions of labor will continue
as at present to be cut in half, or will
fall still lower. If on the other hand
the cause of free-silver triumphs next
Tuesday, then the primary money will
consist of gold and silrer; it will be
doubled; it will be diluted; it's pur-
chasing power will be cut in half. and
the prices of the commodities pro-
duced by labor will be doubled: the
wealth of the many will be increased.
while the opportunities of the few to
plumber the masses of mankind will
be CORRESPONDENCE diminished.
This is the whole controversy in a
| nutshell, and we should not be de-
| ceived by subterfuges or side issues.
| Look this sQuarely in the eyes,
| friends.
Ifyou make a mistake now you and
your posterity will pay the penalty.
| You will not have chance to correct
your blunder for four years more,-
possibly you may have no opportunity
to correct it forever; for who can say
what is hidden in the womb Of time:
what storms, what earthquakes,
what rattle of rifles, what bursts of
cannon flame, what revolutions, what
expressions. You cannot put your
head into the lions mouth and be
sure what he will do next.
Some of you are scared with threats
those you owe money to. If they can
so intimidate you. and force you tc
vote against your own interests, are
you not already, for all interests and
purposes, slave? Did you suppose
when you borrowed few hundred, OF
few thousand dollars, that your
creditor was to be your master? In the
old Roman days if man could not
pay his debt he was sold on the auc
ton block to the highest bidder. and
he and his children were slaves for
ever. Are the farmers of the Missis-
sippi Valley gravitating to the same
condition? If you cannot vote as yor
please you are no longer free; you are
already enslaved. II your creditors
can cont troll you this time, will they
not the next time, and the next
and the next;-and so force you tt
vote for policies that will ruin 20,
and despoil you until property as wei
as liberty is gone?
Fortunately you. have the Aus
tralian voting booth, (thanks to Joh1
Arnold Keys,) and no man need know
how you vote. Cast all intimidation:
aside and say to yourself that you hae
better be dead than serf: and vote
according to the dictates of your con
science and best Judgment. The poll
cies that are sought to be enforced
upon you by such enginery of oppres
sion cannot be right-they must b.
destructive to yourhopes and happi
ness. Down with them!
You have never had occasion, il
your whole life, to perform an act 81
full of tremendous consequences, i'm
mediate and future, now and for al
time to come, as the marking of tina
slip of paper, in the voting booth
next week.
And don't stop with voting right
There are thousands SO perpleXed b.
the subtle arguments of the newspa
pers, that they stand waverirg ant
uncertain, between the contendin,
hosts. Go and talk to them. Brin
them with you to the polls. See tina
they too vote right. II there are an,
too sick or weak to come send convey
ances for them. Leave no stone un
turned.
II ruin is to fall upon our belove
country do not let the responsibility,
rest on your neglect or Indifference O
, stupidity or corruption.
In the name of God and your coun
try do your whole duty.