The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-03-12

the party now, some we're silver, some
were gold, some protective tariff, some
were free trade. Congressional rail-
road land grants were rebuked by the
speaker, who declared that the Peo-
pies party was more Democratic than
the Democrat party and more Repub-
lican than the Republican party.
"Wall street has the Democratic par
ty, body, soul and breeches, and there
is practically no difference between
the two old parties. Put them in a
bag, shake it, and you can't tell
which is which,"
Attorney Patterson was the next
speaker. Protection was his theme.
He jollied up his audience by telling
story in which an Irishman hearing
tree toad, and not knowing what it
was declared it great big noise, and
applied his story to the Populist par
ty. Mr.. Patterson in an eloquent and
rapid harangue then declared that the
evils of to-day were due to protection
being temporarily sids-tracked. He
deprecated personalities and thought
that all should engage in politics.
Personalities, he said, was on the line
that the party with the most rogues
was the worst and the party with the
most Sunday-school teachers was the
best. All this was side-crack at the
first speaker, who took his medicine
without finching. Mr.. Patterson
stated that the Republican theory was
to put a tax on the goods of foreigners
and to tax the luxuries of life so that
the burden of running the govern
ment would fall heavier on the rich
than the poor. He reviewed the diff
ferent enactments and repeals of
tariff and, free trade ever since the
inaugural of the Federal government
and said every panic was due to the
reduction of the tariff or the adoption
of free trade. He scored the Popu-
lists by saying that while most of
them we're for protection every Popu-
list Senator and Representative voted
with the Democrats in Congress for
free trade. The policy OF protection
has built up this government, he con-
tended. He pulled two tin plates, one
of American and one of British make
from his satchel, and showed what
protection to our tin-plate industries
had done up to the time of the passage
of the Wilson bill. Protection, he
said, stimulated home ideas, home in
ventions and home manufacture. The
manufacture of an article at home
cheapened it and protection encour-
aged the home manufacturer. He held
up steel nail and said that only a
few years ago they were not manu-
factured here. Now, the nails are
not only manufactured here but the
price has decreased materially. In
closing, he said:
81 am glad that I belong to the par
ty of liberty and of progress; to the
party that has stood the test of time,
and that is hoary with the frosts of
usefulness; that has stood the test of
Democratic examination and is pure
and unsullied. I am proud of it, OF
its record, of its history-as grand as
our Nation; of it's enactment of the
homestead laws, whereby these broad
prairies are dotted with houses and
groves; of the war for freedom Re-
publican Lincoln carried on, that
struck the shackles from the toiling
black and redeemed the flag pure and
unsullied; of it, as party of men, of
Americans, around whose banner an
American can always find protection
of it as the party that is going to rally
the best blood of this Union around
it's standard this fall and elect as
President that matchless statesman
and author of protection, VIM. Nc.
Kinley of Ohio"
Clark Miller thought that if the Re
publican party had more men like
Mr.. Patterson it would be better off
He thought the Republican party
leaders, the rings, the gangs, etc.
we're the bad men and the men who
should be routed. The best element
of that party, he said, was not in con-
troll of it's course. He said that there
we're two classes in this country and
because one was getting all the feed
and the others kicking "the first say