The herald., 1896-09-13
YOUNG SlLvHRlTES
An Eloquent Address Delivered by Hon. John
p. Humphreys

held their regular meeting last evening
at their quarters, No 31S West Second
street, at which Hon. John +. Hum
phreys addressed them upon the issues
of the campaign.
There was large crowd in attend
ance. and much interest was manifest
ed. Mr.. Humphreys spoke as follows:
| Is the intellectual and moral standing
| OF this nation, when compared to all
other nations of the world, so elevated
| that its light so shines before men that
| they see it's good work? Does not frail
woman, in obeying her missionary COM
mand, GO ye therefore and teach all
nations" find her pathway dimmed by
| fugitives from justice from our land
| and other examples of our inconsistent
cy? If the full light of day could be
turned upon the official acts of this ma
tion for simply period of the past thir-
! ty years, would 1t not shut out the mis-
sionary light entirely, and leave us
| enough behind to fill our penetentiaries?
Is 1t not fact that the wrongs of which
this nation complains today Is the re-
suit OF vicious legislation? When the
farmer admits that at the ruinous prices
he gets the more he raises the worse
he is off; that he cannot pay his mort
| gage, his interest or his tax, even though
ne labors fifteen hours day and uses
rigid economy; when the laborers by the
million appeal for work to sustain their
families, and year by year find new
difficulties and hardships to encounter;
| when all the above producers of wealth
see the wealth of the nation concen-
trating in the hands of the few who toll
not neither do they SPIN" Except about
| the halls of justice influencing legisla-
tion), should we be surprised to see this
immense uprising Of the masses, re-
gardless Of political afflliation, making
an effort to loosen the hand of greed that
| Is Tightening about their necks? Let
| us for moment assume this audience
| to be court-you the jurors and the
| witness and we hope Justice Is the
| judge, and set the case for trial Novem-
ber Cd, of the People of the United States
| VS.. Tripod of Conspirators, upon
which three legged stool rests the golden
| calf. fed free Of cost upon the products
of farm and labor OTIS enough to make
| the calf blush). Ask what sustains this
structure, and, first, the railroad system
| or the nation replies-well, we need not
ask the whole system; take the one near
home; we can better comprehend. 1t
says: 1--WE appealed to the govern
ment, particularly in the hour of it's
need, and 1T generously gave us both
! money and land to build across the con-
| tinent the much felt want. 1t made us
oft-time millionaires and political
power in the land, enabling us to con-
troll votes and legislation; we snap our
finger at the tax gatherer, railroad and
interstate commerce commissioners; we
paralyze home manufacturers, which
gives us long hauls, and in the very face
of opposition b ythe people. it's congress-
men and senators, we have the power
to Frye out of the United States gov
ernment recommendations of $4,000 600
appropriation for our own private use,
n n tf IN tt,1n To-, IL
cure our funding bill" If one railroad
has this power, what can the whole
railroad combination do?
| This combination can forever pigeon
| hole the Nicaragua canal, which would
double the population of the Pacific
coast like magic Second comes the Sec
ond leg of the tripod, the financial (the
XitaD system of @ our nation as com{p3lsteI {p3bsS ( !,
street as does the arteries of our body
connect head and limb. Take for a start
| err one sentence in the circular sent out
by the California Bankers association
IN their appeal for us to sustain the gold
standard. 1t says: I'VE cheerfully con-
cede that our fellow citizens consider
public questions with as much intelli-
gence as we; but we believe that our
profession, and the very nature of our
training adapt us more particularly to
pass Judgment upon the questions of our
monetary standards and currency"
is 1t this profession and nature of
training" that, after the old soldier was
paid off at the close of the war; green
backs bearing no interest We're "cor-
rered' by gold and bought up at 35 cents
on the dollar and cancelled by interest
bearing bonds in the hands of the money
syndicates? Is 1t not this training"
that prompted the demonetization act
of 1873? Is it not the greed for gain that
has finally gotten this government into
corner to use it as a football and kick
$4,000 900 profit out of it at one time in the
late sale of $5O,00O,0O0 bonds? Is 1t not
this knowledge of concentration by law
of the money that makes dishonest Sc
out of a 81 in gold, and legislates the
money value out of silver. the money
that measures the farm products and la
bor--as we compete with countries
standing on silver basis? Is it by this
profession that congress grants them
special legislation, ,eXempting them from
tax, besides giving them percent on
their investment to go into business?
Is this why-as the official records show
that in 1894 the total assessment of all
the banking system of Cook county, Illi-
nois (Which includes Chicago, is only
$4S,925, when $143.000,0O0 would come
near the mark which is exempt from tax
and added to the poor mans home? In
the circular being sent out broadcast
by Easterbrook & Co., bankers of Bos-
ton. among other things they say: "It
is question of intrinsic value confront
ing us" land the decrease in the
value of silver is owing to the increase
of production But they had no time
to explain. In my reply and among
other items I asked them what was the
intrinsic value of the paper upon
which $1,000 bond was issued-not even
payable in gold, and yet how eager the
sparks grab after them by the million
and was it not a lack of inclination to tell
the truth instead of lack of time that
allied them?
Carl Schurz, in his Chicago speech of
September 5th warned the farmer to
go slow and think well, as they depend
ed upon the banks for money to move
their crops" Is 1t coming to pass that
the farmer cannot get enough from his
farm porducts to move his own crops'
What the farmer needs is the repeal of
vicious legislation. That would not only
permit shim to earn his living but have
surplus to put in bank.
AS to the third leg of this stool: Man
ufactories and other large corporations
on the question of a high protective
tariff we refer you to Mr. Wanamaker,
where contribution of $3.50, 900 to the
campaign fund not only secured a seat
in the cabinet but tariff that went into
the pocket of the manufacturers along
without dividing it's benefits with the
producer Of wealth. Ask Mr.. Carnagie
(whose pull was SO greaD that when
caught defrauding the government in
defective plate, Mr. Cleveland awarded
him S112 600 for beinp fra N tx hout the