Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-09-24
nary Ellen Lease.

appearance before q large audience at
the opera house Monday evening. In
appearance, she is a rather fine looking
woman, somewhat masculine with a leng-
thy stride, land on the platform looks ten
years younger than on the street. As an
orator, she is a great success, possessed
OF q wonderfully strong voice aud carries
her hearers right along with her. She is
aggressive, self confident, and is duly
impressed with the Importance OF Mary
Ellen.
Her address was the typical populist
calamity howl well-rendered, denuncia-
tory OF the Republican party, supreme
court, "gold ar~istocracy," laws OF the
country, railroad Corporations, and
trusts, and was full OF personal abuse.
She likened John Sherman to the James
and Dalton gangs, and designated ex-
President Harrison al a~ntiquated fossil.
She will probably change her mind in the
latter instance within a few weeks. She
entitled the Republicans poor little
~cusses" who are working for nothing.
She can't be charged with working for
nothing, for she gets 70 big iron dollars
for every speech she makes ia behalf of
the common people, as she terms them,
and would not move out OF the hotel
until the committee came after her with
| the balance of the Doodle. No money,
no speech. Her opening remarks re-
garding the Republican nominee for
Supt. were far more applicable to Miss
Aasved's competitorsf for the nomination,
Robb and Putnam, than to Mr.. Syver-
son, for they came in direct competition
| with a woman, while he was nominated
q week before she was. She talked about
two hours and made lots of sweeping
assertions without backing them up
with any proofs or facts. Long on wind
and short on facts describes her talk.
All who oppose free silver were classed
as British Tories. She declared there
was not enough gold in the world to
pay one-eighth of the interest on the
public debt OF the U. S. While talking
finance, she constantly ~confounded the
Government with the people of the U. s.
In one breath she would declare the
country in a deplorable condition, and
i'm another this was the most glorious
and independent country under the sun.
To procure gold, bonds had to be issued,
but she failed to tell her hearers that
under the Harrison administration over
$40, 100000 of the public debt "a
paid off, while under the democratic add
ministration the public debt was in
creased 1862, 000, O00,-yet she asks her
audience 10 vote for Bryan and another
democratic administration. Many came
to the meeting hoping for a brilliant
address on the silver question but were
disappointed. Mrs. Lease is q green
hacker, and has but little faith in silver.
She argued that money would be more
plenty and TIE government could pay it's
debts easier, but failed to state how the
government could get any of the dollars
coined under free coinage for private
account, or how any citizen would get
them unless he had something to ex-
change therefor. She told how wheat
was worth LIS in the Chicago market
in 1879 and was worth in Webster to-
day but 40 cents, but could not account
for wheat being worth $1.15 in the
Webster market in October, 1888. She
had lots to say OF the evil conditions
existing, but prescribed no remedy I'M
less it were to vote for Bryan and an
other four years dose of democratic rule.
She asserted the old chestnut OF the
government stamp creating value, and
asked why did not the government put
$40 OF paper in a SO note, forgetting
that the SO note, like the Psalmist,
could sing, 81 know that my redeemer
liveth." and without that redeemer
tgold) it would be worth just that much
old paper.
Her talk was interesting con,lng from
a celebrity like Mrs. Lease, but had a
man been in her position, making the
same statements, he would have been
called down dozens OF times. At the
close OF her speech, she pleasantly greet
ell Mr.. MeKennett, who had interrupted
her wheat statements, and in answer to
questions as to wheat prices stated
frankly she did not know. When asked
why flax was $1.24 in Chicago last sea-
son and 60 cents this, she admitted per-
haps it was supply aud demand, and
added "You know us ~populists have got
TO talk" A good pen picture of this
gifted woman can be found in Leslie's
Weekly OF Sept. 10 by Franklin Matt
news.
DOG L0ST-$1O REWARD small
setter bitch, having black head, tan
spots over eyes, white bodycovered with
small black spots. Above reward will be
paid by +. G.. Stickles, Andover, s. ID.