The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-05-08
THE SOUTH AND PROTECTION.
ARLINGTON HOTEL,
Hot SPRINGS, Ark, Apr. 20, '96.
Mr.. L. P. HUNT,
Editor, Mankato FREE PRESS,

Editor, Mankato FREE PRESS,
MankatO.
DEAR SIR:-Some of my observa-
tions in the southern states may in
terest my old friends in and about
Mankato, who are your readers. On
my way from Los Angeles to this
beautiful and charming health resort,
/ stopped at Houston and Galveston,
Texas, also New Orleans. Business
men are complaining bitterly about
dull trade. The Tariff Reformers'
are far from being popular, as they
have ruined the wool industries OF
Texas. The sugar rehneries OF
Louisiana are badly crippled, and the
rice producers of South Carolina are
among the loudest complalners. One
large wool grower in Texas said to me:
"We lack just sc pound of free
WOOL" that being the price offered.
Our southern free trade friends are
doing "a right smart heap OF think
ing, "sah." Many have concluded
that they have a much greater inter-
est in the welfare of their homes and
their families than they have in the
old, thread-bare free trade" theory
advanced by Calhoun and Davis fifty
years ago. Their eyes are being opened
and they are not being led by the old
leaders as they have been in the past.
They now have practical illustration
of the fact that when cargo OF goods
are bought in Europe, the gold goes
out of our country to pay for them,
and European labor receives the bene-
fit and our laborers walk the streets.
The younger generation of the south,
who have ambitions beyond holding
political office and living upon the
labor of the negroes, whom they pay
as little as possible, begin to foresee
even ''that cotton is not king"
Japan, with it's forty million of people,
erecting cotton mills and making use
of Egyptian, India and Sea Island cot
ton, pay one to three dollars month
wages, will soon dump the product of
their busy spindles onto our market.
This will be ''the last straw" that will
break the old Stree traders back
Within five years l believe the
southern states will be the most radi-
cally protective part of our country.
They see now the happy result at At
lanta, Birmingham and other grow
ing southern cities, where northern
money and energy have combined,
and where large industries have been
built up, and steady wages paid out to
the working people. They certainly
want more of it and are beginning to
fully understand that moderate
protective policy" and not ''free
trade" will add to the wealth and in
dustry of the south. One bright,
energetic, young southern business
man said to me: "We want to 60 right
on with our hangings,' but hang the
old free trade INDECENT demagogues
in the future instead of the Niger
and business men will bring the south
to the 'front.'" You hear no more of
"Cleveland and Wilson tariff REFORM"
but there is a large element in the
south, who strongly favor the reforms
advocated by the Republican party.
The demagogues, "the old leaders,
sah," throughout parts of the south,
are simply crazy over "free silver"
The free coinage of silver at the ratio
of 16 to l is what they must have.
Nothing else will save the earth.
They admit they must have been mis-
taken in the past. 1t was not tariff
reform" they needed, but the office
seeker must have some ism in order to
be leader, or politician, and every
man too indolent to work, appears to
be political leader. / must relate an
incident in this connection, which is
Vouched for by business man doing
business in Hot Springs. I have it
from his own lips.
ga political leader, who is a candi-
date for congress in the Hot Springs
district, addressed crowd of country
people at small town or village about
twenty miles from Hot Springs. He
is an advocate of the free coinage of
silver at the ratio of 16 to l, He said
to his hearers: My dear friends,
believe you do not fully comprehend
nor understand the full meaning of
the term, the free coinage of silver at
the ratio of 16 to l. You have not had
the opportunity to read and fully in
form yourselves. / will briefly ex-
plain 1t to you. If you favor me with
your vote at the coming election, and
am elected to represent you from
this district in Congress, laws will be
passed to the effect if you will send to
the United States Treasury, at Wash
ington, D. O., a single gold dollar, he
will in exchange for it return to you
sixteen silver dollars. This, my
friends, assure you, is what is meant
l. L a