The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-17
POWDERLY TALKED POLITICS
EX-MASTER WORKMAN OF THE
X. OF l.. ADDRESSED LABOR
ING MEN OF NEW YORK.
REFERS 70 CHICAGO STRIKE INCIDENT
Had Local Authorities Done Their Duty
Federal Injunction Would Not
Have Been Necessary-He
FavOrs Sound Money.

New York, Sept 10-A mass meeting
was held in Cooper Union tonight under
the auspices of the campaign committee
of the Mckinley League.
II. V. Powderly, eX-mas.er workman
of the Knights of Labor, and ex-senator
Warner Miller were the speakers. The
meeting was prepared for wage earners,
and large audience was present. Sev-
cral Bryan men were present and made
their presence known by loud cheers for
their candidate. This interruption was
speedily stopped by the police, after
which the program of the evening was
carried out.
Mr.. Powderly was the first speaker.
He said:
"Mr. President and Friends--Did | be-
licvc an apology for my presence on this
platform necessary, | would say that
am here because | believe the right of
every American wage Garner to receive
the highest rate Of compensation for SER
vice rendered and the right 70 claim and
receive the best kind of money in cX-
change for his labor should not be inter
fcrcd with
Mr.. Powderly then took up The Chi
cago platform and compared K with pro
vious platforms of the democratic party,
saying:
"The platform of four years ago
pledged the party entering into power to
the overthrow of the American system of
protection and with all his ard their
power. with all the force and influence
ut his and their command the man and
party upon whom the power was CON
ferrcd labored to place the foreign work
ingman on Il higher plane than his Amcri-
can competitor, and that platform was
anything but meaningless. -Four years
ago the pivotal point around which
the democratic platform swung was free
| trade.
when that congress assembled there
| was no deficit: the revenue was amply
sufficient for the needs of government and
there was no income tax law upon the
| statutes of this nation The income
tax law was an after consideration: it
was no part of the democratic platform
of 1892 and was only thought of when
it became manifest to its originators that
they had sawed the revenue limb on
which they had been sitting. in their
mad attempt to undo what their repuL-
lican predecessors had so well and so
| faithfully executed, 70 make amends
for blunder they would perpetrate a
crime, and the income tax law was no
less than Il crime. | may be charged
with opposing one of the cardinal prin-
cples of the knights of Labor, which
demanded that a graduated income tax
be levied. That section was adopted by
the Knights of Labor in opposition to
my earnest and emphatic protest.
never believed in it and have always
opposed it. When congress assembled
the statute books. Under the pro-
visions of such Il law no revenue ac-
crucd to the government and it is unfair
as well as dishonest to charge falling
revenue to something which lad no eX-
istencc when the agitation for a change
in our economic laws began. Does 1t
not appear inconsistent in The defenders
of the Chicago platform to assert that
they are opposed to English rule i'll
America on the finance question, when
they have opened our ports to the
product of the English factory and mill
Our chief competitor in the domain of
manufacture is England, and he must
be an ignorant man indeed who will de.
mand the abolition of our Tariff laws and
not know that the gamer by the abolition
will be England. They tell us that the
manufacturers are robber barons and
that the tariff which protects them and
those who work for them is robbery
tariff Well, what of it? If we work
ingmen will not organize, rs the window
glass and railroad workingmen are or
| ganized, to unite with employers in pro
| tecting their trades and callings, they
have themselves to blame for not re-
ceiving all the advantages of protec'
ton.
'The fact that S35O,OOO,OOO worth OF
agricultural products were imported tC
were bought and consumed by Americans
proves most conclusively that, to that
extent ut least, the agriculturists OF
this country were the losers. and had
they been protected in their industry by
Il judicious tariff law the consumers OF
the land would have bought the product
of their hands instead of that which
came from foreign hands and that vast
sum of money would be circulating
paying taxes and debts in the United
States instead of enriching the producers
of foreign landslide 'robber barOns' OF
Europe. The farmer is told that the
cause of his ills is because he has mo-
been blessed with free silver; but who
ever tells him that dcccivcS linn to hl'
injury. Those who advocate free sill
yer tell the farmer that the crime OF
1873 is responsible for the ills he bears
"Since 1873, farming in the United
: States has undergone Il radical and al
most total change and causes other thai
the decentralization of silver have com
| bined to cheaper his product"
| Mr.. Powderly then compared the worl
possible to be done with modern agricul
) turla implements with that under the ole
} methods and said
rs it wonder, then. that prices o
wheat. corn and other grain have fallel
and does it not seem plain to the oh
+ serving man that agencies which | have
pointed out have been far more poten
= in lowering prices than the demonetizatiol
of silver? The farmer needs marke
} and he should have Il market in whicl
to sell mt fair reasonable price I'm
fortunately, he has been taught that III
! could buy in cheap market and sell il
Il dear one. but if he wishes for higl
< prices for himself he should interest him
+ self in obtaining high prices for others.
l Mr.. Powderly then told of how i'm
= proved machinery had displaced hand Ia
| Dor in cities rs well and called attention
| to the great influx of immigration, VIII
. settle in the cities and work cheaply. ant
t continues:
: Here, then, are two cause.-the i'll
= PRODUCTION of improved machinery AM