The representative., 1896-07-08


a piece Of corrupt villainy which no
honest man could defend; now 1t Is
the foundation stone and shibboleth OF
the Republican party.
Great is the power Of money.
MCKINLEYlSM 1,RANTLAI,ED.
In his acceptance speech at Canton,
O., the other day Mr.. Mckinley said:
The dollar paid to the farmer, the
wage-earner and the pensioner must
continue for ever equal in purchasing
and debt-psying power to the dollar
paid to any government creditor. The
contest this year will not be waRed
upon lines Of theory and speculation
but in the light Of severe practical ex-
perience and new and dearly acquired
knowledge. Tho great body OF our
citizens know what they want and
that they intend to haye. They know
for what the Republican party stands
and what it's future return to power
means to them.
Let US translate this into plain Eng
lish.
''The dollar paid to the farmer, the
wage-earner and the pensioner must
continue forever equal in purchasing
poscer to the dollar paid to any govern
ment creditor"
That Is to say,-it must be gold
dollar, or dollar based on the gold
standard, and whose purchasing pow
er will be twice what it was twenty
years ago; and to obtain this dollar
the farmer must turn over his wheat
at fifty cents q bushel, his oats At
twelve cents . bushel, his cotton at
five to seven cents pound, and every
thing else In proportion.
And who gets the benefit of this
great reduction in the price of agri-
cultural products? The man who has
the gold dollars with this large pur-
chasing power? The capitalist, the
money-lords. England, the Roths-
childs. And what does the farmer get
for it?-Nothing. The farmer throws
away half his crop to Zurich Others,
and Mckinley asks him to vote to
make this arrangement permanent.
And the wage-earner is to buy this
high-priced dollar with his labor
that is, like the farmer he must give
| so much more labor for it: Uhe can get
,co,k! Butwith the purchasing power
Of the farmers products reduced one
half the market for the products Of
city labor is reduced proportions tely,
and the whole country Is paralyzed.
Even Mckinley, In that same ac-
ceptance speech, refers to: 1.-THE dis
tress of the people who are suffering
because of the scant demand for eth
er their labor or the products of their
labor. Here Is the fundamental trou-
BILE, remedy for which is Republican
opportunity and duty"
And the remedy is to be by maxi
ing "their labor and the products of
their labor" worth half as much rs
they should be, by increasing 1.-THE
purchasing power of the gold dollar;'
and this is 1.-THE Republican opportun-
ity," a. set forth by 1.-The advance
agent of prosperity"
And then see how cunningly the old
scamp appeals to the patriotic senti.
ment of the country by referring to
the pensionersl This is to be the
mask behind which the bankers are
| to hide.
But the question arises,-should the
whole country be sacrificed to in
crease the pensions Of the soldiers? II
the soldiers pensions are not enough
in Gods name increase them by law,
| but do not ruin the community Of
which the pensioners are q part,
While it Is true that the old soldiers
can now buy twice as much wheat,
corn, meat, clothing, ETC., with his
dollar as he could twenty years ago
he has to suffer with his neighbors
from the cart-wheel gold dollar. He
may see his farm, ii he has one, taken
from him under mortgage and trans
ferred to some moneyslender; or hit
children reduced to pauperism; or. Il
working man, he may have to eat
the free soup of public charity;-fol
many soldiers have no pensions. and
even those who have do not depend
on them altogether for livelihood
But the old soldier risked his life tt
save his country. He will not con
sent to see it ruined simply because
Mckinley tells him he has "the dead
wood" on his fellow men, and can buy
the products OF their industry for less
than they cost. He mistakes the dis.
position of the gallant ol heroes II he
thinks any such appeal will influence
their generous natures.