People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1896-09-17


sir, for all the purposes Of political fac
tor, in the first year Of Mr.. Hsrrison's ad-
mlnlstration. When did II carry, politically
speaking, half dozen State OF the Union,
either wholly or largely? Why, sir, in 1880,
for the first, when the administration OF
Mr.. Harrison was less than two years old.
When was it that Kansas most distin-
guished representative from his seat in the
Senate Of the United States, denounced as
he only can your Republican financial pol
icy, which had prevailed for more than
quarter Of century, as one which onered
to the virtuOus women Of the land the al
tentative Of prostitution or starvation!
Why, sir, it was in January, 1891, when the
administration of Benjamin Harrison
lacked scarce two months Of being half ex-
pired.
Where and when was 1t that the great
est industrial strike Of all the ages up TO
that time Occurred-a strike which took
the combined military forces Of Pinkerton
and Pennsylvania to suppress; strike, not
for higher wages than had been paid under
the preceding Democratic adminlstrat lon'
but a strike against a reduction OF the
wages which had been paid under the pre-
ceding Democratic administration ana
against the imposition Of more onerous
terms than at that time prevailed? Why,
sir, il was at Homestead, Pa, in the year
Of our Lord 1892, and in the year OF Ben
jamin Harrison ", and ii was in the pro-
tected iron factories Of Mr.. Carnegie, under
the full operation Of the Mckinley tariff
law, months before the election of Grover
Cleveland as President, which occurred the
succeeding fall, was dreamed Of as posi-
bility.
Democracy From NOn-Partisan View.
"Mr. Chairman, l am no Democrat. l
have never voted a Democratic ticket as
such, in my life. | have, however, voted
for many Democratic candidates, and shall
doubtless do so again. | voted for them
because OF the purity Of their personal
character their competency to discharge
the duties of public Office and the integrity
and faithfulneSs of their official conduct
| am not here in the character Of defender
or apOlOgist for the Democratic party, but
in so far as the present distressed con-
ditions can be laid to the door of Demo-
cratic office holders, the policy pursued by
them has been but continuation Of the one
originated and carried 50 near to a ruin
Gus conclusion by their Republican prede-
cessors, and in opposition TO the spirit and
temper and advice Of the great mass OF the
Democratic party, as it has recently ex-
pressed itself, and as we know It has all
the time existed
Il am no Democrat but / resent with
as much intensity Of feeling as any Demo-
crat can possess this gross and impudent
Islander upon the Democratic party. Shame
| upon the men who will thus pervert and
the purpose Of mere partisan ends. Every
body knows who knows anything at all
about the matter that while times have
grown harder and have become worse IN
recent years, they have become harder and
grown worse by lapse Of time only, and
that We are now reaping the partially
! ripened harvest Of Republican misrule, the
seeds Of which were sOwn years ago in
the contraction, resumption and demOneti-
cation policies Of Republican Congresses.
l pass, however, from these general top
Financial Legislation Reviewed.
'Tn the discussion Of the all-absorbing
/ matters of silver coinage and gold mono
/ metallism, II Is important 10 recall some
Of the principal acts Of legislation which
| go to make up the financial policy Of the
! cOuntry-nOt merely for the purpose Of OBJ
serving their effects, but because they indi-
! cate the temper OF hostility which the Re
/ publican party has always shown to the in
| dustrial interests OF the masses OF the peo-
| pie. Prominent among these are the acts
! authorizing the contraction OF the paper
currency Of the country. And begin with
this as starting point. At the close OF
the war We had In circulation, in exist
! ance, at least, in round numbers, sl,0O0, Co.,
900 of paper money. Exactly stated it was
/ S9S3,OO0O0O In this statement Of amount,
| haweVer, the issue known as 7-30 bonds or
| culating currency or bonds some question
has been raised, is excluded lay this to
| one side and say that at the close Of the
war there were S9S3,W0,OO0 Of paper money
in existence in this country, and that was
the entire amount of money of all kinds
available for the peoples use.
Issues Of State bank currency, both
North and South, had gone out Of existence
during the war. Gold and silver had fled,
as they always do in times Of emergency.
Gold hied itself away to places Of safety,
where il remained for many years there
after. and was not even used as a base
for the circulation Of any forms Of paper
currency. This entire volume of money was
at the close of the war confined to the
States Of the North. And by the North
was then meant much less than il means
now. Except the very limited portion which
found its way to the States and Territories
of the Pacific coast, il was confined TO that
portion of the Union lying north Of ne
Potomac and Ohio rivers and east of the
Missouri might more correctly say the
Missssippi-river. An area Of country en-
bracing nearly one-third Of the Union, and
nearly One-third Of its population, was to-
tally unsupDlled with money.
The South at the Close Of the War.
1.-THE South was practically bankrupt Her
Confederate money was utterly worthless
Her gold and silver had gone to defray the
expenses Of her rebellion, and she did
not have. comparatively speaking, a dol
lar Of money with which to begin again
the struggle of life. She needed money WI
which to restore her broken fortunes and
build up her homes, made desOlate by the
ravages Of war. The only place from which
ii could be obtained was from the States
of the North, or the Northeast, as il NAV
now more properly be termed.
Immediately upon the close Of the wal
! t,.,N III, Il, I,l LII +,
through limited area OF territory and
among a portion of the people only. began
10 20 South. 1t went there in the form OF
loans TO such Of the Southern people as
were in command Of credit 1t was taken
there by men from the North on which 10
engage in business in new homes. All this
accomplished a contraction Of the currency
by distribution of its volume over a wider
extent Of territory and among a greater
number of people. But this was not the
only method of the same kind by which
the volume of the currency was contracted
AT the close Of the war the entire coun.
| try between the Missouri river and the
Pacific coast was practically uninhabited
From the Indian Territory north to the Brit.
| ish possessions was one trackless Unsettled
plain. From the eastern foothills of the
Rocky mountains to California was a re.
|, gion not only uninhabited, save in a few is.
Olated spots. but ii was practically an I'M.
!
plain. Kansas, the only State of all this
vast region. had then. believe, less than
a quarter Of million Inhabitants.
"Since that time We have developed ar
empire out Of a wilderness. The mighty
energies aroused in the people and put
forth for the preservation Of the UniOr
would not abate with the cessation Of the
war, but they carried hundreds Of thou.
sands, even millions, across the rivers ant
plains and over the rocky peaks toward
the Pacific shores in a tide as impetuOu:
as the host which scaled the summit OF
Missionary Ridge and marched with Sher
man TO Savannah and the sea. Within
twenty-five years from the close Of thu
war we had paralleled and hsected thi!
country with railroads almost as numerOu,
as common highways Of travel We bull
great cities and smaller villages SchoO
houses, court houses, churches and capitol!
went up seemingly in day and a night.
Currency Contracted by Distribution
ITO accomplish this stupendous miracle
of civilization required money, and tn,
only place from which It could at first b
obtained was from the States OF tn,
North. 1t came here as 1t went to the
South. In the form Of loans, and wa!
brought here by a million emigrants seek
| inc new homes AL This likeNiSa apcon