The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-09
ALTGELD'S GREAT SPEECH,
THE CAMPAIGN OPENED AT
GIRARD, ILLINOIS.
Ignores Recent Attacks Made Upon Himself
and Devotes Practically His Entire Time
to the Currency Question.

country when healthy body, healthy
brain, an honest heart and two willing
hands were all the capital that young
man needed to start on successful
career. He had his choice OF employ
ment. There was novelty on every hand,
and he could enter field that suited his
tastes Today there is no field that in
vtes him. and the tracks of the wander
Ing tramp tell him of the difficulty of find
ing employment. There are thousands
CT parents who themselves started in life
poor and have run successful careers,
who are anxious to see their children set
tied in life, but who sit down with sad
hearts because the outlook is cheerless.
There are millions Of farmers who
once were prosperous, and could sell the
products of their farms at such prices
as enabled them not only to pay their
taxes, pay their debts, but to supply their
families with the comforts and even lux
ulies of life. They had money to spend
at the store, at the shop and at the col
lege. Today these men find that it takes
nearly all that they could produce to pay
their taxes, pay the interest on their debt
and pay what are called fixed charges.
They are no longer able to buy even the
comforts, let alone the luxuries of life.
Their purchasing power is gone.
There are in this community mine Op- |
orators who once found a broad market In
which to sell their coal, and could realize |
prices which enabled them to pay living
wages to their men. Today they find that
many of the factories are not running, |
the market is limited, and after shipping
their coal they are obliged to accept
prices which mean starvation.
LOW WAGES FOR MINERS.
There are in this state thousands of
miners who make their living by the
hardest work known to man, digging IN
the bowels of the earth. Once there was
a demand for their labor. Instead OF
having to tramp over the country and
seek jobs they were sought for at their
homes They were able to earn enough
money to not only support their families
but to educate their children. Today
many of these men are out OF employ
ment others are working at half time,
and those who are employed have to work
for wages which mean in the end degree
dation for themselves and families.
There are all over this country mer-
chants who were once prosperous and
active. Their business was large, and the
farmers and laborers came to their stores
and purchased freely. Now every day
brings a record of new failures, and new
assignments. Farmers and labOrers are
has fallen off, collections are hard, and
bankruptcy is constnatly hammering at
the door,
There was a time when the manufac-
turers were all busy making the various
things that were used by prosperous
and progressive people. There was
buyer for everything they could make.
Their shops were filled with laborers
making living wages. Now that market
has been, to a great extent, destroyed,
and, there being no longer purchasers,
the manufacturer is obliged to in part or
in whole shut down, and when he does so
his wOrkmen are turned on the street.
and their purchasing power is in turn de-
stroyed.
There was a time when our railroads
were all busy. There was time when
there was activity everywhere in the
land. There was demand for brains and
a demand for muscle. Every man will
ing to work had his choice of labor
The great common toiling masses of our
country were contented, were educating
their children, were good citizens, and
were happy. All this has changed, and
there is paralysis, stagnation, want, suf-
fering, and discomfort all over this the
richest land under the SUM-
GOVERNMENT POLICY HELD AT
FAULT.
This change has not come suddenly.
1t has been creeping over us for a good
many years. During this time we have
had sunshine and rain, as before, and
nature has yielded her harvests as boun-
tifully as ever before. The earth and
the elements have done all in their power
to make man rich and prosperous. It
is not nature, but man, that is respon-
sible for the change. The causes of our
distress are not natural, but are artifi-
cial. 1t is governmental policy that is
the mother of our sorrow.
During all the time that this depres-
sion has been coming upon us we have
had high protective tariff. We have to-
day tariff that is higher in most re-
spects than it was in war times, and up
to year and half ago we had a tariff
that was almost prohibitory, yet the dis
tress of the country became more and
more intense Nearly every year for Is
years we have had in New York and the
money centers of this country what was
called "mOhey 1urry'-that is a small
panic, the result of which each time was
slight lowering of prices and slight
lowering of wages.
During this time the leaders of one OF
the great political parties of the country
kept advocating an increase of the tarifI
as remedy for the rapidly increasing
ills of the land. Although the tariff
we had was almost the highest in the
world, and although the war had been
over for quarter of century, the only
remedy that was suggested was to raise
the tariff taxes.
M'KINLEY LAW UNDER FIRE.
During the presidential campaign oi
1883, recognizing the fact that the con.
ditione of the land were rapidlv hecom
ing worse the leaders of this party. IL
their platform, advocated an increase II
the tariff. The country accepted thei1
theory and Mr.. Harrison was elected
president, and when congress assembled
q tariff act was passed known as thu
Mckinley law" which almost doubled
the already high duties. While this Law
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