Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-05-19
JOHN wANAMAKER,s SPEECH
He speaks FOrcibly upon the
Political Situation.

He speaks FOrcibly upon the
Political Situation.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Wanamaker's
speech at the banquet of the Business
Mems League. which was referred to in
the journal this morning, has created
a sensation in political circles. His
speech in full is as follows:
1.-The number and character of the men
who haye met here to-day is at once
witness to the dissatisfaction through
out the State touching the existing poll
tical conditions. 1t is also an evidence
Of your deep determination to do some
thing TO give to Pennsylvania a better
government. / believe this gathering at
this time, when the air is full of patrio-
tlsm, will stand as proof or pledge
that the battle begun nearly two years
ago is still in progress, and going on
without limit of time, strength and
money until the foes of good govern
ment are compelled to ground their
arms.
THE COUNTRY NOT PROSPEROUS.
"The country is not prosperous. Since
the outset of the last Presidential cam
palgn the party. press and political lead
ers, generally, fixed the November cleo
ton of 1896 as the date of the beginning
of good times. A full half of the year
has expired since the will of the Repub-
.ican party was declared. Thus far but
one of the important issues of the cam
paign is nearing settlement, and hardly
any noticeable improvement of the
wretched times is manifest. The tide
will soon set in strongly against the
Republican party unless the depression
of business is altered. Idleness and
want bre a bitter discomfort which
will never be overcome until there are
ample employments.
'The foes America has to fear are not
the sulen, savage Turks nor the insur-
rectionists of Cuba nor the territory
grasping British. but they are our own
patient aud he. tired people, our own
suffering, much-promised people, who,
betrayed and disheartened, no longer
have faith in their party, and will turn
to any leadership that offers promise Of
better times, believing that worse times
can never come than those now existing.
1t is terrible thing to observe public
sentiment adrift and unexplained and
the people sweeping away from their
affection to the old party.
The young men are growing up in
different to Republican principals, with
no respect for parties of broken plat
forms, who use national and state pat
rOnage in payment of election contracts.
The political religion OF the nation is
falling lower and lower under insults to
intelligence, violations of laws, reckless
daring of INSCRIPTIONS bosses. There
are immeasurable depths of misfortune
for this nation and State if the continued
use of corporation and public moneys
and the dispeDsation of Federal and
State patronage continue to be con-
trolled in the interest of officeholders to
hold Office for themselves and to benefit
those who desire to keep government
contracts or maintain particular pro-
tections through the money given by
which elections are decided.
THE DAY OF REVOLT.
"There will most assuredly come a
day when there will be mighty revolt
and resistance, resulting in a revolution
that will give birth to new political
party. Laws continually despised and
disregarded, legisla ton conceived for
blackmailing purpose, speculation by
public officials in trust and other stocks,
while tariffs and other financial bills are
pending, must surely and irrevocably
ALLEVIATE the people from their party and
awaken disposition and desperation
to substitute almost any wild and un-
tried leadership with the hops of pos
slble relief.
From some points of view it might
seem that there was not much to be
done except to suffer and wait. To see
sixty-seven counties play State con-
vention to make platform and nomi-
nate candidates for office while all the
time it is one man that constitutes him.
self a convention, himself adopts plat
form, himself adopts resolutions, him
self nominates candidates, and himself
adjourns. 1t is pitable and discourage
ing spectacle even if two generations of
our people have become accustomed to
this condition of things. The news
papers, with very few exceptions, and
these not in the metropolitan cities O.
this State, have accepted the situation
and are silent in the face of theSgravest
issues that have ever confronted the
people.
'It will be no easy task to undo the
shackles which have grown upon as
with the growth of years. There is no
short cut across the field to victory. AS
next Win ter's barns a re to be filled only
by ploughingin the W inter, sowing in
the Spring and reaping in the Summer,
SO must the ploughing and planting be
done for the crop of better methods in
public affairs. In what has been done
in the past year there is great encourage
ment.