Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-08-17

ChESCO, lOW a, IUES
Jefferson, the author of the immortal
Declaration of Independence, the
formulator of it's creed and the founder
OF the democratic party. Jefferson
succeeded in not only impressing his
convictions upon the conscience Of bis
time, but he had them written into the
organic law of the land.
APPEAL TO IOWA DEMOCRACY.
ills this Jetfersonlanlsm which Is in
corporHted into the very structure OF
your government, which stands so con-
splcuously written in Your constitution,
That has successfully withstOod all the
savage assaults OF over u century OF
! time, that has trlumphed over the crit
4 lclsms OF all Corners and gOers; it is this
Jeftersonlanlsm which today constitutes
the browning glory Of all your institu-
lions, as it is Indeed the only barrier,
the cumulative wisdom of the ages has
been able to erect to protect a free peo-
pie against the approaches of despotlsm.
l want to say to you, gentlemen of this
| convention, and through you to the
voters of this state, and would that
could reach the ear of every voter of
| every state, if you should ever, either
through ignorance, Indifference, or
through actual connivance, let go of
this Jetfersonianism, then there is but
one thing that will happen, the one
thing that must happen, the one thing
that is inevitable, and that is radical
change in the entire structure of your
government. You will then have fast
ened upon you either socialism or
despotism. Judging from the accum.
ulating evidences upon every hand,
judging from the shadows which events
are said to cast before, l fear, when
that evil day comes, it will be a despo-
tism. Not the despotism of ecclesiasti-
cism, such as once dominated and en-
shaved the world; not the despotism OF
an old-fashioned feudalism, which for
ages ground the people into the very
earth; not the despoLism of an immedi.
ate militarisn; but it will be the despo-
tism OF money! the most constituencies,
the most merciless, the cruelest master
OF them all! To protect the people of
this incompatible disaster; to rescue
Is the momentous task to the execution
inevitably committed. To bequeath to
centuries the Jetfersonianism which
made the latter part of the eighteenth
century illustrious; to assure the future
the full fruition of the labors OF pat
rlotic and heroic past, is the one duty
which it would be criminal in the demo-
cratic party to avoid. Let the Iowa
democracy this day swear anew, that in
this impending struggle of the strong
against the weak; In the coming battle
between liberty and oppression; in this
supreme contest of right against wrong;
OF justice against injustice, we will not
hesitate, we will not falter, that we will
eliminate from all our calculations the
slightest contemplation of the word
fail.
PRESENT CONDITIONS ALARMING.
Let US look at present conditions.
What are they? Are they just and
natural, such as ought to prevail? If
so, what party will pledge itself to
strengthen and maintain them? If these
conditions are bad, vicious and danger
Gus, then what party is 1t that will be
courageous enough to assume the re-
sponsibility to pledge itself to the peo-
pie, to not only check the growth of
these conditions, but to remove them
and supplant them with better? None
but veritable demagogues and reck-
less partisans will dissent from the
statement that the conditions through
out our country are not only not salts
factory, but they are deplorable, not
only deplorable, but actually alarming,
and becoming more alarming
with the lapse of each succeeding day.
They are alarming for twofold rea-
son; first, they are almost, if not en-
tirely, unnatural conditions and un-
natural can meyer be otherwise than
dangerous conditions; second. these
conditions are sought to be intensified
and made perpetual by certain class
of our people who are the direct Pc
cuniary benefciaries. and while COM
paratively few in number are powerful
in their influence. The vexatious part
of the problem is, that while upon the
one hand this small class, who are the
benefciaries, are thoroughly united,
working tremendously to accomplish
their purpose, being eternally vigilant
and at all times cunningly aggressive,
on the other hand the multitude who
are the victims are afflicted with an in
explicable Indifference, the most re-
markable part Of their conduct being
their traditional immobility.
ELEMENTS OF NATIONAL PROSPERITY.
That nation may become truly
great, permanently prosperous and the
people measurably happy, two things
are necessary, two essentials; first, an
abundance of raw material, natural re-
sources to enable the people to create
what is in economic literature termed
Irrational wealth" After this wealth
is created the second essential is it's
equitable distribution. If the first of
these be lacking, if nature has been
stingy and there are no natural re-
sources, then all the people will suffer
about alike; poverty will be the COM
mon lot of all. But where nature has
been excessively kind, as she has been
tous, scattered her blessings and boun-
ties with lavish hand, and these nat
ural bounties being constantly
turned into disable, consum-
mable wealth by the indnstri-
GUS, who are then Systematically and
continuously robbed of their rightful
portion by the thieves and gamblers
who are permitted to prosecute their
infamous trade under the sanction of
the law and the protectinn of the
courts, then permanent national pros
or NV, GOVT Of hopnipooS