Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-10-06

questions OF state ana nation. In Wnlcn
he dwelt impressively upon the cor
ruption of republicans and the results
of two years of their rule at Washing
ton. In the course of his remarks Mr..
Altgeld said:
The DinEIey Bill.
I'm the campaign of SO the trusts and the
great concentration of capital in this coun-
try raised an enormous fund for the pur-
pose of debauching American citizens and
carrying the election by improper methods
AS soon as President Mckinley was in
augura ted the different interests which had
contributed this fund demanded that they
be given opportunity to collect II back,
together with an enormous proht. Con-
gress was at once convened. and although
in session many months. IL did no business
except to enact the Dingley law. Osten-
sibly II was for the protection of the Ia bor-
er and TO furnish money for the treasury,
but IL did neither Of these things, and in
reality II was for the benefit of monopo-
lies only. The famous Mckinley law
then barely dead. had during its life not
raised the wages of any laborer in this
country. and had. for the year ending July.
1894, produced deficit in the treasury OF
$40. CO. 00o. This was caused by placing du-
ties so high to stop importatious of GER
tain articles. The treasury naturally got
nothing, while the adva need price of goods.
which the people had to pay. went into the
chests of the monopolies- The Dingley law
was constructed on the same principles.
and the deficit in the national treasury,
under this law. promises to be fully equal
to that under the Mckinley law. nor has It
raised the wages of any laborer: but IT
has created conditions by which the Amer
lean people are being compelled to pay
hundreds of millions of dollars. not into
the federal treasury, but into the Golfers OF
private corpora tons.
The Sugar Trust.
"one Illustration answers for all. The
great sugar trust had. and has. control of
the sugar business and market of this
country. II reputed to have given over
s, 600, Go campaign funds in 1896. so in franz
ing the Dingley law the sugar trust was
given such a tariff as IL wanted The re-
suit Of this was that the price of sugar
went Up 25 per cent: sugar that the Ia
boring man formerly got for four cents
a pound was at once marked up to five
cents; instead of getting p pounds for one
dollar, he got 20: and during the first year
after this Dingley law went into effect the
sugar trust cleared over S20o00, co., over and
above what it could have made under the
former tax Not cent of this went into
the federal treasury. but II all came out
of the pockets of the people. The trust not
only got back the millions il had given. but
IL got nearly $50. Coz, coo besides Almost the
same state of facts exists with relation to the
leather trust and great number OF other
trusts and combinations. Nothing done
for the laborer. but everything for the
manipulation. Home labor is driven out by
pauper la Dor brought over in shiploads,
but the trust is protected Gentlemen, do
you believe in using the powers of govern
ner to make fortunes off OF the masses of
the people?
The Worst Curse of All.
Again. two years ago the republicans
declared, in their convention, that they
would sustain the gold standard only until
they could get an international agreement
restoring bimetallism, and they pledged
themselves to do everything in their pow
er TO secure such an agreement during
the campaign we charged that this pledge
was not made in good faith, that they were
really under control of foreign and eastern
manipulators and that that pledge was
simply intended to deceive, and in that
way secure the votes of conscientious re-
pubIicans who felt that the gold stand
ard was a curse to this country. We point
ed out that the characterization of silver
had resulted in lowering the general level
of the price of property nearly 30 per cent;
that the total amount Of money in circula-
ton in the world determined the demand
for property, and thus fixed the general
level of all prices, while the law OF sup
ply and demand would again raise or low
er the price of any particular article above
or below this general level: that the lower
ing of this general level had destroyed the
purchasing power of our farmers and of
the great producing classes, and had thus
paraIyzed our industries, destroyed our
trade and caused widespread bankruptcy.
suffering and distress throughout the civ
iliZSQ world, ana lndI. Until the general
level of prices was again raised to what
IL was during the existence of the bimetal-
lie standard, we could not again have pros
perity; that low standard of values al
ways falls hard on the poor and always
gives the manipulation an advantage; ii
breaks manhood and cheaPens character:
and tnasmuch as the debts. interest and
taxes and the great burdens that were
weighing our people down were not re-
cuced in size, but required just as many
dollars to liquidate them as was former
IL necessary, that il was a crime to main
tain = system which made each dollar
twice as hard to get a as it formerly was.
and We claimed that if silver were restored
to the place that IL had occupied for hun
dreds of years it would again raise the
general level of prices of property and an
able our people TO discharge their bar
dens and TO buy freely, and again inaugu-
rate an era of prosperity. industry and
happiness
Lucky Accidents.
"A whole chapter of accidents followed
the election of 80. all favorable to the re-
pubIicans- First, the great drought and
consequent failure of crops on three coz IL
nents, resulting in terrible famine, lem
porari!y raised the price OF wheat far
above the general level. and thus helped
those farmers that had not yet sold tEeir