Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-10-21
The Allen Law and Its Pro-
motors Played. Free ILL
nOiS From Republican
PlundererS.

This speech was delivered at the open
ing of the state campaign at the Audi
forum, Chicago. on the evening of Sept
"A before an assemblage Of 5000 citizens.
In the present campaign the Denoc-
racy OF the county OF COOK makes lts
appeal to the intelligent and patriotic
citizens for encouragement and support
upon issues Of local as vel as OF
national character. In this respect rather
an anomalous condition OK aialrS Is pre-
sented. Ordinarily campaigns in whlch
members OF the national house OF repre-
sentatives and officials Of the state gov
eminent are 10 be balloted for inVolNe
questions OF 50 great public concern ina
local matters are shelVed LOT tle tiiiS
a. being Of minor Importance. While pun
lie attention is concentrated upon anu
held by those weiEhty issues whose set
element carries with IL the welfare ana
happiness OF a whole race Of people. Lo-
cal questions would indeed receive scant
attention IN the present campaign II the
choice were LEFT to our opponents No
one knows better than the leaders OF the
Republican party that serious danger
eonfronts US II attention be not diverted
from all questions OF purely local concern
They know that their attitude toward
certain questions which today more near
~ than any other affect the pocketbooks
OF the taxpayers OF the city OF Chicago IS
utterly and absolutely indefensibie. be-
1ond the reach e.the- of logical explana-
ton or charitable forbearance.
Governor Tanner at Golconda-
Last week Governor Tanner Ohisses) In
BOUNDING the keynote of the campaign
for the party Of which he IS the official
head and chosen sponsor I'm the great
state Of Illinois, selected as the scene OF
his eloquence a town hitherto unknown
TO fame, lying twenty miles from ran
road station telegraph wire. ana ne
took as the topics of his discourse GER
tain threadbare bits of theatrical lingo
ism relative TO the nations future foreign
policy and an Incorporate TRADE of abuse
and misrepresentation Of the conduct or
state affairs by his immediate predeces-
sor OF the e eat question of local i'm
portance which lies uppermost today in
the minds Of all thinking citizens OF chi
caEo the Infamous enactment of the last
Republican legislature. which was final
ally fastened upon the people of the state
of Illinois by his own approving Ena-
ture, the so-cnlled Allen law. our worthy
governor failed to say a word In l5Vp
words OF coarse misrepresentation ana
oreary platitudes he made 10 reference
20 the Infamous law which seeks TO rob
the taxpayers OF the state Of their birth
right lie talked for hours and hours.
but found no time to reveal TO his hearers
the reasons that led him TO believe the
Allen (hisses) law good thing, nor 10
explain the arguments that induced him,
by signing Il. to push 1t along 1t is not
my purpose however. to attempt to deal
with the speech OF John r. Tanner AT
GoIconda. There is one here tonight VINO.
6y the time he has spoken his last word.
will have 20 hayed alive the cadaver of
the governor that 1t would almost lie
within the province OF the Humane So
ciety to prevent any other from laying
on a single lash OF the whip. However
much the Republican party may desire II.
We Democrats do not propose in the pres
emit campaign to lose sight of the Allen
law nor to allow the people to forget It's
vast Importance. Nor do we propose to
81. NTr.F TnrRn N 8
sues to whose final and satisfactory set
Element the party is too firmly commit
ted to make abandonment practicable
even II we desired it,
State and National Issues.
"strictIy speaking. while the issues in
ne present campaign may be divided in
70 those OF national Importance and those
Of local Importance. and while the ma
tionaI issues may be subdivided again I'M
DER several heads. the fact remains that
the line OF demarkation between the
Democratic party and the Republican
party can be figured down TO clear and
exact statement OF n single proposition
This proposition. constituting IL does
the fundamental difference between Dem
ocracy and Republicanism. Is nothing
more or less than the fact that the Re
publican party at all times and in all cir
eumstances legislates and schemes in
favor of the wealthy few. while the
Democracy IS always found interposing
itself between the common people of the
land and Threatened danger. (Applause.)
The Republican party, being the lineal
descendant and sole heir-at-law OF the
cid Federal party. is today. II always
has been, the representative of the chos-
en- few. 1t Is the party OF an eNpectant
aristocracy that bases its claims for rec
ignition neither upon birth. descent nor
merit but upon wealth and wealth alone.
The Democracy. on the other hand.
stands now. Il stood a century ago
under the guidance OF its great founder.
Thomas Jefferson. devoted singly and I'M
wayerinSly 70 the use OF the plain peo-
ple who earn their bread by the sweat
Of their brows The Republican party
beinx the party OF the favored few is
naturally and necessarily the self-con-
stituted exponent OF and apologtst for
the rapidly growing and spreading trusts
and rnonopolIes The Democracy as tho
champion of the rights and privileges OF
thu people. stands between the everyday
sttizen and the exactions of the money
cover OF the land (Applause)
The Chicago Platform
This radical. fundamental difference
between the two great political parties
n the nation Is the one all-absorbing Is
sue before the American people today.
The question OF anti-monopoly 10 one
which the people of the United States
mus, solve and solve satisfactorily. IL
the future OF the nation is to bear out
ths promise OF its past The so-called
Chicago platform tremendous applause)
adopted as the creed OF Democratic faith
IN the national convention of 1886 is moth
ting more nor less than a warning AMI
protest directed to the people against
the steady growth and Unsuitable exac-
lions OF the money power.
THE Chicago platform demanded that
. court of law. even though il be the
highest and prouGest in the land. should
Ground the law according TO the intent
~ the lawmakers and not in compliance
With the wishes OF the mUltimillionaires.
md that ali courts should regard the
right. of the people from whom their
authority is derived as more sacred than
ths business demands of the railroad king
~ demanded that not only should the
people p.y literally OF their earnings
IN the shape of taxes for the main