The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1898-10-01
MY POPULIST FRIEND.
Lessons In Consistency Taught by
A Farmers Wife.
His Pride I'm the Ownership OF honda
of"a Country Brought to the Verge
OF Moral, Political aad Me-
tional Ruin"

friend, as he came Duthely up the
gravel walk that leads to the front
porch of his cory country home.
His wife did not look up.
az tell YOU" he continued, 1T does
me as much good. this time, to sub
scribe my mite to the government loan
as IL did TO go to the front myself 30
odd years ago."
Still no response from the little wom-
an rocking on the porch.
"What glorious war this has beenl"
and he grew enthusiastic. What a
great nation we are! What n grand
old man Uncle Sam is, anyhow! Think
of III Think of IL, I say" he fairly
shrieked to the unruffied lady in the
chair. "When Spain was trying TO
borrow a few millions TO patch up her
dilapidated old navy Uncle Sam 'hoved
his hand down in his pocket, pulled out
$50 900 900 In cold cash, handed IL over
to Mckinley and said: Get ready
Mckinley got. Gun factories going,
powder factories going. men and boys
going here and there, camping, drill
ing, moving TO the front. Dewey at
Manila, whizz! One-third OF the Span
ish navy at the bottom of the sea;
Sampson and Schley at Santiago,
whoopl The pride OF SPANS navy full
of holes and burning on the beach; the
boys in Cuba. $4,000 Spanish fighters
surrender to them. Puerto Rico cap
tured without struggle. It's great.
IL makes me feel like celebrating.
More money wanted; did we have to
go to Europe for it?"
He paused for n reply, which did not
come, and then he proceeded:
"No, we didn't, not bit of IL; we
didn't have TO go anywhere. The peo-
pie just said: Here ii is, six times
over IL you want it, We get our share
of the bonds, ii makes me feel good"
and he strutted back and forth in front
OF the porch, seeming to initiate the
walk of the proud peacock not far Oft,
but the woman said nothing.
"But that isn't ALL" he said. "Think
OF us commercially. What do you think
of making Europe and other lands fork
over S6,000,000 in clean cash for the
difference due us in the deals Of the
past year? Aren't we somebody,
thought"
Then her lips moved. She spoke, her
voice as deep and as solemn as she
could make IL; her eyelashes not lifted;
herfeatures expressionless. He listened
TO the words:
"'We meet in the midst of nation
brought TO the verge of moral, political
and material ruin.'n
Like voice from the tomb il sounded
TO him.
AT first my populist friend seemed
stunned; then he was angry. His arms
few in the air, his jaw moved, and his
whiskers beat the wind; but so enraged
was he that he could not utter word
Finally, in despair, he sat down upon
the porch steps and buried his face in
his hands.
"Cruel, know it is cruel" said the
little woman, In her softest, meekest
voice; "but that is one OF the first
| phrases in the first national declara-
tion of your great populist party. That
was the corner stone on which you
buildedit; IL was the belief in those con-
ditions that brought your party into ex-
istence. Think of It,. what a libel on a
great and good people What are you
| going 10 do with that declaration of
ruin anyhow? Why not frame IL,
and send IL TO Spain? don't know of
anyone else who could get any satisfac-
ton out OF It; but, in the light of recent
historic events, IL would be difficult
task to get even her to believe It,"
"But that was six long years ago."
plaintively pleaded my populist friend.
But you are still following the trail
onto which that infamous declaration
led you; and that is what hurts me-"
she answered, impatiently. Think of
IL yourself; think of II. Can n great
and growing nation make a complete
change Of morals in six years? When
was there more evidence that Divine
Providence was guiding nation than
we have at this time? Think OF our
war for humanity; think of Dewey and
Manila; think Of Santiago; think OF
SPANS navy practically ruined and but
one man Of ours killed in doing IL.
Would the hand of Divine Providence
so protect a nation that was on the
verge OF moral ruin? Would a wicked
and deprayed people wage such war
for humanity as ours has waged?
Financial ruin, tool Think OF that
All those millions OF dollars are being
loaned to the government by the peo-
pie. plain, Woodworking. economical
people, such as you. And yet you say
in your great national platform that
we are on the verge Of material ruin.
How dare you look Truth in the face
and follow the footsteps OF the party
which uttered that libel?
material ruinl' Yes, the differ
ence in our trade with nations Of the
world was more than 5000 ooo,o 900 in our
favor, but, great as II is, that tells only
a small part Of the story. tits no COM
parison with cur internal growth.
England's most reliable statistician
now asserts that we have become the
richest nation on the face Of the globe.