The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-10-20
FIattering Reception rendered Ou-
Iuths War Congressman at
the Armory
TWO THOUSAND CHEER HIM
He. Delivers a Magnificent Address
Fully Setting Out All
Issues.

itself upon the single proposition that
the existing conditions would never
change, could never change, until TINS
nation, without reference to the policy
pursued by the other great commercial
limited coinage Of silver at the ratio OF
16 to 1. On the other hand, the Republl-
cans confidently appealing FOR the popu-
lar and historical justification or thelr
claims to the matchless achievements OF
80 years of Republican rule" and refusing
to surrender one jot or little to those VINO
threatened to bolt and desert, boldly
planted themselves upon the long &C.
their party. They pointed to the proved
incompetency of the heterogeneo ele>
ments arrayed against them. They declar-
ed that the disastrous conditions then ex-
istng were . largely a the erect sno Of
worse one threatened, and would disap-
pear when the government was restored
to competent hands and to that policy OF
commercial and industrial development
and to that plane of commercial and ma
tional honor. in and upon which it had
made it's splendid and marvellous growth
to wealth and greatness and power. Ihey
renewed and emphasized their allegiance
to the policy of protection as the bulWark
of American Industrial independence and
the foundation of American development
and prosperity, and while pledging them
selves to no particular schedules and on
the contrary declaring that the rates
should be governed by the conditions OF
time and of production, unqualifiedly
promised to return to that policy in which
the ruling and uncompromdslng principe
is the protection and development or
American labor and industry. They de-
clared that the country demanded right
settlement and then wanted rest, and they
promised to give it both. They declared
that the Republican party was unreserV-
eddy for sound money; that 1t had caused
the resumption of specie payments and
since then every dollar of our money had
been as good as gold; that they were un-
alterably opposed to every measure CAL
culated to debaSe our currency or i'm
pair the credit Of our country, and that
therefore they were opposed to the free
coinage of silver except by
International Agreement
with the leading nations Of the world,
which they pledged themselves to
promote, and that until such agreement
could be obtained, the existing gold stand
ard must be preserved. That the govern
ment of Spain, having lost control OF
Cuba, and being unable to protect prop
erty and life, or to comply with its treaty
obligations, the government Of the United
States should actively use its influence
and good offices to restore peace and
give independence to the island. Let us
SEQ how these promises have been kept
and these predictions fulfilled.
On the 4th of March, 1897, William Nc
United States. Eleven days thereafter,
upon his call, the new congress convened:
1t was called specially for the purpose of
revising the customs laws of the coun-
try. Sixteen days later, what Is now
known as the Dingley bill, passed the
house and went to the senate. All the Re-
publican members of the ways and means
committee of the preceding house had
been reelected and they had for three
months been having hearings on the
various schedules and framing and per-
fecting the bill which they expected to
present and did present to the new con-
gress. The determining characteristics of
the bill and the principle underlying 1t
of the people by their endorsement of the
Republican platform and by their elec-
ton of him who was looked upon by the
whole country as the peculiar representa-
tive and personal embodiment of the pro-
tective idea. Of course there were some
questions of detail which might give
rise to discussion, but the time given
to it by the house was ample for such
discussion, If confined to its legitimate
channels and devoted strictly to the mat
ter under consideration. Instead of this,
however. almost all the time given the
bill in the house was wasted by
the Democrats in idle fault-fnding
and irrelevant discussion and talk
demned and about matters having no
connection whatever with the subject un-
der consideration. When the bill reached
the senate, the same thing was continued
for days, weeks, months, so that the bill
which should have become a law not
later than the LIST of May, was not passed
and approved until the oath day of July.
What the loss to the country was, and
the effect upon the revenues for the sue
ceeding fiscal year by this unnecessarily
protracted debate, can be only approx
mately estimated land even that ap-
proximate estimate is astounding when
the figures come to be examined. Not
withstanding this long and mischievous
delay, delay which gave rise to inn
mense anticipatory importations which
AFFECTED the revenue and prevented a re-
turn to normal conditions, the returns of
the treasury department before the war
bgan and since it has been practically end
ed, demonstrate beyond question that the
law completely answers the two pur-
poses for which 1t was enacted. First,
that 1t would produce ample revenue to
meet the peace Expenditures of the gov
eminent, and second, that the great in
dustries and business of the country would
be rapidly recuperated and placed again
in a condition of
Healthy Progress and Development.
I hold in my hand here a table com
piled from the statistics of the treasury
department showing the monthly revenues
in the months Of February March, April,
May, June and July in the years 1896,
1897 and 1893. A careful examination of
this table will prove beyond any question
the immense anticipatory importations
which were made during the four or five
months preceding the going into opera
ton Of the Dingley law. It will be remem-
bered that that law was passed on the