St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-09-06

HouHCeu Speakers,
1t was a representative labor audi
ence as the holiday and the other attrac-
lions of Crescent Park drew the laboring
men of the district to the spot, and their
attention to the arguments was evinced
Ny the frequent applause which greeted
salient points
Mayor Greene of Woonsocket opened
the session and introduced as presiding
officer John e. Conley of Providence.
II. o. Kent of Lancaster, N. H., General
Warner of Marietta, o., and Rev. Robert
b. Bisbee of East Pepperell, Mass, ar
gued in favor of the reconciliation of
silver, after which resolutions declaring
for free silver, against miitarism and
urging the nomination of w. j. Bryan
for president, were unanimously adopt
ed.
There was burst of enthusiasm when
Senator Tillmap Of South Carolina was
introduced, and his address was pune
tuated with cheers throughout. He al
luded to his southern home and stated
that the Spanish war was worth all it
cost if it has proved nothing else than
the south will fight for the Stars and
Stripes as eagerly as will the north.
He argued that unless the policy of the
government is shanged soon, the repub-
lie is doomed, and 1t will become a gov
eminent of oppression of the many by
the few. He praised New England high
ly for what it had done for the country,
but called attention to the fact that
there were people enough south and west
of the Potomac and the Mississippi to
elect a president without the aid of New
England.
He claimed that the people of New
England were greatly fooled by the
newspapers. He said he represented the
man with the hoe" 50. he could not be
blamed for presenting the opinions of
the farmers.
New England now has no agriculture
so its people cannot realize how matters
look to the farmers who have to till the
soil for living. He claimed the farmer
is Disseminated against in Washington
and robbed of his rights. That New Eng
land was driven to manufactures in
stead of agriculture was to its credit be-
cause it realized that in the latter indus
try it could not compete with the west
and south.
Mr.. Tillman said that he did not blame
New England for the policy of wanting
America for Americans, but he claimed
that the people of the south and west
wanted all of the Americans to have a
finger in the pie. The price of the west
ern products is regulated by the volume
of money, said he, and these people have
been legislated against in the interest of
the English and the eastern bondholders.
The west and south is hedged in by the
east and compelled to sell their products
at the market prices Of Europe, which
are lower than those of the east.
He explained the methods of forming
trusts, and said that the day when the
wages in America fall to the level of
| Europe is not far distant if the present
policy of combinations is continued. II
the protective tariff which protects
trusts, but not the people, Is continued
the result will be that the western farm
ers will become so poor that they can
not buy the products of the east and the
goose that laid the golden egg will be
killed. He argued that in this event the
|
their own blind greed and desire to get
a dishonest dollar to blame for it,
The senator alluded to the attitude OF
the present administration toward the
colored people of the country and re-
viewed the result of the civil war, stat
ing that there were half million graves
in this country dedicated to the cause of
freedom and equality for every man.
and half of them were those of southern
ers. He referred, amid cheering to the
oppression of the Filipinos, who are
fighting for the same principles as die
the American people in 1776. In reference
to Hawaii he claimed that the sugar
stock and contract labor stock there
was owned in New England, and the
New England senators who voted fol-
annexation did nothing toward freeing
the contract slaves and poor negroes
there from their bondage.
He said that while he believed. ans
always will, that the negro is not the
equal of the white man. still he believed
in giving him his legal rights, barring
the political side. He said the negro die
not know enough to vote, and in Soutl
Carolina the white people had succeeded
in disenfranchising them until they car
read and write.
u In reference to the Philippine question
Mr.. Tillman asked If it was right to fire,
Cuba because Spain was shooting Gu
bans to death, how 1t was to be recon
ciled with the fact that the United
States, who now owned the Philippines
was now shooting the Filipinos to death
He said that the arguments now useC
by the administration are the same al
those used by George III in the last cen
fury. He said that he believed the
president Is honest in his belief that he il
doing his duty, but claimed that he onl!
looked at the one fact that the United
States bought the islands from Spain
He asked where the honor was In tn,
Philippines war, and as the New Eng
land people had been accused of havin.
a love for the almighty dollar he asket
where the money was in 1t for them.
He said New England had need t
wake up to the fact that 1t was not tn
whole United States, and had not mo
nopoly of brains. He said his lessor
learned from the Spanish war was tina
he will not in the future allow any New
Highlander to step on his toes and patron
lie him. The south and South Caroline
did it's full duty then and will at any tim
send as many men In proportion to 1t
population as any state to any war o