Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-12

GrinnelI, Oct. 9.-The following is
in part the speech of Major Lacey at
Grinnell, Oct. Z, at the opening of the
campaign. We give extracts from the
principal points covered by his adj
dress:
Fellow Citizens-A good merchant or
farmer takes an annual review OF his
affairs to see if his past course has been
a proper and successful one.
If he be a merchant he balances his
ledger and determines whether to
change his line of policy, or to push
his business forward upon former lines
for the ensuing year, and he also de-
termines whether his employees are
worthy of continued confidence. IF he
be a farmer he determines the same
thing in perhaps little different form;
but he resolves to change his methods
IL unsuccessful or to continue them if
the results have been good. If he finds
his employees have been negligent or
dishonest he will seek others. If he
finds that he has planted the wrong
grain, he will try a change.
Now and then you will find some
business man at the end of a year OF
success change his entire method, seek
/. ing new agents, and employees, and rad
ically departing from the methods
! which success ought TO have taught
him We're the best. In such cases we
expect bad results and are not often
disappointed.
The business of the state and nation.
under our system Of government, must
be managed by parties. The system has
been accepted by experience in all re-
publics. ,r. =
Annual, biennial or quadrennial cleo
tons give opportunity to the people
who seek in America to determine
whether they will continue one party
in Nower or turn the management of
affairs over to the opposition. Moth
I ing is so easy in public matters as OPP
!, position, and so the party in power is
always called TO account in no friendly
spirit by its critics and opponents.
- Here in this Athens Of Central Iowa
we meet to open the campaign of 1899.
! am a member Of the party in power,
and have been trusted by you to voice
your sentiments in national affairs, an
honor which greatly appreciate, and I
recognize that the honor carries with
It duties OF grave import. Issues and
CbShtS lstNS dll5Sil Az lllC ldSU Two
years which were not anticipated or
contemplated by you when you voted in
1896 to return the republican party 10
power. But there We're things contem-
plated by you and considered in that
election that were weighed in the
light of your best Judgment and opin-
ion that have now passed beyond the
claim of speculation and have gone into
history.
In 1892 the people of this nation con-
cluded when on the summit of pros
perity to pillow up the whole field and
plant anew with crops that had been
discarded for more than a quarter of a
century. The story is familiar one
and / need not weary you with many
of it's painful details now. You got tir-
ed enough then of the change that was
ordered by the election of 1892.
The change in 1892 did not assail our
financial system which stood upon the
solid foundations recognized by the
commercial world. 1t was an attack
upon our industrial system, a system
under which we had grown to man
hood, and under which we were pro-
crossing with such strides as to attract
the admiration of the world.
1t soon became evident, after the
election of 1892 that panic and disastey
would be the consequences of the radi-
cal'chapge in our political system. In
stead of recognizing the error and
abandoning it. as a merchant or farmer
would have done, the party then in
power resolved to continue it's unsatis-
flying experiment with the tariff, and
decided that the things which happen
- L..
of industrial policy, but were the re-
suits of the "crime of 1875" commit
ted by their opponents twenty years
before, and they resolved that as they
had clipped the branches of national
prosperity by radical tariff legislation
that they would remedy the condition
of the nation by digging up the roots
of its standard value. As they had
cut in two and destroyed one-half OF
the values of American industry, they
would restore prosperity again by null
tiplying the standard of value
by making dollar out of every fifty
cents.
In 1896 our opponents appealed to the
people upon this remarkable scheme
ind six and a half million people were
ready to receive the free silver quack-
P cry as tne solution oI iii otii tfouDleS
But several millions OF voters, many
of them periodically abandoning past
party affiliations. voted to stand by
sound money and to return to the pro
tective policy.
All these things are too recent tc
need extended elaboration at my
hands. but our political adversaries re
turn to the contest again shouting
the battle cry of 1896, and again resolv
ing that the remarkable emotional dec
laration of principles of the Chicago
platform are the fixed principles oi
democratic faith.
In 1896 and again in '9s, 1 canyassed
this district upon these issues. You. re