Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-12
Addresses Big Meeting at West
Liberty Today.
THE SENATOR IN EXCELLENT HEALTH.
Speaks of the Amazing Prosperity Of
the Country The Tariff Not tho
Mother fTrusts-Dcmocrats Not
Honest Opposing Combincs.

oiS republican meeting is IN progress
here today, and the crowds in attend
ance are enormous. Shortly after din
ner. which was partaken of, picnic
fsshion, in the open air, Senator Gear
addressed an enthusiastic audience.
The senator looked strong and hearty,
and he spoke for over an hour. without
apparent fatigue. The power of his
voice was astonishing, even to those
who know him well.
The senator spoke in par: as fol-
lows:
Fellow citizens: am glad to see
here so many citizens. which proves to
me that the people of this vicinity are
alive to the political issues of the day.
l congratulate you, my friends, on the
abundant signs of prosperity in evil
dence throughout our borders in this
fiscal year just closed.
The finances of the United States
were never in better condition than at
this time. On September 81 the cash
balance in the treasury was $2SS,106,-
241. The gold reserve was S254,577 ,165.
Three years ago you We're under a
democratic administration which was
selling bonds to pay the ordinary ex-
penses of the government; today, I'M
der republican policies. you have filled
the government vaults to overlooking
with money. In my own home town,
during 1894 to 1897, labor worked but
five days in Il week. eight hours being
a days work. Today. every shop in
our country is running six days in a
week and ten hours labor day. Many
shops are so crowded that they are
working overtime. for which the men
employed receive additional pay. Those
who are under the necessity OF bor-
rowing money, find no trouble in Sc
curing loans, on bond or mortgage. ut
the low rate of five per cent per an
mum; less rate than has ever been
known in our history. Farm products
are higher than for years, and the pro-
ducers v-"ar smiling faces after five
years IF hard times under
democratic president and democratic
policies. Thus the present prosperity
of the country is a complete answer to
the demand our democratic friends
make for change; while this great
prosperity has come to the people. and
come to Say. The special arguments
of the democratic and populis; parties
cannot change The result achieved. or
change the minds Of the people and in
dtce them to go back and elect the
democratic ticket. Ii should he borne
in mind that the direful results during
the period from 1898 TO 1897 were
brought about under democratic poll
cies and democratic president.
The Trusts
But it is not true that the tariff gem
crates trusts. 1t is not their mother.
as the democratic sugar baron. Mr..
Havemeyer, of New York, called it.
The greatest trusts in this Countrywide
Standard Oil and sugar trusts, are ut
terly unaffected by the tariff-and. by
the way. the product of these trusts
which belong to the great necessaries
of life, have been considerably cheap
ened since the organization of these
trusts. Another trust with which there
is at present widespread and great dis
satisfaction, the beef trust, is utterly
unaffected by the tariff. l could cite
many other examples. Furthermore.if
the trusts were the outgrowth of the
protective tariff policy, obtaining in
this country, how is it to be explained
that they grow and flourish just as
we'll in countries which have complete
or partial free trade? They abound in
England and France, and l see in the
latest reports of our American consul
at AK La Chapelle, Germany. which
country enjoys at present Il wonderful
industrial development and prosperity,
that practically every industry there
is managed on the trust plan. which
has been very generally adopted and is
accepted by capital ard labor as quite
matter of course. If the high pro-
tective tariff in this country is the
mother of trusts. what gave birth to
these institutions in the free trade or
partially free trade countries across the
sea-
That the democrats have less real
desire to find a genuine and effective
remedy against the trust evil than to
make their agitation the means of par
ty advantage, is proven by their action
in the past. The republicans, years
ago, at the instance of Mr.. Sherman, of
Ohio, passed d national antitrust law.
The promises therein contained We're
still more emphasized by the Mckinley
law. i'll which was placed this enact
ment: Every contract. combination
in the form of trust or otherwise, or
conspiracy in restraint of trade or
commerce among the several states, or
with foreign nations. is hereby declar-
ed to be illegal" This was plain and
unvarnished prohibition and the pen
atty was severe. 1t was a fine not eX-
ceeding $1,000 and imprisonment not
exceeding one year, or both, for the
first offense. Every vote for the bill
was cast by republicans, and every
vote against it but two. was cast by
democrats
The Philippines
Congressman Lentz, of Ohio, is quot
ed as having said in speech that if
Aguinaldo was killed, the world would
lose one of the greatest patriots and
heroes it had ever seen. And the re-
port says his democratic audience APP
plauded Mr.. Lent to the echo. Senator
Hoar, of Massachusetts, also rose in his
place in the senate aud compared
Aguinaldo with George Washington,
and also with Bolivar, the great liber-
ator of South America.