Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-05-11
CHAMP CLARK LETTER
Free Speech Our Precious
Birthrigllt.
GIVEN Us BY DEMOCRATS.
Prosperity Seems to Be as Far
Distant as Ever.
UNLESS ENFORCED BY BAYoNETs.

sTiilionaires Said to Find Money
Easy. but the People Fail to Com
meet - Doctors and Druggists Re-
ported Busy-R ecent Examples of
AIger's Plan to Turn an Honest
Penny.
Especial Washington Letter.l
In my Topeka banquet speech at the
great Bryan meeting, March 80. I made
the following mild and modest declara-
tion of patent and potent fact
Economy in the public expense lies at
the root of all lasting and widespread
prosperity. There may be what the doc
| tors would class as sporadic cases of
prosperity in this country now. / have
no doubt that the small coterie of dis
| tinguished statesmen who recently had
| their rendezvous on Jekyl island
| otherwise known as the recreation
| ground of multimillionaires- pros
porous, but that any general and
abundant measure of prosperity has
come to the great body Of the people is
a proposition that cannot be maintained
| by any evidence now at hand. For
making that plain declaration of a pal
pable truth certain thick and thin ad-
ministration editors = especially in Kan
sas-have been maligning me ever since
as calamity howler. never was
a calamity bowler and am not one
now. was particularly surprised at
being so charged for making that speech.
for Immediately after the paragraph
above quoted l said i wish to heaven
that prosperity, universal and abiding,
would come. care not who brings it,
so it comes. / would acclaim it as
cheerfully, Justify and gratefully if
brought about by William Mckinley
and Republics congress as l would
if produced by William Jennings Bryan
and a Democratic congress. Then I
complimented President Mckinley and
wished him we'll After mature delib-
Grafton, l think my Topeka speech con-
servative and liberal-much more so
than any of those who are abusing me
for il could be induced to make
This, however, is a free country. In
spite of those who passed the infamous
alien and sedition laws, and from whom
modern Republicans are descended,
Democrats made freedom Of speech
and freedom of the press the most pre-
eious birthrights of American citizens.
| Consequently, by reason of that Demo-
/ cratic performance | am at liberty to
speak the truth, and Republican editors
are at liberty to abuse me for so doing,
as we cannot yet be prosecuted for leze
majesty in this country yet-not
yet. We may come to that later on,
when Republicans &C include that it will
be safe to do SO. In the Topeka speech
I spoke of prosperity only briefly and
! incidentally / did not then furnish a
bill of particulars ON that subject, as
the major portion of my speech was de-
voted to economy, but having had
my statements questioned in a rude and
unseenly manner by certain editors
who are holding Office under Mr.. Nc
Kinley do now set forth a few evi-
dences of this wonderful variety of
/
assured, has come upon us as clandes-
timely and unexpectedly as thief in
the night.
Sporadic Prosperity.
It's an old saying and true that ''one
swallow does not make summer.
The fact that Kansas, Nebraska and
Oklahoma wheat farmers have expert
enced their sporadic case of prosperity
because of a wheat famine abroad and
two good wheat crops in the two states
and one territory aforesaid does not
prove that prosperity, abiding and uni
versal, has arrived Mckinley did not
produce the wheat famine in Europe
and consequently did not produce the
rise in wheat in America.
/ have inquired of all classes of peo-
pie with whom | have come in contact
as TO the condition of business in their
lines and as to the state of the times.
The invariable reply is that business is
duller and times harder than previously
| except with druggists and doctors.
| They have had a rush of business be-
cause disease has been unusually wide
spread. Surely no pap sucker will have
the monumental gall to claim that Mark
is responsible for this temporary rush
of business with druggists and doctors,
unless he wishes to make people believe
that Mark produced the diseases which
gave employment to the pharmacentists
and the disciples of Esculapius.
Drummers nearly all complain that
the money totals of their business are
shrinking because, while obtaining per-
haps as many orders as formerly, the
orders are smaller, merchants appearing
afraid to buy as large stocks as hereto
fore. Drummers are the infallible ther-
moneters of business. When they are
cheerful. business is good. When they
are doleful. business is bad. Drummers
in the western and southern country
are beginning to believe that the forma-
tion of trusts means that many of them
will soon be out of their jobs and the
bread Of their wives and children in
jeopardy.
Outlook Distressing.
Now, If nlay be that a Kansas Re
publican pCstoffice editor will not be-
lieve the evidence Of his own senses or
will not credit my statements of fact.
but surely he ought to give full faith
and cSadonce to what gold standard,
high tariff. imperialistic organ says,
and here is warning given by one Of
the leading organ grinders Of that class
The United States Investor quite
recently
1.-The outlook is distressing Wehave
gone ON snpremely unconscious of what
we were doing until we have evolved
} state of affairs from which escape is
impossible without great hardship. An
enormous number Of water logged busi
ness concerns. known as trusts. have
been set afioat. In the smash that is
bound to come the certificates of these
organizations win sell at their real
value, which means an appalling loss to
investors. The end will be hastened by
4 diminntion IN the consuf1 We power
Of the country due to the disloeation
of a great horde Of employees whom the
trusts have elected from positions pre-
vi0ugly occupied We cannot imagine
d much worse state Of affairs.
This newsaaner concludes It's diseua-