The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-08
never been on the side Of the weak, but al
ways On the side of power.
ERA OF CORRUPTION.

never been the side of the weak. but al
ways On the side of power.
ERA OF CORRUPTION
Verify. the spirit Of Hamilton Ats these
times, but what shall we say of a Judiciary
| that openly rejoices over the fact that an
era Of corruption has enveioped the land
that the betrayal of the people has become a
science. and that the robbing of the people
mas become fine art? And now we are to
widen the sphere of this class of statesmen
by giving them a chance to rob the Filipinos
heaven pity those poor people. The Span
lard took what was in sight, but the Hamil-
tonite, with his bond jpbbery enters the
womb of the future and plasters his mort
gage on remote generations.
We wish to prevent the enSlavemelt of
our people and the establishment of an aris-
tocracy. We see that no aristocracy either
by birth or wealth. be established or
maintained where the great masses are pros
porous and independent. 1t can exist only
amid cheap property. cheap labor and cheap
men. "A oowed and a poor people are the
soil in which it grows. When they gave us
financial system which paralyzed cur colln-
try, which cheapsned property, which crush
[ ed labor and which cheapened manhood and
destroyed independence, they laid the first
stone for American aristocracy. If these con-
ditton5 are TO continue, then the star of the
republic has set. But il we can overthrow
| Tins system, II we can re-estabiish bimet-
allIsn, we can found a scientific none
tary system and restore the price of products
and OF property, If we can raise the spirit of
labor and renew the independence OF the
masses, then the beginning of the next CEN
fury will crush this aristocracy to atoms
and east it to the four winds and liber-
! ated people, lowing only to the God VINO
made them viii leap forward with a Joy
that shall gladden. the earth. You can see
! the money question eonfronts US at the door
! 1t Is not of our choosing We cannot make
ISSUES issues grow out Of wrongs-grow out
OF injustice, grow out Of human suffering
Cowards and weaklings evade them, but men
must meet them.
,-iLo
ence have been evolved by the age and must
be met. But the financial question is basic
ana central. 1t Is the mother of a whole
brood of evils. The financial specuIators of
the east of Europe want the absolute power
to control average prices. Therefore thew
want silver and greenbacks wiped ont so as
to make everything rest On goId-this they
can easily corner-then with MONOPOLY
OF issuing paper gigantic banks can then
| control. When it suits their speculative pur-
| poses they can expand and raise prices and
then contract and lower prices and thus
catch the country going and coming These
great and interruptions interests always move
secretly and in the dark. They bridge every
cnasm With bride and catch the political
highWayman with official uniform. The
gold standard has never drawn an honest
Iibreath nor taken an honest step in this coun-
try, and it's success SO far shows the veualitv
and the apostacy of American politicians.
SILVER ISSUE.
What about Is to L? Well, my friends
1t Is not in our power to change this; it is
impossible to get anything along any other
line Change the ratio and the whole case
dissolves. To be sure theoretically this Is
not SO, but we have to deal with fearfully
sad facts. For twenty years both of the great
parties denounced the gold standard and de-
manded the free coinage of silver at the
old ratio. 1t looked as If the question would
be settled in the saddle. How? By
ruptly controlling the government and man
lpulaung congress. Open the question of
ratio and you will get no action in a century
To drnr, thu To- Lnf--o %I.
are for the old ratio because it is right,
because 1t will undo a great crime. because
1t Will make prosperity possible. because
cannot succeed in any other way, and because
the suggestions for a change come only from
the enemy.
This is an age of concentration in all
things, and the formation Of private monopo-
lies in particular. Competition has been
wiped cut. In harmony with the law as it
has stood for centuries we have denounced
this, but to no purpose; we have legisIated
against it. but in vain. When they could not
defeat legislation by bribery they went be-
fore some subservient federal Judge and had
It declared unconstitutional Our remedy has
failed. Private monopoly is as injurious and
as much of a crime as ever and we cannot
stop its birth; we must change our tactics
and convert private monoDoies into public
monopolies. Give the whole public the bene-
fits OF the monopolies instes of few indi-
v:duals. Let the governn mt take them.
This is not state socialism; is simply pro
tecting the people, and the sfore is demo-
crazy in its broadest sense The European
people fight socialism, but get the greatest
benefit from collective ownership.
There seems to be other way to pro-
tect the public, and 1t involves our very ex-
istence as a party. The Democratic party
must always stand for the great masses or
else have no mission. Thv Republican party
stands for private monopolies and rotten
ness, and the monopoiies will always support
it and try to crush US. 1t is fight not only
for humanity, but for our very existence
We are in a crisis. The liberties of a
mighty people are at stake. There is no
neutral ground; trimming and trading can
no longer be tolerated. The world demands
earnestness and candor. I do not believe in
the black flag; give every honorable enemy
quarters. But we have q sacred black motto
which we must keep to the front, and that
is: Woe unto him who tri1es with the
American democracy Grover CleveIand l rs.
dead. and he left friends to whom to-ssent
the obituary notices. Scores Of WabdfrRg5
statesmen are today looking through the fsnEal
into graveyard for a burial place. because
they were hit by the wrath Of a deceived
people. Each age furnishes weapon for the
people. The weapon for this age is initiative
and referendum. Through 1t We restore
democracy
Then fill our people with the spirit Of
Andrew Jackson and the corruption of Hami-
tcnism, as well the hypocrisy of Me-
Kinleyism, will no longer threaten or dis
grace our land
Mr.. Stevenson's subject was 1.-The
Democratic Party" and his address
was devoted to a history of the party
and an argument against expansion.
Mr.. Suffers subject was 'The Day
We Celebrate"
Mr.. Altgeld was the only one of the
speakers who made any reference to
the free coinage, and he only briefly.
The subject did not receive much at
tention from any of the speakers. The
two or three references to William J.
Bryan, as the Democratic candidate
in 1900. each created great enthusiasm
A letter from Mr.. Bryan expressing
regret at his inability to be present
was heartily cheered when read.