River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-09-13

And then on this basis that the re-
publican party owed success in 1896
to Ignorant foreigners" Chairman
Jones proceeded to hold out the hope
of success in 1900.
Gan there be any doubt" he asked,
"as to which shall prevail, the six and
one-half millions of intelligent Bryan
voters, or the three and one-half mil
lions of ignorant foreigners who voted
for Mckinley"
1t will seem to sensible people al
most incredible that the chairman of
the democratic national committee
could make such statements in pub
lie speech. But Hon. James X. Jones
did it.
More than two months after the
election of 1896 he uttered the asser-
tions quoted.
The occasion was no less serious
than an address before the legislature
of Arkansas. Senator Jones had just
been elected to his third term in the
United States senate. On the goth of
January, 1897, the senator appeared
before an informal joint session of his
state legislature at the capitol in Lit
tie Rock. He returned his thanks to
the people of Arkansas through their
representatives, the legislature, and
then he proceeded to discuss the de-
feat of Bryan, speaking as the chair
man of the democratic national COM
mittee and the head of the manage
ment of the democratic campaign. He
said that he "believed devoutly that
BRYAN had been elected and was
swindled out of the presidency"
He declared his belief that in 1900
the bimetallic forces would win
great victory" This iii makes 16 to
l the paramount issue.
He reasserted his conviction that
the principles he spoke for were alb
solutely essential to the welfare of
the country" That is 16 to 1.
The senator spoke for over an hour.
Running through his speech were two
principal thoughts. One was this
idea that republican success had been
achieved through the Ignorant for
eigners,' result which the senator
resented in the name of the native
southern population which was more
American"
The other central idea with the SEN
ator was the injustice of the unequal
distribution of wealth. Upon this he
dwelt with almost the emphasis which
he gave to the Ignorant foreigners"
"What has been the cause of this
great struggle?" the senator asked.
1.-THE people are as honest and as
Industrious as they ever were. What
then was the matter? The last CEN
sus report shows that the wealth of
the country was S65,0O0,000, 1000, or
about $1,000 to each family of five
members. The senator quoted figures
to show the inequality in the distri-
button of wealth. Why was Massa-
chusetts so much better off than Ar
kansas? We're they more industrious
and more deserving? He considered
that the southern people rank fully
up to, if not ahead of, the people in
the balance of the country. The
southern people are more completely
Anglo-Saxon than those of the other
states and therefore more American"
At this point the chairman of the
democratic national committee made
one of the most remarkable of this
series of startling statements for Ar
kansas consumption. He illustrated
his assertion that the southern people
are "more American" than the rest OF
the country in this way:
.sIt took the people of the COM
bined north and east four years to
conquer the southern people and the
latter had built for them a pension
list that was appalling
The senator's speech bristled with
assertions intended to incite the spir-
it of class prejudice. He said:
"Millionaires and paupers grow on
the same bush. When you make
millionaire you make dozens Of pau
pers.'