Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-10-27

class against class. rich against poor,
capital against labor. That Is the last
resort OF a demagogue; whoever re-
sorts to II and appeals to the people
is certain to be defeated just as soon
as they can get to the polls to vote. The
idea of appealing to class hatred is i'm
possible In this free country. 1t has
attained It's present splendid prosperity
n power by reason OF the fact that
all classes have worked unitedly to-
gether to bring II to pass. The men
who are today the great leaders, the
captains of industry, were themselves
beginning not many years g at the
forge and In the shop. Their industry
and energy and enterprise, united with
fcapital, have wrought u success as n
nation. Capital and labor are essen
tiai each TO the other. Sever them and
there is absolutely nothing to build On.
And the working people of this country
will resent IL when Bryan appeals to
class prejudice and says hat one class
is the natural enemy Of another. That
Is sowing the seeds OF anarchy and So
cialism.
bryan aud Labor.
what has Bryan ever done for the
laboring men of this country "a voice;
'Nothing!) That's right. Nothing
whatever. And what has William Nc
Kinley lone for them? Everything.
(Applause.) He is the one man in pub
lie life in this nation today who has
earned and now holds the absolute con-
fidence OF all classes OF the working
people. In all parts OF the country,
north and south, east and west. From
the beginning of his career he has de-
voted himself to perfecting policies
that are calculated TO advance the in
terests OF the working classes. He has
alvyay NC daunfad hin1aalf I'm ttarfnoftnu
/. the American policy OF projections; a
policy which means a scale OF wages
and living 80 to 100 per cent. higher
han those Of European countries; a
policy OF protection alike to labor and
to capital, under which our manufac-
turers now surpass all others. On Au-
rust /, 1898, ended the first year In
which u exports exceeded u inn
ports of manufactures. The excess was
small, but II was the turning point.
Now the increase has gone on till for
this year our total exports OF steel
alone reach 635. 900 tons; a few years
q we were importing two or three
times that much. 1t is because we have
the greatest country in the world In
natural resources; we la more In
genuity and energy and industry
among our people: we are turning out
all classes Of steel products In compe-
tition with the rest of the world, n
we are doing 1t without interfering
with the American standard OF wages,
which is twice as high as that Of Ger
many.
Already our products are one-third
larger than u consumptive capacity.
We must find new markets for II. sem
ator Frye a been telling you of the
advantages which the possession OF the
Philippines will bring to us in this re-
gard. If we hold them and lake ad-
vantage of their opportunities we Will
be able to multiply tenfold our exports.
One OF two things surely must happen.
Either we must secure foreign markets
for one-third OF our products or else we
must reduce our productive capacity
one-third. One-third OF u people
must n their market abroad or else
they must be left out of work. That Is
the plain proposition, n when such
an expansion OF opportunity Is offered
as is now before us. i say that / am
for commercialism and expansion: / am
for what will bring the working man
more work; / am for what will bring
more foreign gold to our shores; / am
for what will better the condition Of
ou working people.
In III 8 Own Defense.
Now II you will permit some little
personalities, 1 will say a few words In
my own defense. In 1896 when Mr..
Bryan found the tide turning against
him, and was convinced that the peo-
pie would not stand by his policy Of a
debased money, he undertook to array
the working classes against the repub-
lican party. How? He did not dare
to attack William Mckinley, because
he knew the life of the man and he
knew II there was one man in the
United States who had the confidence
of the working people. n who de-
served II, that man was William Nc
Kinley. (Applause.) But he was pref
ty hard UP for a subject, and so he
picked me up. Perhaps / made q pref
ty good one. He knew--I suppose he
knew; at any rate II was commonly
understood, that / was a large EN-
ployer OF labor. He began making
statements about me that at first
/ didn't understand. He said
that l was a labor crusher.
1t was heralded all over this
country that l was the oppressor OF labor.
never made a political speech in my life.
But In the last week OF the campaign our
speaker of national reputation for a big
rally. They could not be supplied; many
Of our speakers had already started for
home to vote; They insisted on having
only the night before Bryan and AItgeld
had spoken In that hall, and Bryan had
called me the different hard names he
was using. They came and asked that
address them; and when l learned what
Bryan had said about me the night be-
fore--well, l went. CLaughter:( I didn't
out OF It after | got on that platform.
But while / sat there and looked over the
audience ! remembered something. ] re-
membered that earlier In the campaign
Mr.. Bryan had concluded to go up into
northern Michigan, where there Is an ore
company OF which happened to be pres
ident. He wanted to tell the men who
worked for me how bad l was, and what
an oppressor. When | heard that he was
going to speak ut Iron Mountain l wired
the spperintendent to let the men of to
to go right on at full scale. (Applause.)
Well, Mr.. Bryan started In on his speech,
and after feeling his way till he felt
pretty sure OF his ground he began to tell
them about me as the labor crusher and
oppressor Of the working man. Some OF
them got up and went out; but he went
en- masse and left the meeting. And that
was the answer that Bryan's charges
against me received at Iron Mountain,
Mich.
"And now, by force of circumstances. I
am again In charge of the executive work
OF the campaign. Mr.. Bryan still pos
sesses the confidence OF the working
people as he did four years ago. Ii Is
necessary to have somebody 20 assault
and SO they're after me again. 1t Is OF
no real importance as bearing on the is
sues. but j think II only right that l be
allowed the privilege of standing before
an American audience and telling these
men to their teeth that they lie. ZAP
plause.)
Answers Another Charge.
'"That story goes SO well that l guess
I'll try another. Do you want to hear
another story? (Cries OF yes, yes) Then
I'll tell 1t. In 1897. after serving the un-
expired portion OF the senatorial term
which John Sherman had resigned, / be-
came a candidate for election TO the sue
ceeding full term. And let me say right
here thai 1 was Endorsed by eighty-three
OF the eighty-seven counties In the state.
That came pretty. near being an election
by the people. The democrats of course
were determined to beat me If they could.
They sent for MIR. Bryan and he Travelled