The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-09-25

Fellow citizens, this is September
1900. want you TO go back, If you
will, in your memories to September
1896. We had then four years of
Democratic administration. We had
seen 3O,OOO,OOO added to our national
debt. We had seen tariff act sup
pressing the Mckinley law, which
destroyed every commercial industry
in the United States and Impoverished
every farmer. We had seen the wages
of two-thirds of the people who labor
ed in these United States cut down to
bare pittance, and the other third
driven out of employment and men by
thousands walking up and down the
highways of the land clamoring for
work or bread. In these days Col
orado, suffering impoverished and
clamorous, turned naturally to new
guides and new methods and sought
some avenue that would lead us back
to our old prosperity; but we believed
Mr.. Bryan. Do you remember what
he told us here and elsewhere four
years ago? He told us that if Mr.. Nc
Kinley were elected wages would go
down, farm mortgages by thousands
would be foreclosed; wheat would go
to % cents bushel; all the necessaries
Of life would be cheap except money
and money would be dear. We be-
lieved his story then, but l know l
voice the sentiment of this convention
when l say we all thank heaven that
our brothers in the east knew more
than we. (Applause)
Present Conditions.
Compared with that condition, in
1900, after four years of Republican
administration, there is not man to-
day in the broad limits of these United
States who is able and willing TO work,
who cannot find work, and at better
wages than ever before. There are
$4,000 more men employed on our
railroads to-day than four years ago,
and the railroads once insolvent are
now able to pay their fixed charges.
We have passed n currency bill, which
has placed our credit upon "A higher
level than that of any country in the
world Our public debt is drawing .
per cent. substantial premium. We
have more money in circulation per
capita by 80 per cent. than we had for
four years, the circulation now being
nearly S21 per capita. We have built
up such a trade with the rest of the
world as no man ever dreamed of. and
have become one of the great creditor
nations of the earth. Our manufac-
tured articles last year in export show
ed nearly 5000 100000 an increase of
more than $4,000, 900. The excess OF
our exports over our imports reached
the enormous sum of more than So
100000, n greater sum than the total
surplus of exports over imports during
the whole 100 years of our existence
as n republic. (Applause) We are
marching with giant strides until we
are becoming one of the great CONNER
cial nations of the earth. All over the
land is prosperity.
We have added in four years Samoa,
with her magnificent roadways. against
Democratic opposition. We have taken
the islands of Hawaii. We took them
against Democratic opposition. We
are to build the Nicaragua canal. which
will be a great waterway between
the eastern oceans and the west. We
have passed n bankrupt law which
enables thousands of men to again do
business in their own names and share
in Republican prosperity. (Applause.)
A Great CHIEF Executive.
But more than that we have had in the
White House for four years as chief
executive of this nation, Christian
gentleman, great in war and great in
peace, whose every thought Is fraught
with patriotism and honor of his coun-
try. who will live in history as one of
the greatest Americans heaven has ever
vouchsafed us. Cheers and loud ap-
plause.) We have had an administra-
ton which has brought us through the
most wonderful war that ever was
fought-the noblest war ever declared,
for it was for the liberties of an alien
race. Our President. the last man in
the United States to be willing to de-
clare war, conducted it upon broad and
gallant principles. We have taken
Porto Rico because it lies at our door.
We have given its people good gov
ernment which satisfied everybody eX-
cept Democratic pardsans. We have
taken Cuba and have fitted her for
self-government, and are only waiting
now for her ballots to declare when
we will turn over the government OF
the Republic to themselves. And act
ing under the unanimous wish OF the
American people, to which there was
then no dissenting vote, our President
appointed n commission, composed OF
both political parties, to dictate terms
of peace, and we took to ourselves
those islands in the Pacific, and the
President who approved their action
was supported by Senate composed
of some Democratic members, which
affirmed the treaty and we have sue
cessfully and gloriously emerged from
the briefest and most triumphant war
on record.
The Democratic Platform.
There has been in the history of the
Republic no such triumphant and pros
porous and glorious an administration
of public affairs dong and loud ap-
plause) and for all that you are asked
to give it up. For what? Have you
read the Democratic platform-if you
have, read 1t again-the platform Of the
Democracy in 1864, where they de-
clared the war failure and called for
the immediate cessation of hostilities?