Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-01-26
A GREAT ADDRESS. 4
Gsv: Aitsslds .Coaviseias Speech
Isesday,. tllsat. i ......I

Ex-Governor John p. Altgeid Of
Illinois delivered at Gross opera
house, Tuesda az evening, one OF the
ablest, most cogent, convincing and
remarkable speeches ever made in:
Little Falls =: ).
To those who had learned through
the malignity Of q partisan and pref.
udiced press, to look upon Mr.. Att,
geld with distrust and fear, to pic
ture him as q wild-eyed individual
with an Unsuitable thirst for gore,
Tuesday night was revelation. The
calm, judicial manner of the speaker,
q "Reminiscences OF his many years on
the bench, bis ihcisive utterance, his
gentlepanly treatment OF the oppo-
sition, his sincerity and patriotism,
made stronger by the fact that he
wore the blue as a soldier of the
union, his logical presentation Of
facts and documents, made greet
i'm preston on his audience. We ven
ture to say that no democratic
speaker in this city ever before so
completely shattered and forever de-
stroyed the preconceived. notions
I1.-id i,y the average republican con-
cern;ng him. Many republicans con-
fessed that they were most agreeably
surprised, and henceforth would look
on Mr.. Altge|d in a far different light.
They may disagree with him, but
they certainly will respect him..
Governor Altge!d was introduced
by Mayor Vasaly. Mr.. Altgeld had
been suffering with a bad cold for
some days, and was not we'll. He
intended to speak only about an
hour, but instead spoke about two
hours, and did not cover all the
ground that he wished. In beginning
the speech Mr.. Altgeld said that he
thought it proper at this early time
to place before the people facts re-
garding the country's condition, be-
fore the heat and stir of the cam
paign excited the peoples minds and
made them less liable to hear state
ments and Judge. them partiall.y;
He took up The trust question. show
ing how the great combinations had
been formed, combinations inimical
to the interests of the producers
The trusts lessened the cost OF pro-
duction in the goods they controlled,
and then raised the prices arbitrarily.
Nr. Altgeld did not go into the mat
ter OF the money question and it's
relation to trusts, but at St. Cloud
he did SO, saying: The actual pro-
ducer is preCluded from realizing any
profits from his products since he
must sell in an open competitive
market and buy his manufactured
goods in market where prices are
arbitrarily high, competition restrict
ed, and the monetary basis only hall
wide enough 1t was admitted by
all that the effect of trusts as at
present directed is evil; they must be
regulated. What party can best be
trusted to enact necessary legislation,
the republican, where all the trusts
are encamped, or the democratic,
which the trusts are continually
fighting? The trusts give their
financial support to the republican
party. The democratic party had
cleansed itself in 1896. To certain
ones VINO now camped with the re-
publicans it had said: "Arlse, take
up your bed and walk" These we're
worse than Judas, for ne hanged
himself alter he had received the
thirty pieces of silver; but these, after
getting tie money. spent it and ask
ed for more. The republican party
was not now the party of Lincoln,
and the great men who guided it's in
fancy. Instead OF Lincoln and great
principles it was now Hanna and the
dollar mark. { The party that was
now the custodian Of the principles
OF true Americanism was the demo-
cratic party. The tariff. by prevent
ing competition, was in certain cases,
as Havemeyer said, 1.-THE mother OF
trusts" and tariff reduction was the
cure. Where trusts were the result
of discrimination in transportation
rates, government ownership of rail-
roads Was the cure. Under govern
ment ownership, the small dealer
would have his goods carried for the
same rate as the big ono, just as the