The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-10-17
RALLY AT DURAND.
A Fine Address by Grant Fellows
Friday Night.

|
Durand with rousing speech by Grant
Fellows, Friday night Mr.. Fellows il
one of the best public speakers in the
state and the audience which assembled
in the opera house in that village tc
hear him was made up of people who
were well paid for their attendance.
Probably the contrast between the
; size and interest," of the crowd in com
parison with one he had seen there be-
fore struck Mr.. Fellows somewhat force
fully at the outset, for he Immediately
reminded his hearers that the people
did not even yet seem to realize that at
the coming election a national congress
was to be elected. And more than that,
that was to be the congress that would
have to stand back of the President in
the work which he was doing for the
country.
Six years before, when he first ad-
dressed Durand audience there was no
lack of interest The opera house was
crowded. Men had nothing else to do
besides taking politics on the streets
and attending political meetings in the
evening. The democrat party had been
responsible for that condition of affairs.
The democrat party, always finding
fault, has had a variety of platforms
and variety of things with which to
charge the republicans. AS far ago as
in 1886 it was the surplus-and after
the democrats had had control of the
affairs of the government for short
time there was no surplus to worry
about. In 1892 they were making the
same charges against the action of the
Mckinley law that they are now making
against the Dingley tariff. The people
took the democrat party at its word
then, however, and proceeded to allow
it to make revision of the tariff The
Wilson bill became a law without the
signature of the President and the sue
ceeding history written under it by the
democrat party was history of want
and mortgages, and foreclosures of
mortgages In 1896 the democrats told
the people that their money was all
wrong, that they needed poorer money
In 1900 the democrats still persisted in
saying that the money was all wrong
but decided that after all it was not the
paramount ISSUE Imperialism they
said was the thing then most to be
feared But the American people gave
republican policies vote of confidence.
The democrats are still finding fault.
Senator Helme even says that Michigan
republicans are dishonest. Mr. Fellows
did not believe even that the rank and
file of the democratic party was dishon-
est, rather that it was as honest as he
believed the rank and file Of the republi-
can party to be honest. The difference
between the parties is one of principle.
What are their principles today? The
Adrian Press, the strongly democrat
sheet published not far from his home,
said that the chief one for which the
democracy stood was the same old mat
ter of cheaper money. Today our dol
lar is good the world over. The dollar
which each earns is as good as the
same amount of gold the world over
Do you want to keep this money as
good as it is now. then vote for Joe
Fordney and the entire republican
ticket.
But there are other issues besides the
money issue. There are Porto Rico,
Cuba, the tariff, reciprocity, and many
other matters that vitally interest all
Americans. Do you think it is un-
important that we have republican
house merely because it is hardly likely
that the senate can be changed anyway
for some yearsf A year ago an event
happened at Buffalo which cemented
the entire country together. Today the
work begun by Mckinley is being con-
scientiously carried on by his successor.
If there ever was time for the holding
up of the hands of the president it is
now.
The republican party was accused of
being party of imperialism. Presi.
dent Mckinley was called William I,
and why9 Because by the grace of God
and the accuracy Of Dewey's gunners
we took possession of the Philippines,
after we had listened to the cry of Cuba
J for help. Afterwards we ratified our
possessions Of the islands by treaty fol
which Bryan himsely helped whir
} enough democratic senators into line tc
carry it through in the senate. Still II
} was the republican party that had the
, founding on it's hands and it affirmed
that its first, duty was to civilize it and
: educate. it. And we are going to dc
, our duty. Today more than ever the
/ absurdity Of calling this imperialism Il
, seen and felt.
! The question of trusts has beer
: brought up. 1t is in sense scarcely 8
, political question. 1t is one which /,
J being worked on earnestly by republi
} cans today. Personally the speaker die
} not believe that they could be effective
1 ly regulated by the tariff, for look at tn,
x...~t~ -, frA., t-oIo ED..I..l G.. Al.