Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-04

er was being consumed Look at the
conditions in 1892. Good wages were
being paid, the working people had
money in the banks, the price of farm
produce was high, the price of the pro-
duct of the factories was high. 1t was
not because times were hard in 1892
that the cry was raised. 1t was be-
cause they wanted better times. They
said We pay too much for what we
use Benjamin Harrison said, There
is such a thing as having goods too
cheap
Cheap Prices in 1892.
But the people didn't hear the
| lots We're counted it was found that
they had decided in favor Of Cleveland
and free trade. They got cheap goods
the minute they voted for free trade.
Yes, they were very cheap goods.
Causes and Results.
And that time was only eight years
| ago. The farmers and laboring people
of the United States were the chief
| mourners at the tomb of prosperity.
| Cleveland believed in it and he and
! some others still believe in it and al
ways will. Let me tell you, that when
| | was boy in Vermont l knew man
who, one day, went into a factory
where a circular saw was whirling at
at fast rate of speed so that it looked
! like a solid disc. He stepped up and
| touched it with his finger and the
member was promptly amputated. In
| showing how he had lost the first fin
| ger ne lost another, and another, and
| he, would have lost his whole hand
had not some one pulled him away
from the saw. Whenever he tried it
the same result followed This is the
principle of free trade. Whenever it
| is tried the same depression follows
Here is criticism in which in
dulga every year, and | want you to
| tell me If you do not think it is fair,
| for want to be fair. 1t seems to me
that the object of the democratic lead
ers is always, more to discover an is
sue on which they can win a campaign
thar to tell the people some way by
which they can do better and make
| the country better.
in 1892 the democrats fought the
campaign on tariff for revenue only
You won. my democratic friend. Now
let me ask you. kindly, for we are run
ming this little school of instruction
ourselves, did it turn out as you said
it would after the election?" A
voice from the rear was quick to re-
ply, Yes Thank YOU" answered
| Mr.. Shaw, you are right. 1t turned
out just as you said it would. in one
particular, at least. You said we
would have cheap prices and we had
! them
|
You said you would legislate and
! give us cheap goods, and you did, all
right. You said Elect Cleveland and
we will have no more sixty cent
wheat And we had wheat for forty
cents. Why, an old man told me after
that election, i have been voting fol
free wool for twenty years, and have
now come within five cents of it
But, mark you, in 1894 the Ameri.
can people consumed forty-four per
cent less wheat per capita than in
1882, and if you measure the hardship
to the consumer when you squeeze
forty-two per cent OF the bread out of
his mouth, you will see that some will
go hungry. You and ate as usual, SC
someone had TO go without. You will
see the reason for the innumerable
soup houses in the large cities, the
thousands of free lunches that were
served and eagerly eaten We say
Give the producer good prices for the
result of his labor and the consumer
will take care of himself
We'll, 1896 came around. You have
tried tariff for revenue alone in 1892
and had won on it, but you did moi
use it again in 1896; Now, did yor
have anything in your platform tina,
you could use in 1896? You had ne
left over issue. You had consumed the
whole platform. In fact, you haf
! nothing to warm up for breakfast
You needed something for the next
campaign.
When man uses all he has and his
nelghbor has something that he needs
he usually borrows it or simply takes
IT, The democrats had neighbor who
mad an issue. In 1892 the populists
mad nominated j. B. Weaver of thi.
state for the presidency and had de
clared for free silver in their platform
They didn't win that year but the dem
ocrats did. During the four years O
free trade administration the idea in
creased. Many thought that the fret
coinage of silver at the ratio of six
teen to one would pay their debts. Tha
seemed to be quite good issue. Nov
G the democrats held convention first
They took that free silver issue from
! their nelghbors, the populists-ius
simply took it. and put democratic
label ON ii. They called it the JeffeI
sonian doctrine and the Jacksonial
doctrine, but it wasn't. Ii wasn't al
old democratic doctrine at all but
new populist doctrine
And then, my democratic friend
what happened? You took the popu
list issue and put it into your pantry
9 But the populists didn't like it, The,
simply Went over to your house an,
took charge of the whole kitchen issu
and all. You had all become populists
Z Was there anything in the democrats
platform OF 1895 that had ever beel
There before? Yes, there was on