Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-09-18
SENATOR PENROSE'S SPEECH
What the Great Republican Party Has
Done For the Farmer.


United States Senator Penrose was
one of the speakers at the opening of
the campaign at Centre Hall, Centre
county. Judge Pennypacker and Hon.
Charles Emory Smith were the others.
Senator Penrose spoke as follows:
When William Mckinley was first
elected president Of the United States
the Republican party promised to re-
store to the country that prosperity
which had existed under the Harrison
administration, and which had been
so rudely and dsastrously interrupted
under President Cleveland. but no one
could have imagined at the time that
this pledge would have been carried out
upon a scale incredibly larger than the
widest promise.
The prosperity of the American peo-
pie under the Republican administra-
tion of the last six years, in the ra-
pidity and unparalleled greatness of
our industrial, commercial and agri-
cultural development, has surpassed the
imagination of anyone and is un-
equaled in the history of the world;
and not only does this prosperity exist,
but it is rapidly increasing. We have
every assurance and reason to hope
that if the political and governmental
policies of the country are not dis
turbed our country will in a few years
have attained an extraordinary growth
in wealth, population and power.
Only one thing can check this splen-
did progress, and that is change in
these governmental policies under
which we can point to these splendid
achievements. No party of our COM
munity has benefited more than have
the agricultural classes. The farmer
has in the last five years received a
greater share of prosperity than any
other representative of any other oc-
cupation The value of the wheat, corn
and oat crops in 1901 was nearly dou
BILE that of 1896. the last year of the
Cleveland administration. This is a
startling statement, but it is based up
on official figures, which cannot be dis
puted The farmer in 1901 received
nearly double the amount of money
for these three crops that he did in
1896, the last year of the Cleveland
administration.
This increase of farm values under
Republican administration is not acci
dental 1t is matter of history that
rural prosperity and Republican rule
are coincident. 1t is equally matter
l. q ori i,nl ltt1ral IanraG ion
and mortgage foreclosures and low
prices for farm products accompany
Democratic administration of national
affairs.
THE FARMER A PIONEER.
THE American farmer has been the
which, Notwithstanding all its defects
is the best government the world has
ever known Wherever, courage, skill,
enterprise and labor have been re-
quired the farmer has been foremost
in the fray While other classes have
been persistently demanding legisla
ton to promote their own interests, the
farmer has been foremost in directing
legislation, not only in the interests of
agriculture, but for the promotion of
the well being of all our people.
For example, in the creation of the
Department of Agriculture, which has
become one of the most important di-
visions of our national government,
provision has been made not only for
searching every country of the world
for a market for the farmers products,
but provision has also been made for
American soil by systematic eXperi-
ment and by applying the principles
of science to agriculture, and so the
wealth, prosperity and happiness of
all our people have been enhanced, for
whatever benefits the agriculture of
any country must prove benefit to
all her people.
"The farmers and the Grange in
Pennsylvania have been foremost in Sc
curing legislation for the promotion
and protection of the agricultural in
terests of our state, and, by the cre-
-;EMUCkA1IC HARD TIMES.
When the Democratic party came
into power 1t overthrew the Republi-
can policies which had given national
security, confidence and progress, and
paralyzed business like the blight of
an autumn frost. For four years the
country suffered stagnation and de-
preston which caused wide spread dis
tress. Hundreds of mills were stopped
nr ran hale tima Thraa millions