Ottumwa semi-weekly courier., 1903-09-29

, in any of them. Human justice has
not adopted vicarious punishment and
therefore, he must allow me to separate
his victim into it's component parts
and deal with each according to it's
deserts. In the second division, he
quotes some things l have said and
many things | have not said, to prove
that | believe in competition, that
some of the duties now levied upon
| imports are too high, and he bemoans
with all solicitude of a good citizen my
inconsistency in helping to formulate
| the platform upon which l am now a
candidate.
My first thought upon reading Mr..
Sullivan's speech was one of admira-
ton for the courage he displayed-I
say nothing of the discretion in ven
turing to charge the republican party
IN this state or myself with sidestep-
ping, receding or inconsistency. In the
heat Of his enthusiasm. he overlooked
the fact that he is at the present time
living in house built of the finest
gossamer glass that ever came from
the hand of an artist. 1t has not been
many years since Mr.. Sullivan was
waking the echoes all over the plains
OF Iowa, in his frantic demand for the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
the ration OF 16 to / without the aid
Or consent of any other nation. | look
| ed carefully over his keynote to dis
| cover how firmly he is now welded to
| this financial doctrine and / found a
falnt whisper in a paragraph relating
to asset currency, running something
like this:
Personally and indepently of par
ty, | am an old fashioned democrat,
believing in the use of gold and silver,
as to the money of our country, and so
! believing, l cannot bring my mind to
the thought that the bank has the
power, or is more secure than the
government itself"
What diminuendo after the crash
OF his eloquence in 1896 and in 1900.,
Nor can l forget, as l look upon the,
dismal effects of the tariff and when
hear the clank of the chains whicn
ne fastens upon the farmer and the
artisan as the bonds of serfdom to an
lnlqutous system of import duties,-
That very few years ago saw this
same picture, painted by the same
brush and heard these same chains
rattled by the same stalwart arm; but
then all this misery has been brought
about, and the miserable slavery es-
tablished by the crime of 1873 and the
failure to coin silver at the sacred ra-
ITO, and the tariff was not even mem
toned. | am even more impressed
with the courage of this speaker when
look into the democratic platform
and the history of its adoption and
findfnot single word from which any
man can determine whether the dem
ocatic, party of Iowa is for the silver
or against free silver. 1t might be that
| If the beams in the democratic eye
were removed the notes elsewhere
would be less conspicuous It is not
enough, however, to suggest counter
Inconsistencies, for desire fairly and
in the most amicable way, to enlighten
my opponent upon some matters con-
corning which he has been misled.
am not stickler for consistency, and
reserve the right to change my mind
and avow the change just as often as
it is necessary to hold and proclaim
what believe to be triie. Respecting
the tariff, however, l am not conscious
| OF any change or modification in my
views during the time that my utter
ances have been quoted. / have spo-
ken often upon the different phases
OF the subject in the last two years
but never without the most careful
reflection and the most mature con-
sideration. | have said nothing that
desire to retract, and reiterate in
this broad and general way, every
thing have said in the discussion of
protection, competition and the trusts.
Referring to me, Mr.. Sullivan said:
Our worthy governor declared in
one of his public utterances that the.
duty on steel was the cause of monop-
oily and increased the price to the con
sumer 100 per cent, and that the duty
should be reduced"
am sure that my friend did not in
tentionally impute to me statement
that was never made, and am equally
sure that if he does me the honor to
read what say tonight, he will never
repeat it. / never said in any utter
ance, either public or private, that the
duty on steel was the cause of monop-
oily, and say now that in the great
majority of steel products there is not
at this time, and never has been,
monopoly. | never said, either in pub
lie or private, that the price of steel
was increased by reason of the duty,
nearly 100 per cent. The statement
is not true, and no sane man would
make it, | have said many times,
both in public and private, that 1 be-
lieved that upon many of the products
of iron and steel the duty was too
| high and should be reduced to the pro-
| tective point. I repeat it, and I shall
use what influence possess to bring
about that result. But this is no
more an impeachment or criticism up
on the policy of protection than is
the censure of an imperfect law upon
evidence, an attack upon trial by jury.
/ quote again from Mr.. Sullivan a
further reference to my views. He
said:
| 9Our worthy governor never uttered
truer sentiment than when he said
that the people needed competition
more than the monopoly needs protec-
| tion."
A misunderstanding.
This is SO palpable misunderstand-
ing of well known statement of mine
upon this subject, that negligence bor-
ders closely on recklessness. In dis
4 ouccinp rOononO1ies in a cnooob do