The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-10-21
SENATOR NELSON ON PUBLIC |ssUEs|
United States Senator Delivers Magnificent Address for the
Republican Party Saturday Evening" Audience
Was Large and Enthusiastic.
National Questions Are Discussed and the State Candidates
Are Referred to in An Eloquent Manner
-..Defends Robert C. Dunn

then gold has come back until we have
more than any other country. The cir
culation per capita has jumped from $22
in 1896 to over $3l now. This did not
come through tampering with our cur
rency, but because the republican party
Loyalty adhered to the gold standard and
settled it that this, like all other civiliz-
ed countries, has but one standard, and
that the gold.
Four years ago the democrats raised
the cry of imperialism and militarism.
The American people escaped the danger
prophesied by the democrats and this
year the latter omit any reference to
militarism in their platform. The plat
form does favor casting the Philip
pines adrift, like derelict, but Parker,
like he came out for the gold standard,
which the democratic platform Omits,
has come out in favor of keeping the
Philippines and training the inhabitants
to make good citizens, but in favor of
telling them that in the far off future,
that democratic heaven, they will be
free.
The democrats say that Roosevelt has
usurped the power of congress, because
of the longevity order for old soldiers
made by the commissioner of pensions
last spring. They say that he is utter
ly lawless and reckless, because he got
us the Panama canal in rather hasty
manner. They say that it was a good
thing that we got it, that we want it,
but they "deprecate" the way in which
in which Roosevelt got it-deprecate it
as only democratic can "depreciate." Be-
cause Roosevelt moved promptly and en-
ergetically, Roosevelt is charged with be-
ing dangerous, reckless and entirely law
less.
The democrats have raised the trust
question, saying that the republican par
ty is the trust party and that the demo-
cratic party is the only party for the
people. They say that the republican
party is in favor of the trusts be-
cause it is in favor of protective tariff.
Never was there more reckless charge
basis. The trusts are combinations of
capitol Incorporated under state laws,
and sometimes initiate prices and make
the people suffer from stock jObbing OPP
erations. What has the tariff law got to
do with it? We might have absolute
free trade and yet not be able to reach
or control the trusts. The only way to
reach them is by antitrust legislation.
The republican congress has gone after
the trusts, by passing the inter state
commerce law, the Sherman antitrust
law and other acts along the same line,
such as the anti-rebate law for the
railroads, establishing a department of
commerce and labor with bureau of
corporations to obtain publicity, and a
law that suits based on violations of
the antitrust laws shall be heard quick
| ly in the supreme court. Congress also
appropriated 100000 to prosecute trusts
and provided an assistant attorney gem
eral to do the work. The republican par
| ty has done all that it can do under the
constitution.
| TTnIor DAaeorol@ l., -
been a dead letter, as the antitrust law
was under Cleveland. In the last two
years the attorney general has been in
structed to bring ten suits, of which
one was the merger suit. Only one par
| ty stands ready to aid the people to
control the trusts. The democrats are
not after the trusts, for the leaders are
not very hostile to them, but they know
that the people are hostile. Their pur-
pose in raising the cry of the trusts is
not so much to hurt the trusts as to
wipe out the tariff, which they say is
robbery. / think that you would rather
be robbed like you have been the past
seven years, than as you were under
the four years of Cleveland. 1t is the
protective tariff policy that has made
this country prosperous. Under it lab
oring men get good wages and the farm
ers fair prices for their products. The
great home market for farm produce is
found in the great industrial centers. If
there was no work to be had in the
Widell quarries here in Mankato, those
people would have to 60 to farming.
They constitute part of the home market
and help to build up the city.
The democratic party has no respect
for anything that has been built up.
Trusts do not control all production, and
tariff reduction that hits them also
hurts their competitors. do not be-
lieve in stand pat policy, but if you
strike out the tariff that favors the
trusts you also strike at the competitors
of these trusts. We only aim to put