Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-04-20
FROM WASHINGTON
Washington. April 10.

speeches made in the House of
Representative during this ses-
sion by the democrats, and, aside
from those speeches made by the
Hon. John Sharp Williams, who
always makes good one. the best
that have been made and that will
make excellent campaign material
for the democrats in the approach
ing campaign were those made by
the Hon. Champ Clark, of Miss
ouri, the Hon. Eaton J. Bowers,
of Mississippi, and the Hon. Adam
VI. Byrd. of Mississippi Mr..
Clark. of Missouri, spoke entirely
on the tariff question, and his
speech may be taken as a clear
and concise exposition of the dem
ocratic position on that questions
Mr.. Clark is one of the hardest
hitters on the democratic side of
the House, and he uselly calls a
spade a spade and does not mince
words. He hit the republicans
some hard jolts in the course of
his speech and they squirmed like
a cut worm and attempted to rat
tie him by asking questions. They
gained nothing, however, and he
proceeded with his lambasting to
their utter dismay and the delight
of the democrats. Ii was one of
the strongest and most virile
speeches made ON the tariff ques-
ton in years, and will be freely
used as one of the campaign docu-
ments this summer.
Another good speech on the
tariff question was the one made
by the Hon. Adam NJ. Byrd, of
Mississippi, and was devoted en-
tirely to the manner in which the
tariff affects the farmers in this
country, and it will be read with
great interest by them in this cam
paign. Mr.. Byrd showed conclu-
Sively that the present apparent
prosperity of the farmer did not
come from the Dingley tariff rates.
but from the failure ofcrops across
the sea and a shortage i'm the
worlds supply of cotton and other
crops. He also showed that this
prosperity was more apparent than
real, for the cost of living had in
creased more than thirty per cent.
since 1897, which made it seem
impossible for the present wave of
prosperity 10 long continue in the
agricultural districts unless the
government comes to the rescue
and reduces the cost of production
by removing the tax from agricul-
tural implements. machinery and
other necesSaries of life, the price
of which is now only affected by the
conScienceS of the heartless trusts
organized and perpetuated by the
thieving schedules of the tariff law.
lie showed up the fact that the
per capita wealth of Mississippi is
only about Sl43, while that of
Massachusetts, is 81 .419, and asked
why it was that the farmer had
been shackled in poverty for the
past fifty years while his manu-
featuring brother had prospered,
and said that there could be no
answer except that the one is being
robbed to enrich the other, and
that the republican party is a joint
heir IN this legacy of shame.
lie showed up the fact that the
trusts were selling goods abroad
cheaper than at home, and that
tins method of robbing at home
and underseling abroad is rapidly
revolutionizing the fiscal policy of
England, which, if carried out ac-
cording to the ideas of Joseph
Chamberlain, will destroy the
greatest market in the world for
the products of the farmer in this
country and absolutely impoverish
hlm. This dire result will be
brought about simply through the
stand pat" policy of the republi-
can party, and its refusal to revise
and reduce the tariff schedules on
the trust made goods. Mr.. Byrd's
speech was splendid effort and
brought forth the encomiums of
his colleagues. 1t will be made a
campaign document in the cam
paign, and viii do much to make
the farmer think of the miserable
treatment he is, and has been, re-
celving at the hands of the repub-
lican party. /.
The best speech of the session