The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1904-09-28

greeted Senator Knute Nelson at Madi-
son Lake on Friday evening last After
being introduced by the chairman in a
particularly bright and timely speech.
Senator Nelson spoke as follows:
In free governments such as ours the
ktople necessarily find expression for
&heir Will in the policy and purposes OF
political parties The many unite in q
general creed to which all give adhesion,
md which all join in carrying out. Our
government, almost from the beginning
las to some extent and in some form
Reen party government For Well-nigh
alf century two great political par
Xtes-the Democratic and Republican
AVE commended for the control Of the adj
March, 1861, the Democratic party has
FGVeral times had the control Of the
hoCse of representatives, two terms the
Fontrol of the executive department, and
%nly once-Cleveland's last term-the con-
KSoi or the executive department and both
3ouses of congress. With these excep-
Nofls the administration of the country
Eurlng all this period has been in the
Bands Of the Republican party That
party has formulated and carried out the
Eohtcal industrial and financial policy of
kne country under which t has so ex-
&anded. grown and prosnered. 1T was
10y once-during Cleveland's last admin
Enabled to make any material fnroads on
Shis policy and we all know and II is
9tlll 1resh IN our memories, how disaster
GUS and deplorable this proved to be.
m.
Ut is not difficult to pass Judgment on
She Republican party. It's history is an
open book-a chronicle of great and noble
needs planned and accomplished Tt is
S 90 10 easy to pass Judgment on the Dem
Ecratlc party in recent years 1T can point
no great deeds done and accomplished
us Ire has been one long. persistent
&ourse of obstruction under one allisa Or
smother The only chance it had for ac-
Alon it ingloriously frittered away 70 the
.8 4 and detriment Of the country
" deserves credit for one thing;Sit has in
sga1any instances aimed to camp on ground
= occupied by the Republican party four
years before, or more. That is in the
Inaln It's attitude now, for aside from
. @onie gllttering generalitieS it presents
20 living and material issue to the Amer
s1an people The only tangible issue it
presents Is It's. candidate, and his envi-
comment. All else is a negative pregnant,
@tther in words or silence-a negative
pregnant with exploded or obsolete finan-
@tal and industrial follies. The Republi-
Bah party comes before you with it's past
tgacord and its present purposes and asks
%ou to scan it, and it comes before you
with its candidate and all that he stands
or and asks you to put your search light
n him, feeling confident that the record.
Nhe purposes, and the candidate will each
Ind all assure you now, as in the past,
'Shat the welfare Of the country is entirely
&Rfe in Republican hands, and that it
%ould be utterly unsafe and fraught with
dangerous and destructive consequences
% commit this government into the hands
Nf the Democratic party.
r The older ones among you are familiar
with the grand history of our party. but
40 the younger generation it may be both
Interesting and instructive to recall and
Briefly review some of the great deeds
None and the great results accomplished
Ny the Republican party since 1861, for
&he welfare and great advantage Of our
country.
Financial Legislation and Adminis-8
tration.
The close Of the Civil war found the
country burdened with a large national
debt and a considerable volume of depre-
ciated and irredeemable paper currency.
In August, 1865, the interest bearing ma
tional debt was 50, 3S1, 100000 all running
ct a comparatively high rate of interest.
Ehis debt was refunded at a lower rate
ef interest, and then from year to year
reduced until the beginning of Clevelands
last administration when the aggregate
was only $685., 900 000-a reduction of 81 -
nee, 100000. During that administration,
&artly to maintain the gold standard and
partly to supply deficiency Of revenue
Arising from q Democratic change in the
NMriff law, the national debt was in
creased, In times of peace. by $4,000, 900,
90 that at the close of that administra-
Gion 1t amounted 70 $S47, 100000. The
Spanish war. which all our people re-
Rarded just war, brought an increase
6f the debt, so that in 1899 it reached a
Gnaximum of $1O46.O00.O00. Since that
airne it has been gradually reduced until
on the 30th of June last it amounted to
@nly 1896 900, 600. In passing and admin
Watering the several refunding acts Demo-
cratic opposition. to greater or less de-
l@ree, in and out of congress, was always
encountered by the Republican party 1t
was a part OF the Democratic gospel In
chose DAYS that our bonded indebtedness
should be paid and redeemed not In gold
or even silver, but In irredeemahle paper
currency Nothing could have been more
destructive Of public credit and 50 low
ured our financial standing throughout the
world as the adoption of such a policy.
Greembaclxs.
The necessities Of the civil war COM
melIed our government to issue $431s 100000
~ frredeemable legal tender notes, COM
Imnonly called greenbacks, which, owing to
eheir non-redeemable character, became
hmreatIy deprecated in value. The Demo-
kratic party In congress, and to a large
smxtent outside of congress, opposed the
hmsue OF these notes as unconstitutional
and illegal, but afterwards, in the seven
@les the greater portion OF the Demo-
cratic party became so infatuated with
Xhm green backs that they wanted unlir-
6ed quantities OF them issued, and they
were utterly opposed to thefr redemption
AN specie When the redemption act OF
1875 was passed providing for the re-
@uynDtion OF specie payment fin 1879 every
Democrat In congress opposed it. pas
@Rge.
&orm demanded the repeal &c the law.
%mnsed a repeating act. IN 1e62-65 the
S~gm0nratRc party held the greenhaelx to
~ unconstitutional because 4rredeemahie;
& lRT5-7T they held ~ 20 be valid cur
ancy. and wanted more Of II. and al 81
lrradeemable.
free silver.
Yn fhe latter half of the seventies and
mssrinn Ah@ eighties great demand arose
mw fhn Free AND unlimited coinage 81