Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-16
REPRESENTATIVE OF NINTH DIS.
TRlcT DELIVERS STIRRING Ap-
DRESS AT ELDoN
TALKS ON ALL ISSUES
Pays Tribute to Congressman John F..
Lacey of the Sixth Dlstrlct-Tells of
His Great Work as Member of the
Lower House.

From Saturdays Daily.
Delivering an address In which he
paid due tribute to Congressman John
F. Lacey, colleague on the Iowa de-
legation, discussed the fallacies adro,
Gated by William Jennings Bryan, and
dealt with the various Issues that are
before the people in this campaign,
Congressman Walter I. Smith of Coun-
Gil Bluffs, representative of the Ninth
district, was heard last night by the
people Of Eldon.
Mr.. Smith spoke In the Mahaffey
Opera house before the voters of FL
don and Washington township. His
address was listened to with attention
and was interrupted frequently by
bursts Of applause.
The meeting was called to order by
County Chairman q. X. Dougherty
who introduced as chairman of the
evening W. G.. Crow. Mr.. Grow after
brief opening address introduced
Congressman Smith.
Mr.. Smiths Address.
The speaker said in part:
Ladies and Gentlemen: It is
great pleasure for me to be allowed to
address a portion of the constituents
of John F. Lacey. There are at Wash
ington some men Of extraordinary
ability, who through lack of applica-
ton fail to accomplish much. Also
there are men of mediocre ability who
through their great application over
come the handicap under which they
labor.
There are few men In the halls of
the national congress with as great
ability as that Of Major John F. Lacey
your congressman. There is not to
exceed one man with his application
and Industry. This combination of in
dustry and talent makes Mr. Lacey, in
my judgment, the most valuable man
In the lower house.
1T is not my purpose this evening
to discuss at length the details of the
wave of prosperity that has swept
over this country since the accession
OF the republican party to power in
1896. You either feel that you are
prosperous or you do not In the
former event, would not want to les
sen for one moment your belief in
that prosperity and If you did not be-
lieve It, would not be able to con-
vince you.
Prosperity Conceded.
Il have heard but little contention
that this country, during the last ten
years, has not been prosperous, gener-
ally speaking. From 1896 to this time
there has not been a serious contra
diction of this fact.
In the four years of democratic ad-
mintstration that preceded 1896, wages
in twenty-seven of the thirty-seven
lines OF industry decreased. Since the
coming in to power of the depublican
party at that times, wages for labor in
all thirty-seven lines have increased
in some of them as much as forty per
cent
An old German constituent of mine
who has been a life long democrat.
said to me recently that he was going
to support the republican ticket. I
don't know much about the different
tariff pol1cies,' he said, but even a
hog knows when he gets good slop.'
If the American people have as much
sense as the American hog they are
not going to vote to change the condi.
tons that have brought such magnif.
cent results as we may see all about
us,
"But there has been complaint and
just complaint that while there has
been vast increase in the wealth of
the country, there has not been in all
respects just distribution of that
wealth.
Fair Division.
1--WE are not studying so much how
to acquire wealth as how to secure
as fair division Of that wealth as
possible without adopting the tenants
of our friends, the socialists. l have
always contended that theoretically
the socialist is right. When men are
willing to work just as hard as they
can, everyone ought to be willing that
they should get living in return. The
trouble with this theory is in the
frailty of human nature. Suppose
that your honorable chairman here
had twice the ability that had
along certain line of work In which
we were both engaged. Suppose then
that we were to enter into a contract
of this kind, each to work as hard as
he could in return for which, each was
to earn living. Why, 1t wouldn't be
thirty days until he would be soldier
ing on me and letting me do all the
work
1--WE do not want to move over tc