The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-09-29
The FARMERS INTEREST IN THE TARIFF
THE SUBJECT OF HIS LONGEST SPEECH
Byans Position the Tariff Proven by His Work the Con.
slruction Of the Disastrous WsonGorman Tariff Bill
in the Cleveland Administration

from high protective system. as it
had been under Genera Harrison I'M
der the Mckinley bill, to revenue
tariff bill called the Gorman-Wilson
bill.
Democratic Panic.
Now In 1892, Immediately after the
election Of Mr.. Cleveland and before
the Mckinley tariff bill was repealed
there came panic, and that has lead
our Democratic friends to seek to es-
cape responsibility for the panic
which followed and the financial de-
preston, saying that the panic came
before the Mckinley bill had been re-
pealed. But the Democratic platform
promised to the people that revenue
tariff bill should be placed upon the
statute, and as soon as it was deter
mined in November that Democratic
majority existed in both houses, with
a Democratic president in the chair,
the very threat, we'll sustained, of
change from the protective system to
the revenue tariff system, brought on
the panic, and the Democratic party
proceeded to carry out its promises.
The GormanWilson bill first went
amendments in the senate. Six hun
dred amendments were sent back to
the house Of representatives, and by
force of those rules introduced by
Speaker Reed and taken up by the
Democratic members of that house
and now held up by Mr.. Bryan as
means of defeating the rule of the
people-those 600 amendments were
adopted in the house, and Mr.. Bryan
and another gentleman on his side
carried Mr.. Wilson, the author of the
bill, on their shoulders out of the
house of representatives in joy and
jubilation that the bill had passed.
Soup House Era.
Now what followed the passage of
that bill you know. Such a depres-
sion in our industries, such disaster
to our business, such an interference
with the prosperity of the farmers as
never had been seen in this country
in its whole history. Wheat went
down to 81 cents, corn to 21 cents,
oats to IL 1-2 cents and potatoes down
to 27 IL cents. The farmer was
loaded with mortgages and debts, and
those four years were burned into the
hearts of the farming and working
community by the suffering that they
brought.
When, at the end Of that admins
tration, the question came on as to
whom or what party the American
people were to elect, Mr.. Bryan, wrest-
ing the Democratic party from the
control of Mr.. Cleveland, announced
in the Democratic convention, that
while protection had destroyed
its thousands, the gold standard had
destroyed its tens of thousands, and
therefore the only hope of the Ameri-
can people was to introduce an act
providing for the free coinage of sill
yer, the inevitable effect of which
would have been to reduce the value
of the monetary yard stick-the value
of the dollar to fifty cents In other
words, what he was proposing to the
people of this country was repudia-
tion by legislative acts, and never for
any people was there presented such
an alluring bane. 1t was dishonest,
but 1t was sugar-coated-you all
know about these sugar-coated
pills-well it was sugar-coated by the
statement that the gold standard had
been too high. That away back in
1873 crime had been committed, and
that although your debt might have
been contracted year before because
silver was worth more in 1873 than
gold, therefore you were justified in
paying debt year old in coin
that in '73 was equal to gold, but
year ago, equal only to fifty cents.
Wheat and Silver.
"Now that being the attitude of the
two parties, and Mr.. Bryan having for
the moment passed away from the
protection and free trade, substituted
another nostrum. And. the American
people arose and stamped on that
proposition, but Mr.. Bryan said the
gold STANDARDIZED you remember
about. the crown of thorns and all
that Imagery he used to describe the
awful destruction of the gold stand
ard. You remember the promises he
AContinued on page 2.