Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-10-25
DEGREES THE SITUATION.
Republican Administration and Big
Business to Blame.

Those who remained away from
Castle hall Wednesday evening, when
Congressman Morris Sheppard of
Texas spoke, missed hearing an intel
ligent, well put address. He deserved
a packed house, but owing to certain
conditions the attendance was light.
The speaker was introduced by w.
w. Albers, next state state senator to
represent this district, who, in few
words, stated present tax conditions
in Wisconsin, due to republican ex-
trayagance.
The gentleman from Texas recalled
his visit to this city six years ago.
Never before, said he, has there been
so much interest taken in the politi-
cal affairs of this country as is eyinced
at the present time, and there is
reason. That reason is that the
masses-the consumers of this country
are reeling the effects of the Paine
Aldrich tariff law. Never in the
history of this country has the pur-
chasing power of dollar been SO
small as today. Prices of every ne
cessity are outrageously high, while
wages have increased but little, and
a man of ordinary salary finds it i'm
possible to support his family as it
deserves. The average yearly salary
of the wage worker in this country is
less than 5000. In support of these
statements he quoted the tariff sched-
ules under the present law on neces-
stiles, and quoted prices on articles
in this country and on the same ar
ticles in Europe.
At the last session of congress a
committee was appointed to investi-
gate the cost of production at home
and abroad, but that committees
hands are tied, because no provision
has been made to empower it to force
testimony from the manufacturer.
This, the republicans brazenly assert,
is a tariff commission.
Our shipping has been swept from
the high seas in the long era of re-
publican rule, and about the only
time our flag is seen at mast head
in a foreign port is on great battle
ship, costing the people millions of
dollars.
A nations thrift and industry is
judged by the volume of its foreign
10 70 aaf1 of
country is too busy soaking" the
people at home to pay any attention
to extending the market to foreign
lands. Even small countries like
New Zealand, Belgium and Argentina
have much larger volume of foreign
trade than we.
He charged the republicans with
being extravagant in expenditures,
and, said the American people are
looked upon as a nation of spend
thrifts. He quoted figures for ex-
penditures during the Cleveland and
Taft administrations, showing that
the expenses in the latter have in
creased out of all proportion to the
increase in population. Dividing the
expense by the number of republicans
the people are maintaining in con-
greSs, it is clearly shown that repub-
licans, like all commodities, are going
higher and higher, and costing the
people more every year. The bell
COW of the lot is the chief executive
himself, who was so aptly described
by the late ]. p Dolliver as great
mass of flesh, surrounded by coterie
of men who knew what they wanted
and got it.
Roosevelt is the joke of present day
politics. Going into the Albany con-
vention with the avowed purpose of
downing the stand patters, and dom-
mating that convention the people
expected him to be the Moses to lead
them out of the wilderness. But
what did he do? He allowed the con-
vention to pass resolutions endorsing
the administration, the Paine tariff
law and all that goes with them. To
day he is making speeches for Insur-
gent Beveridge in Indiana; tomorrow
he will be making speeches for Stand
pat Lodge in Massachusetts,.
The situation in the republican
party today borders on the comedy.
In the year 1908 we saw it as
one great solid body, presenting a
united front, which detied eternity it
self. Today it itrepresents two warning
factions, each bent on the destruction
of the other. The opinion one holds
for the other can be described in the
words of Joe Cannon, who averred
that an insurgent ought to be hanged;
his body riddled with buckshot and
boiled in oil.
Allowing all due credit to the in
surgent, it must be said that what
measures he is trying to pass, have
been advocated by the democrats all
these years. No matter how he may
fight CannoniSm he is still a protec-
ZIONIST.
In closing, the speaker cited the
achievements of the democratic party
while it was in power, from and after
the day when Thomas jefferson form
ulated its policy. The days of Jetfcr-
son, Jackson, Monroe and Buchanan
were the best this country ever saw,
resulting in more than doubling our
territory and carrying out features
known to every student of history.
He asked the voter to cast his vote
Nov. s, 50 as to make it possible for
a return of the party TO power.
FIRE INSURANCE.
E. c. Kretlow wishes TO announce