The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1916-11-04
oe.vsr.o "a DO e,erysAins /, my power fos

the wageworker who worked with M
hands and for the farmer. ! will do cv&Ty- b,
thing that in me lies for their permanent
good, except anything that is wrong, and
that will do for no man. ! speak out OF
my deepest convictions and as conscien-
tiously as IL is in my power TO speak when
] say - you that ! believe that Mr.. VIII
sons action in connection with the Adam
son bill is deeply prejudical TO the real
and permanent interests OF the laboring
man. ! say to you with deepest con-
viction that IL you yourself will look back
you will find that on the average, the wage
worker has prospered more when this
country has been under protective tariff
than when the protective tariff has been
so low as not TO give protection to our,
immense and varied industries; and above
all, to the men working in those Undue
tries. As you know, ] have always stood
for the tariff only to the degree in which,
the benefit was reasonably shared between
the men in the front Office and the men
who receive the pay envelopes. stand
for that division now. But there must be
something to divide, or nobody will get
anything.
! ask you 10 look back only two short
years. Mr.. Wilson was naugurated a.
President three years ago last spring. He
and his party Immediately passed low
tariff law. Under it Government receipts
fell of so alarmingly that there was great
deficit which had TO be met by . special
tax This was later called war tax but
it was not due to the war at all; the de-
crease in receipts was prior to the war,
it was deficiency tax pure and simple.
AS some one pointed out at the time,
Canada had q var with no tax, whereas
we had toX with 10 war. L. was purely
n deticienc taA
During tne nr't eighteen months of this !
Administrator the national business went |
to pieces, the sidings on the railroads were
jammcd with empty cars and the number |
Of employees in every great industry grew
TO appalling dimensions. speak here OF
what personally know; for less than two
years ago ! had to take an active part in |
New York in measures 10 relieve the un-
employed. ] then saw municipal lodging !
houses crowded to overfowing with people |
desirous of working, who could not get any |
work, and who did not have enough money 4,
to pay for the poorest lodging or the cheap
est meals. The unemployed were num-
bered not by the thousands, but the scores
of thousands; and ! was in active corre-
spondcnce with man and women in other
cities, Chicago Detroit and Philadelphia,
where the conditions were just as bad 40
in New York. Every kind Of provision
had to be made by private charities and
by the public authorities. in order to!
care 70" the multitude Of people who wish
cd TO work but who we're in dire want be-
cause there was no work. The misery was
widespread. For instance, the Board Of
lei ,g a. l,l
c,nl resolution allowing the eating of horse
meat Il think the exact phraseology gave
permission TO fatten old horses for slaught-
or and food) because every effort had to
be made TO give to those out of work tho
cheapest food that would sustain life. Re.
member that those times were normal.
There was then no war. We wefe at
peace. We were SIMPLY experiencing the
normal results of legislative action under
Mr.. Wilson and the Democratic admins
tration.
The suffering was widespread through
out this country. Suddenly the war came.
At one stroke this country was granted
a measure of protection greater than any
IL had ever received under any tariff in
its history. Moreover, the demand for
munitions OF war was stimulated to such
an enormous degree a. 10 completely re.
verse trade conditions. For example, COM
pairing the fiscal years ending June 80,
1914, and June 80, 1916, that is the year
before the war and the year that has just
elapsed, the losses in ordinary exports dur.
ing the last year, compared to the former,
were over two hundred million dollars;
whereas there was gain in exports of war
material of nearly two billion dollars. II
=. T,. .. i
the suffering from unemployment in this
country at this time would in all proba.
, bility he as great as it was in 1914, and
we would have seen two or three years
of an industrial crisis at least as bad az
any we have ever known in our history.
The present stimulus is artificial. 1t will
cease with the war conditions coming to
an end. 1t viii then be difficult to avoid
some suffering anyhow. If Mr.. Wilson is
kept in Office, this suffering will doubtless
be prolonged and acute.
In short, YOU miners of Pennsylvania,
appeal to you, and | appeal to all wage.
workers of the United States, both in tho
name OF sound American citizenship, and
also in the name Of -our real and perma.
| nent selfintercst. No American citizen
can afford to put the stamp of his ap.
| proval on any law supposed to be passed
| Tor the benefit OF any body without inves-
| tGation, under duress of threats or for
fear OF the loss Of political power. | ask
any men who are tempted TO approve OF
| the politician, big or little, whom they
think has helped them by doing wrong in
| their interest, To remember that the man
| who for his profit does wrong in your in,
terest will just as unhesitatingy do wrong
against your interest, if ever he thinks it
! to his profit to do so.
In the old days, thirty years ago, when
| ] lived on COW ranch in the short grass
| country, the branding iron and the cow.
boy took the place of fences, and on
herds were managed by branding each
calf with the brand of the COW it followed.
J II the calf was not branded the first
year. then the next year when ii was an
unbranded yearling it was called nav
erck. BY range law we were supposed to
! brand each maverick with the brand OF
the ranch on which il was found. One