The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-24

Democratic Deceptions.

lance, says: "Let him consult the Demo- |
cratic platform. He will find therein a
clear and explicit declaration against re-
dncing the wages of the American la
borer to the foreign standard Yes, and
If he will look little further into the |
same resolution he will find an explicit
statement Of the policy of revenue only,
or even stronger expression, "exclu-
sively." And if he will examine the record
made in the last Congress he will find con-
elusive testimony that the Democratic
party is committed to the doctrine OF sub
stantial free-trade. The election of Mr..
Carlisle speaker, a known advocate Of free
trade. over Samuel j. Randall, known
friend of American Labor" and the vote
given on the Morrison bill, will furnish all
the evidence that is necessary to establish
the free trade tendencies and purpose of
that party-to convince every impartial
mind that the clause to which the Dis
patch refers was designed as a deception
and a mere device to mislead and delude
the American voter. And if any addi-
tional assurance is desired that free trade
is the policy of the Democratic party, we
have only to refer to the history of that
party and It's resolutions on the tariff ques-
tifn. In 1s4s, at Baltimore the National
Democratic Convention endorsed the
ssnoble impulse given to the cause of free
trade by the repeal of the tariff of 1912,
and the creation of the more equal, honest
and productive tariff of 1885, The tariff
of 1912 was protective tariff. and not
withstanding the Democratic party made
its canvass in 1874 for "Polk. Dallas, and
the tariff of '42, the Congress elected then
repealed the very measure it had won it's
success on and enacted the free trade
Walker tariff of 1916.
In 1856, at Cincinnati, when Buchanan
and Breckenridge were nominated. the
Democratic party declared, in its plat
form, 1that the time has come for the peo-
pie of the United States to declare them
selves in favor of free seas and progress
sive free trade throughout the world
Under the operation of the tariff of 1S46,
and the administration of Buchanan, the
treasury had become virtually bankrupt,
business of all kinds depressed and paral-
yzed, and the condition and credit OF the
government such that small loan OF
few millions of dollars, for the necessary
expenses of government, could not be ne
gotiated- only part of it being taken at II
per cent interest. The Democratic Conven-
tion of 1860 re-affirmed the Cincinnati
platform. That of 1872, which presented
Horace Greeley as the Democratic candi-
date, RENTED the tariff questions to the
Congressional districts-a dodge to bridge
over the antagonism that existed between
the candidate, who held to the high pro-
tective policy, and the party which ia
vored free trade. The st. Louis C0nven-
ton of 1876, which nominated Tilden, con-
tented itself with denouncing the tariff
policy of the Republican party and indulg-
ing in strain of fish-monger villi6cation
of the Republican party because of its po-
sition on the tariff question. In 1880, the
Democratic platform was for tariff for
revenue only,n and that of 1884 is for 'reve.
nue. exclusively, with little contradictory
variation about the american laborer,"
to reconcile the warning elements within
the party and patch up peace for the oc-
casion, to prevent an absolute disruption
of the party in that body.
The Dispatch knows the history of the
Democratic party on the tariff question.
1t knows that it is for free trade, and that
whenever its policy has been attempted to
be enforced, it has brought disaster upon
the country. 1t knows that Carlisle, Nor
rison. Watterson. HurI, and their like,
represent the views of the bulk of the
Democratic party, and 1t knows that. if
the test had been made in the late State
Democratic Convention on the Morrison
bill, it would have been endorsed by large
majority. 1t knows, further, that to
evade the issue, and to make it appear
that there was something like unanimity
in the party on this subject, the resolution
of the Lynchburg Convention, which
means anything or nothing, just as it may
suit the emergency, had to be adopted.
With the same purpose of deception
manifested in the late two-faced resolu-
tion of the Democratic Chicago Conven-
tion is the surplus revenue treated. Eve
ry Democrat knows, as the trainers of the
Democratic platform knew, that we have
had no surplus revenue, in business
sense, since the repeal of the tariff of
1912. They know that we had in 1866, an
Understanding debt of about $2,700,-
O00,000-that the interest charge was
about $3.50, 100000 annually-that the
debt has been reduced on an average
each year Of about 10000, 600 for the past
nineteen years. and that now the in
terest charge is about $48, 900 900, instead
of $3.50 ,O0O, 900. Within the past year
there has been paid off $112,0O0,O00 81
and 8 per cent. continued bonds, reduc-
ing the interest charge So 500, 900, and that
we now have total funded debt of 81 1885,
$50, $50, as against about 100000
in 1865, and an annual interest charge of
S47, 926, 432, as against about $3.50, 900. 900
in 1865. No individual or government can
be legitimately said to have surplus of
funds. if he has outstanding obligations,
which can and ought to be called in and
cancelled. That is what has been done by
the government with what is called the
surplus revenue. 1t has been appro-
priated to paying the obligations of the
Nation and reducing the interest charge
on the people.
The monetary system of the government
devised and enforced by the Republican
party, and opposed at every step by the
Democratic party, which has brought
about these marvellous results, is the won
der of the civilized world. The magnitude
of the war debt staggered the comprehen-
sion Of the country, yet the Republican
party grasped the great problem of its pay
ment, and marched heroically forward in
the performance of that duty, in spite of
Democratic obstruction and Democratic
opposition. 1t not only established the
credit of the Nation, brought the debt and
interest charge down to their present
proportions, but at the same time the man
features of the country were encouraged,
fsaI ri h,,ilt nm homo |