The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-01-17
Democracy and Monopoly.

Democracy and Monopoly.
The election of Hon. Henry B. Payne
and the defeat of Hon. Geo. Ell. Pendleton
for the U. S. Senate from Ohio. has a
double meaning. In the one case it was
the success of the influence of the most
gigantic monopoly IN the country-the
Standard Oh Company, of which Mr..
Payne's son is Treasurer. So shameless
and open were the methods of corruptly
using money to secure MI. Payne's cleo
tion that Hon. A. G. Thurman came out
in public card and denounced it in the
most indignant and direct terms. The re-
form Democracy, SO clamorous against
monopolies in theory have accepted the SER
vices of the most repugnant monopoly in
the land, to elect one Democrat to the
United States Senate over another, and he
the incumbent, and in the face of the
protest of some of the best men In that
party. In the other case, in the defeat OF
Hon. Geo. III. Pendleton, it was an ex-
preston of disgust and contempt for Civil
Service Reform, as embraced in the bill,
now the law, of which Mr.. Pendleton was
the patron. Even Judge Thurman, in
denouncing the methods of the Payne
men, and defending the claims Of Pendle-
ton and Ward, referred to the Civil Ser
vice Act, as the only blunder Mr.. Pendle-
ton had made, and for which he should not
be condemned. Neither Mr.. Pendleton' s
high character and admitted ability, nor
Judge Humans great influence. could
impress. the young Democracy Of Ohio. 1t
was welded to monopoly and divorced from
Civil Service Reform, and these sentiments
found exact expression in the election of
Mr.. Payne and the defeat of Mr.. Pendle-
ton. Out of 50 votes in caucus the latter
gentleman received only Is, and some Of
these were the result Of personal friend
ship rather than a reflection of the better
influence that was working for Mr.. Pen
dleton.
Cotemporaneous with the triumph of
Monopoly in the Democratic party Of
Ohio comes the statement from Califor-
MIA paper that the Whiskey Ring is to en-
ter the convass for President in 1884 as an
organized body within the Democratic
party, to determine that'result. 1t is mi
nutely stated that a fund Of $4,000, 900
is to be appropriated to secure the nomi-
nation Of Speaker Carlisle by the Demo-
cratic National Convention. This large
amount, it is stated, can be easily raised
by the Ring, in consideration of the sue
cess of the bonded whiskey extension bill
in which SOC, 900, 900 is involved. 1t is be-
lieved if the payment Of the tax on whis-
key in bond can be postponed two years,
then it is possible it will never be paid at
all, for if the scheme is successful, the
same influences which accomplished it
would have the power to repeal the internal
revenue laws, relieving both whiskey and
tobacco of the excise tax.
Here is grand scheme of Democratic
Reform. 1t is to reform the burdens of
government off Of the shoulders Of monop-
olies and place them on the people. With
tariff for revenue only and the repeal of
the internal revenue laws, we would have
the promise of destroyed industries and
direct taxation, or national bankruptcy.
A Dilemma.
The Democratic press has been very lib
eral in its criticisms of the legislation Of
the Republicans on the tariff questions
This is not difficult to do, when defects
are not pointed ont and spe cifc reforms
suggested. Wholesale fault-fnding is the
business of the common scold. A definite
remedy for alleged evils evidences some
approach to conviction. But Demo-
cratic critics conf1ne themselves to gene
ralities-sweeping charges gainst Repub-
licans for encouraging and protecting
monopolies and depressing labor. with
out favoring the public with the particular
reforms essential correct this assumed
condition of things. They, however,
have now the power in Congress to show
their craftsmanship, and we await to see
how it will be practically demonstrated
The Ohio Democrats are demanding an
increase of the tariff on foreign wool,
while the Eastern Dem ocrats are asking
for free trade on the same article. The
Western Democrats are demanding free
sugar, while the Louisiana Democrats
grow indignant at the bare suggestion and
ask for an increase of the duty on cane pro-
ducts. Mr.. Hewitt demands free trade in
ores so as to ben eft his own iron works
near the Atlantic sea board and drive out
Of employment the labor gagged in min
ing American ores, and at the same time
destroying the commercial value of the
ores Of the country. while the Pennsyl-
vania and Virginia Democrats insist on
a tariff to protect the ores Of their respec-
tive States. Aud SO on through the whole
catalogue of articles affected by the tariff
laws. When they have adjusted their diff
erenees and embodied them into laws, we
will see where the laugh comes in. 1t is
less difficult to tear down than it is to
build up--to discover incongruities than to
construct law Of perfect proportions and
uniform operation. Democratic states
manship is equal to the former. but inca
pable Of the latter