Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-10-10
GIVE US A CHANGE.

For several years past. and >.
peclaiiy throughout last snmmo -
campaign, the Democrats clama ers
LOT change. "Giye us a chanG
they said Sin the administra tnanse,
we VIII have better times. Mo nau
J, VIII oe plentier, all the industr ioue y
.ne county will flourish. wool ' w; III
advance in price, the laborer WIN
get better wages and onr cow, WI
W Mlll thrive and prosper as never ho
iote ia all Its history The cban~o
cslie' we have had over six montse
oil 1t. How many Of these 'i n
cratic predictions have hean De '.!
nea Where is the Democrat ' 1n
values so little his reputatio, WI" rO.'
truth and veracity, or has So sm ,JI
an amount of common sense ~ " VI
declare that single one of thos "
declarations has been yer;eoI IS
the results thus far achieved nstooS
OF securing higher wages for tho w
borcr, instead of creating contidonoo
on the part of business men Il Ivy
resulted in giving the country ""s
period of six months of almost nm
paralleled depression, of general
stagnation in all the centers ortrada
and throughout the land. And NJ
though the Democratic press has
persisted in declaring, either that
times are good or just on the eve of
becoming so, yet the hard exper.
fence OF vast majority the of people
tells a quite different story. The
hundreds Of thousands of iaborers
who, during the entire period. have
sought work in vain, bellies every
one OF these ante election assertions.
The closed rolling mills and manu-.
factories of various kinds in all see.
lions OF the country are silent, vet
eloquent, witnesses to the falsity of
these Democratic assurances. AS
yet the changehas wrought no good,
nor DO we see any evidences lead.
ing us to reasonably conclude that
Democratic control will or can give
us any better, or even as good.
times as we had previous to its MS.
tendency. Everything points to
agitation of the tariff question dur.
ing the next session of Congress,
and having for its purpose a still
further reduction of duties on many.
perhaps all, imported goods. 1t is
said on very good authority that
Abram S. Hewitt, u Democratic
member of that body from New
York, is now engaged in the prepar
alton of tariff bill to be introduced
early in the session. This bill, it is
said, contemplates an entire aboli.
ton of duties on wool, hemp, flax,
iron and numerous other articles.
Did the people feel confident that
Congress would increase the duties
on these articles we hold that the
business interests of the country
would grow better at once. New
activity would be infused into every
avenue of trade. The necessarily
idle would find employment and
soon the now universal cry of "hard
times" would cease. But on the
contrary the country has but little
hope of an increase of duties by
the Democratic party, party pledg-
ed to parctical Free Trade. 1t will
require the combined opposition of
the Republicans in Congress, to.
gether with the and of what few
Democratic members they can sc.
cure, to defeat the Hewitt bill and
perhaps fail even then. This I'M
certainty as to the future policy of
the government on the tariff Ques.
ton forebodes no good, neither im.
mediate nor remote. IT Free Trade
is to come within a year or two it
would be better to inaugurate it at
once. Then business, so far as
there would be any business left,
would adapt itself to the new order
of things.
The country would know what to
expect and many of the doubts and
uncertainties incident to the pres
ent situation would be removed.
Besides, it would then soon create q
new demand for n change, if such
demand has not already been ere
ated, and restore to power the only
party that ever has protected, or
that now proposes to protect the
interests of American in preference
to that of European laborers. II
the Democratic party can do moth
ing better for the country than it
has already done, II it can give no
better assurances AMI create no
stronger degree of public confidence
in the wisdom Of its purposes than
it has already Inspired, we think
by 1888 a demand for a change will
be, unlike that of 1884, based upon
good and sufficient reasons. Thus
far the sequel has shown that in
1884 no change was needed and
that, as yet, it has wrought evil
continually Waynesbmg RepatH
can.