Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-04-28
The Pioneer Dons its War Paint

The Pioneer asks the people
HAS the Democratic party given you
higher wages ?"
We reply, yes. The laboring men
were paid better wages last winter in
the lumber woods than the winter be-
fore and there was n better demand
for labor. The Pioneer alse accuse:
the Democratic party of being very
extravaganza, of increasing the public
taxes some s40,O00,000, of lacking
economy, of not lessening taxation
and many other things.
Now as regards being eXtravagant
and not reducing the taxable burdens,
we must state that the Democratic
Congressman will have to take their
share of whatever blame there is, pro-
viding they have done unwise acts,
but they do not have to bear all the
blame. The Republicans CONTROL the
Senate and no bill can become law
without the sanction of Republican
Senators.
The increased appropriations have
been mainly caused by the increase
of pensions. One new bill alone calls
for s6,0O0,0O0. The Republicans are
as much responsible for them MS are
the Democrats. An examination of
the records of Congress will show'that
the Republicans were always willing
TO help increase the taxable bur-
dens Of the people and they can
not throw their responsibility on
the Democratic party. If there is
aly blame to be borne for the in.
creased appropriations, the Republi-
cans will have to bear as much as the
Democrats, for no money can be
voted without the consent of the Re-
publican senate.
The appropriations have also been
increased by the projected plan of
building serviceablc navy, and the
erecting Of defensive works. The
Republican Congressmen tried some
20 years to build navy and did not
succeed, although they spent hundreds
of millions of dollars in their futile
attempts.
President Cleveland has, SO far,
done his duty as well as any one man
can, and if the Democratic Congress
men have not done the work they
were elected to do anl expected to
do, then the people will settle with
them individually at the coming fall
election. The Democratic national
platform contains the following:
"The Democratic party pledges it.
self to reduce taxation to the lowest
limit consistent with due regard to
the faith Of the nation to its creditors
and pensioners.
If the Democrats in Congress do
not carry out that pledge then they
have violated one of their agreements
with the Democratic party and they
have not done their duty. One thing
is certain, no relief can be expected
from Republican Congressman. Their
votes arc generally cast in favor of
increased burdens.
The people demand relief from
their heavy taxable burdens, and if
the present Congressman will not
lesson these burdens, as they prom
Used to do, then, this fall, we believe
the Democratic voters will elect Rep
resentatives who will carry out the
wishes of the people and decrease the
taxable burdens.
President Cleveland and his off
GERS have done their duty, and the fol-
lowing Washington dispatch to the
Free Press will show that the country
has no cause to regret his being at
the head of the government
During the first nine months Of the
present fiscal year, ending June 30,
1886. there was all increase of over sew
en- million dollars in the revenues of the
government as compared with the
corresponding period of last year,
and the expenditures for the first
nine months of this year were six
teen million dollars less than the ex-
penditures for the same period of last
year, making net gain of twenty
three million dollars.