Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-10-18

TCries of "They did T. Well, gentlemen
the free traders both North and SOutl
soon saw that If the internal revenu
system was abolished the country woult
necessarily rely for its revenue upol
customs, as it had done for more than ;
generation preceding the war, and tina
if that were the case it would be diff
cult If not impossible to destroy the doc
trine of protection; and SO under Mr.
Cleveland they have completely chang
ed their ground and are for keeping VI
the internal revenue system and break
ing down the protection features of tn,
tariff. The whisky trust has thus riser
financially and politically to NatiOna
Importance. l state nothing of its in
! ternal workings and its political manip
ulatiOns from my own knowledge, bu
| know Democrats who declare that Mr.
Randall, the able, upright and expert
enced Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives, was driven from the chair
and Mr. John G. Carlisle, of Kentucky
was made his successor by Democratic
caucus controlled by the whisky trust
and acting under the whip and spur OF
its agents, Mr.. Randall's offense being
that ne would not aid in suspending the
tax laws and postponing payment of tax
on whisky in bond, when it seemed the
interests of the trust to secure a postpone
ment. Mr.. Randall did not believe that
the laws of the United States should be
administered in such way as to pro-
mote huge speculation in whisky, and
L wish some inquisitive reporter would
interview Mr.. Randall's political friends
on that subject, and then ask how much
money the whisky trust is contributing
to the Democratic canvass this year, and
at the same time he might extend the
inquiry into the amount contributed by
the sugar trust and also by the salt
trust, including its fellow trust In the
business beyond the seas. Applause.
TIE STANDARD OCTOPUS.
Nor have exhausted the list of trusts
in which the Democratic party has a
large interest, unless every newspa-
per statement is at fault. The Dem
ocratic party has received large contri-
buttons from stockholders in the Stan
dard Oil Trust at every critical cleo
ton within the last five years, and arc
now relying upon the gracious continu-
ance of that aid in the pending Nation
al crisis. So notorious was this interpO-
sition that the Ohio Legislature memori-
allied the Senate of the L. States to cause
an inquiry to be made into alleged cor
ruptiOn of the last Democratic Senator
from that State. l do not undertake to
say that there was corruption, for l
know nothing personally of it, but l
do say that the memorial of the State
Legislature was presented by Senator
Sherman, and a rightful, legal and prop
er opportunity was given to search
through and through for the truth and
for thorough examination into one of
the largest trusts in the whole world.
Then was the time for Democratic Sen
ators to make an examination into
trusts. One of the largest of them was
before the Senate, and before it legiti-
mately, and yet you know how the Dem
ocratic Senators fled from the task. You
could not lead a Democratic Senator up
to that investigation any more than you
could induce colt to face whistling
locomotive. Laughter and cheers.
Nor was a rumOr quiet as to the inter-
position of the National Administration
to suppress an investigation. If Presi-
dent Cleveland had been as eager to ex
anime into great trust as he was to
denounce them all in his message, his
opportunity was there. But unless all
rumor be at fault, the social blandish-
ments Of the Administration were Law
lshed on Republican Senators to secure
enough of them to join the Democrats
to take off the curse of a unanimous
Democratic resistance to the inyestiga-
ton of trust. Loud applause.
ANOTHER DEMOCRATIC TRUST.
In addition to these trusts I have
named comes the cottOnseed oil trust,
which is in the hands of Southern Dem
ocrats, and its power is used to aid the
Democratic campaign. They do not ap
ply their money in aid of the Southern
Democratic party, for the Southern Dem
ocrats are too enlightened" to use money
in elections. Laughter and applause.
They have found more excellent way
in the South, and they reserve pecunia-
ry contributions wholly for the Northern
field. Laughter and cheers.
Fellow citizens, 1 have named five
trusts in which ali the evil that can
come from trusts, and all the various
shades of the evils that might come to
trusts, are conspicuously prominent. l
pause now, and if there be a Democrat
in this assemblage 1 ask him to tell me
one great trust in this country contron-
ed by Republicans with any political
connection, or able to exert any power
of the kind l have named.
No reply came from the great throng
and Mr.. Blaine proceeded:
Some one may perhaps say "the steel
rail trust" Well, if there be steel-rail
trust it must be privately known to the
Democrats who make the accusation,
for it has certainly never been known to
the public, and as matter Of fact l be-
lieve only exists in Democratic imagi-
nation or, more probable, in Democratic
invention. Laughter and cheers.
DROP IN STEEL RAILS.
But l avail myself of the opportunity
that the mention of steel rails gives me
to clinch an argument that was made in
reference to the salt trust. Steel rails in
this country, under the influence of
high protective tariff, have dropped In
twenty years from $115 down to $3l or
$32, and have in fact sold as low as
s27 so per ton. All this result has come
about, of course, by way of illustrating
the Presidents doctrine that tariff du-
ty is invariably added to the cost of the
article. Laughter and applause. This
fall in price has been steady and contin-
uous, and if there is steel-rail trust it
has certainly been one that worked
not to keep up prices, but to steadily
lower them. But the Democrats
are clamoring for free trade in steel
rails, or for such low duty as will
permit free importations of rails from
England. Well, suppose they should
attain it. The men engaged in the steel |
rail business have lust as sharp eyes to |