Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1889-12-03
The Recent Elections.
Congressman wilson Explains their
Meaning.


Meaning.
The Wheeling Register recently addressed
requests to prominent West Virginia Demo-
Gratis for their views concerning the results Of
the recent elections, and the causes to which
those results are to be attributed. ThefolloW-
ing is the reply Of the Hon. Vim. L. Wilson:
you ask my Opinion as to the meaning Of
the recent elections. My answer Is that they
mean n steady gravitation of the country to
the Democratic party on the policies 1t now
stands Tor. and a quick contribution 70 me
conscience fund from thousands who were last
year deh1ded Into voting for General Harrison.
The claim that such results invariably follow
q presidential election Is ovcrthrowu by the
contrary experience of the Democratic party
In 1885. nor will 1t do to attribute everything
to local causes. / do not question their opera
alton at certain points. 6ut I am struck by
what Mr.. Samuel Weller would call ''the won-
derful cohincidenco" that local causes every
where fought on tho Democratic side. and that
they have done so, not only in the recent State
elections, but in prior municipal elections in
Newark. n. j.. Indianapolis, Ind. Strcator,
III. Norwich, Conn.,, and many other places.
''Granting then as much may he justly
due to local irritaGons, there muSt have been
some general cause everywhere ut work to ac-
count for our general success and feel jnst-
fed in saying that the common string on which
all these victories have been strung is the hd=
VanCing line of tariff reform. The party plat
forms III Massachusetts,, New YORK, Ohio and
Iowa were clear, aggressive and unmlstako6le
on this great issue. IN Massachusetts,. Mr..
Russell, who was only defeated by a coalition
between the Republican machine and the Bos-
ton saloon-keepers, made his canvass, as he
has heretofore done, chiefly ON that issue.
''An examination of the returns shows that
while we have held and even increased the
gains made last year in the manufacturing
contreS, the advance guard of the great farm
ers movement. for which we so confidently,
but it proved vaiuly, looked in 1883. has at
length reached the Democratic camp, aud thar
II we but press the contest with unaagging
purpose we shall be steadily strengthened by
that great host The debates of the last can
vass opened the eyes of the workingmani
showed him how false and shallow is the claim
that his wuges urc upheld by a high tariff, and
convinced him that existing taxation not only
throws on him au unjust share of public bur
dens but narrows tho field OF his employment,
makes him more and more dependent upon
capital. and by its Capitalization of wealth into
| a few hands. closes the road of advancement
and of personal Independence to his children.
'sThc furmer East and West isfast learning
| that he too pays more than his just share OF
public taxes, and In addition thereto is held
| in bondage by the monopoies that lodge In the
tariff. and through their new tangled invention
| the trust yearly gather into their Golfers tho
chief profits of his toll. and the main fruits of
| his industry and sclf-denial. He is learning
that In promising home market protection
has been feeding him with an empty spoon,
! for the very States where such market ought
TO exist to-day rich In its profits as the dreans
of aynricc. arc making census of their aban-
dohed farms and appointing commissioners to
| urge foreign occupants to take up the strug-
| gle for existence upon them that their recent
owners have given up In despair @p4
Nor is the New England farmer, living
within sight of the great mills aud factories,
alone In distress. The wheat growers OF the
great Mississippi Valley, with their deep ana
easily titled soil, have just met In convention
in st. Louis and unanimously resolved that
their business Is unproitahe; that ia spite OF
harder work and more piuching economy than
other classes they are yearly growing poorer,
are yearly sinking more deeply In debt, ana
are compeliedt to see their children grow up In
Ignorance aud their wives hurried by toll and
Z fdrndGnry into premature graveb. -ess
maj flsEs
from some Of our manufacturing industries the
exhibit made 10y Mr.. Thomas G.. Shearmau 10
the last issue of the Forum of The owners Of
the United States Without attempting moro
than partial list hc mentions seventy names
whose average wealth reaches nearly forty
million dollars each, aud whose separate EOS
sessions range all the way from twenty up TO
one hundred and fifty millions. He shows
that two hundred aud 1fty thousand persons
practically own this entire .couutrg'. and tho
residue Of the sixty millions OF people are be-
coming more dependent on them iDf employ
ment- A like rate OF progress In the nccumue
lation Of wealth into few hands and In thirty
years the. country. with Its prospective popu-
lation OF one hundred and thirty millions, Will
be owned by fifty thousand persons The fact
can no longer be concealed from the people
that many OF these fortunes Gre henped up
through the tribute levied by the rich upon
the poor by that scheme of taxation that We
pleasantly call protective tariff. There arc
no such monster fortunes anywhere else in
the world, and while this perllous inassing Of
our wealth is going on the English chancellor
of the exchequer, Mr.. Goschen. has reported
steady increase in the number of moderate In
comes in England and noincrcase In the larger
incomes.
''Nor does the late election show itself as an
eccentric occurrence. All our recent expert
ence shows that whenever the American peO-
Pile by any lapse Of judgment or other mis-
chance. take the Republican party on their
back. they begin almost at once a frantic ef-
fort TO shake off the CALLING load. That party
swept the country In 1872. aud settled down 10
It's permanent control but In two years great
, tidal wave swept them ont of power wherever
the people could reach them. Again in 1880
the party recovered supremacy. and in 1882 the
tidal wave Of "a was repeated IN nll its sweep
and volume It's success in 1883 is even moro
quickly resented. for the people have In mem-
DRY and have learned to cherish with higher
honor, as It recedes into history. the admins
tratiou of Grover Cleveland. with its nggTeg-
sive courage and intrepid fidelity TO them
They are learning that Cleveland fell in bat=
Ting for their Tighta that he was stricken
down because he wonld not betTay the trust
they had given him, and they mean 10 take
him upon their shoulders and bear him In
triumph back to the White House in %. and
may yOu and I. Mr.. Editor, DC there TO see It
donel ;
"On the great issues Of to-day a majority OF
the people of this country are aud always have
been DemOcrats-some Of them possibly ike
the man who had been speaking prose all his
, life without knowing it. are yet Unconscious Of
| the fact They resent the intrusion of the
Federal government in stats Affairs. They
resent the intoIerable burden of government By
i special interests
a '.But it Is well to remember always. as Mr..
= Tilden wisely Faid that the Democratic party
l has to start To the polls with much more than
+ o majority to count on majority Of votes In
the ballot boxes. The money power 70 and al-
= ways has been IT'S implaeabe enemy. That
: power has never become truly loyal to free
8 government. tits not willing 70 trust itself to
= the people. Il aims TO control the government
U aud use II a machine for It's own enrich
n1ent. It demands class government, gov
ernmcut of privilege, and so in every general
election the Democratic party encounters It's
gigantic and Well-maEzed force. eXerted ia
u every form that such power can display Itself;
" In coercion and terForsm= IN all the methods of
y deception and deluEiOn, ard II necessary, ia
c every form Of bribery, direct and djndrect. And
II thus lose TnnnY who start out with to dght
81 the peoples battles. The elections just held are
n therefore full Of encouragement and full of ad-
E. monfton to us Their leseon 70 us is. Organize
Is Organize Keep the issues clearly defined be-
-e fore the people and preEs steadily the advan-
ir tages gained PORN Democratic societies
everywhere ns the propaganda Of tTue faiths
as the common schools Of Trustworthy. uese1-
ish citizenship. that will be too enlightened to
, be deIuded or cnjoled and win value too high
ly the precious Tights at stake to desert them
for coercion OF I o barter them for price"