The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-12-12
DECEPTION OF THE DEMOCRATS
The Trickery Resorted to by the Tariff
Reformers insthe Recent Campaign.
The avidanca that lie rnocratS re sorted

The Trickery Resorted to by the Tariff
Reformers inthe Recent Campaign.
The evidence that Democrats resorted
to trickery in the last campaign accu-
mulates. 1t appears that thousands of
men kept tab on the speeches made by
noted Democrats who posed as the in
structorsz of the people, and when the
record Is made up it will be very awll-
ward forcertain gentlemenwho expect to
be prominent in the campaign of 90 In
every neighborhood certain men went
to extremes in the matter of misrepre-
sentatioa and it will be interesting to
note how the merchants and grocers
who fell into the traps of the tricksters
or who conspire with them will square
themselves with their customers.
Among the men who call themselves
leaders there seems to have been a good
deal of cunning in what is called the
"clap-trap" of campaign work. When
Governor Francis distributed cheap pen
knives, probably of American manu-
tacture, among his audiences and repre-
scented that the knives which had been
selling at ten cents each would sell
hereafter at fifteen cents each, he re-
sorted to trick that was very taking.
he reasoned that each man who received
knife would take it home and
talk with his neighbor about the
outrage of the tariff that would
make a ten-cent knife sell for fif-
teen cents. But in resorting to this
trickery he presumed upon the ignorance
of those who listened to him. He forgot
that the great mass of American people
are readers and that, while they may be
deceived by plausible falsehood or an
ingenious sophistry, they are apt to be
resentful when they discover they were
tricked. The Governor without doubt
returned to his home to boast about how
he had taken in the unsuspecting
grangers, but we are already hearing
from these grangers. The Governor
accomplished his object in increasing
the Democratic vote, but in doing this
he sowed seed of resentment that must
tell against him and his party.
In due time it will appear to the men
who carried home Governor Francis ten
q cent knives that the tariff on cutlery
knives cheap Nearly every farmer
who cared to investigate knew that the
five hundred and more cutlery manufac-
tories in this country turn out pro-
auctions to the amount of twelve mill
ion dollars annually, and that these
productions are put upon the market
cheaper than they could be were there
no manufactures IN America, or cheaper
than they could be had not American
manufacturers been encouraged by the
duties imposed on foreign cutlery.
Nearly every farmer can remember what
he paid for pocket-knives years ago, and
he knows how much lower they are
now. He knows how difficult it was to
get hold of good watch at reasonable
figures before American watch manu-
factories were established.
1t is easy to give currency to plaus-
ible fiction and to have it influence
people for time, just as it is easy to
impose on people by tricks resorted to
by confidence men. But men who are
taken in once by trickery of this sort
are not apt to be again, and they are
largely interested in preventing injury
to others by the same old game.
The farmers were told by every DEM
ocratie speaker that the tariff must be
against them, whereas when the farm
ers' associations take up the tariff for
discussion, as they will this winter,
they will discover in every case that
Che psoduetions of the farmers have in.
creased protection. This extends to
dairy productions as we'll, SO that the
farmers and the dairynen of America
practically have the American field. In
the discussion this question will come
home to the producer. Mr.. Powderly
recommends that the Mckinley tariff
act and the tariff question generally be
discussed in every lodge of the Knights
of Labor. The result of this will be
that vast amount of information as to
increased protection for American
workmen will be disseminated. The
information is accessible, and. once it
is in the hands of the people, how will
the demagogues who resorted to trick
cry and lying in the last campaign ex-
plain their conduct? They can not do
it satisfactorily, and a great many of
THEN dupes viii be interested in throw
ing all possible light on the record