Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-11-10
NATIONS CAPITAL.
"Ts Have Itt The Enemy And
Ne Are Theirs.
President Harrison Appoints Nov. q
as Day Of National Thankssivins.


WAsHrxGrox, Nov. s-The republican,
may well say just at present, I'VE have
met the enemy and We are theirs" Ex
plantations and why's and wherefores afs
nov in order. but the fact remains. A story
vas once told me of q man Who, having
been out late at Eight, was returning home
more than .'hslf seas over" He enter ed
his yard. and instead Of finding his door
found himself 10 elump of bramble bushes
near by. The more he tried to get out Of
the mere he get into the thicket, when
finding himself surely caught, be cried on,
| to his wife. She threw up the window and
exclaimed, william, William, where arr
you?" to which he replied, Oh it
wife, just now an nowhere
The immensity Of the thicket into which
the republican party has been thrown viii
make them feel like that man for some
time.
1t is we'll and right to look the fact,
| straight in the face.
There was screw loose somewhere
perhaps q great many of them; but there
was one large one. Where was il?
The concensus of opinion here, both with
republicans and democrats, is, that the tarif,
did it. But each party look upon it from
different standpoints.
The democrats maintain that 4 revolution
of feeling has arisen against . strictly con-
structed protective tariff. and that hereafter
the people want tariff for revenue only.
The republicans believe that the immediate
Incidental. accidental and, in part unneces
ssry results from the tariff bill going into
effect, produced an alarm, 3 scare and q
hnv l.. kw,.t
on both rides. There certainly is much
truth in the latter assertion II
was unfortunate for the Mckinley
bill that it took effect so soon
after its passage. The result was to raise,
naturally, the prices of some things tenn
porarily at least; and the greedy merchants
and manufacturers, selfishly created hiatus
by not only raising prices on few. but on
very many saleable goods-tsking undue
advantage ere the public at large could
understand the nature of the bill
This undue advantage taken cannot be
too st, onRly censured; but the censure
would be like locking the door after the
horse was stolen. The greed of large
number of men for the almighty dollar is
greater thaa principal or party, very often
and so in this case. The common people
could not understand why 80 many pur.
chasable articles were raised in price.
"Oh," was the reply "its on account of the
Mckinley Bill, and 40 they believed it and
with alarm, turned their backs on their
party, stayed at home on election day. OF
else voted against it. Other causes may be
termed Incidental, but this was what caused
the greater showers that prevailed all over
the country.
After the defeated party has gathered
itself together and the people have had
time to come to their senses and watch the
ultimate results of this new bill. a reaction
will set in and the weather may clear mp.
There is plenty of time to see how the act
will affect the interests of the merchant,
the manufacturer, the seller and the buy
er in the American market. If it works to
their disadvantage, its refusal will follow !;
If other wise, reaction will surely follow.
II the past can be taken as criterion the
latter will be the result. The majority of
the American people are now intelligen;
enough to pe-ceive final results; although,
like other people. they are liable to alarms,
crszes and precipitations.
The republicans can possess their soul.
with patience, and if their course 10 right
time and the people will prove it, il not
then t3e revolution will come to stay.
think Mr. Blaine's reciprocity element
in the tariff enactment would have been q
great help in the campsign if it bad been
more earnestly and loyalty accepted by the
trainers of the bill, and further had the
bill gone into effect subsequent instead Of
prior 10 the elections, no such political
shower would have occurred. The time,
the immediate effect and some maliciou.
effects, were unfortunate for the party in
power. Add to these the hurried passage
of the bill, making it more or less defee.
tive. and we see how many difiicultie.
were in the way and how mole-hills NIGH
be coujured into mountains. T.. j. B.