Nevada County picayune., 1890-05-28

greater demand would raise their prices and put into their pockets more than thousand millions of dollars annually, not of borrowed money, but of money that belonged to them, and which did not have to be repaid to a,.y one. While open ing the markets of the world to their surplus products would increase the value of what they had to sell it would at the same time decrease the value of what they had to buy. This policy would begin redistribution of the wealth of the country; and the wealth that is now piled up in castles would be distributed in the pockets of the producers. The only way in which Congress can emanci- pate the farmers is to reduce, greatly reduce, taxation on all manufactures and other things which are imported and which we have to buy, and thus let in five or six hundred millions of foreign products which are now kept out. When they come In an equal amount of cotton, wheat, corn and other things would go out to pay for them and that would make an in creased demand, which would in- crease the value of the entire crop many hundred million dollars. In 1881 we exported $130 ,000, ,000 worth of agricultural products. This Is the largest amount we have ever exported in any one year from the beginning of our Government. The greatly increased demand for foreign products made high prices. If we take the prices of corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley, buckwhcat, potatoes, hay, cotton and tobacco for the year 1881 and apply them to the same products of the year 1889 and we will see that the crop of 1889 will have been worth 1,750, ,000, 900 more than it was. Why did we not have the prices of 1881? Because there was not the same demand for export as in 1881. We only exported Sj32 ,000, ,000 worth of agricultural products in 1889, which was about SS per head of our people, while in 1881 we exported about Sl4 per head. But why did we not export q larger surplus in 1889 than in 1881? Because we put high duties on the manufactures of France, Germany, Austria and other countries and in the last ten years they have been re- taliating by putting on high duties on our agricultural products. When we reduce the duties on their goods they are ready to reduce the duties on our agricultural pro- ducts. It was to accomplish this Cleveland drew the Democratic blade in 1887, and it is to accomplish this that the Democratic party is em- battled to-day.
 It is painful to me to decline to support any measure urged on me by my constituents. l am deeply sensible, at all times, of the grati- tude owe to them. They have con ferred upon me honors and distinc- tions beyond my merits. They have supported me with unwavcring iideli- ty through long public service, and it would be great pleasure to me to represent them again if can do so as Democrat, standing on Demo- cratic platform, and aiding in carry . ing out Democratic principles, which l believe to be necessary to pcrpctu- ate the blessing of free government. But if my constituents have grown weary of Democratic principles, weary of hearing the words of lief ferson demanding "equal and exact justice to all men," as a fundamen- tai condition of free government if they want to embark in class legisla- ton, and lnaugurate a war of inter- ests and of classes if they want to surrender their private business to the control of centralized govern mcnt a thousand miles away from them; if they have lost faith in their capacity to govern themselves better than they can be governed by others ; if they have ceased to believe that government the best that governs the least, or, as Samuel J. Tilden most happily expressed it, "The General Government should not do for the State what the State can do for itself, and no government should do for the citizen what he can do for himself, v then must give place to another. am too old to change the convictions of a life time. 1 am a Democrat be- cause l believe the great sum of woes which humanity suffers comes from a disregard of Democratic principles. l am Democrat because l believe that the happiness and prosperity ol ourselves and our children depend upon the triumph of the principles which were declared by Jefferson and supported by Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Van Buren, Polk, Pierce
 Buchanan and Cleveland. l have gwen the best years of my life to my State. 1 have served her faithfully in war and in peace. 1 have never
 done an act that my convictions toiC
 me was detrimental to her interests
 l am too old to be tempted by any
 position to abandon post of duty
 or prove recreant to a public trust.
 1 can afford to retire tO private life, but cannot afford to share tho
 guilt of participating in an act that will hrinm distress and sufferinn ll