Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-10-30
MR.. PENDLEToN's OPENING.

MIR. PENDLEToN's OPENING.
After expressing his qualification at
meeting with an audience OF the voters
of Wetzel county, Mr.. Pendleton said
he wanted to take occasion at the out
set TO call attention TO the fact that the
conditions and responsibilities of the two
great parties were to-day somewhat
different from what they were two years
ago. In 1888 for z little over three
years the Democratic party had control
of the Executive branch of the national
government, and had Il majority in the
lower house of Congress, but the Repub-
lican party during the entire time of the
administration of President Cleveland
had control of the Senate, and, as con-
sequence, whenever the Democracy at
tempted or proposed measure the Re
publican Senate stood in its path to pre-
vent the passage OF the measures sought.
That being the case, the Democracy
could not obtain credit before the Amer
lean people for the laws necessary to
carry out their policy, and the only
thing the Democracy could do was to
give the people an economical and hon
est Executive, and to urge the measures
which the Republicans prevented be-
coming laws through the Democratic
national platform.
But in the last election the condi-
tionS, as regards our opponents was
made different. In lSSs Republican
president was elected, and a Republican
House. They also had the Senate. The
consequence is that | don't think that
any conscientious and upright Republi-
can will say that hold the Republican
party TO an unjust responsibility when
say the Republican party is RESPONSE
bic for all the laws passed in the last
two years and placed on our statute
books for the veal or woe of the Amcri-
can people. So the Republican party
stands before you to-day to be ratified
and endorsed, or defeated at the polls,
on account of what it has done during
the last two years.
1t will be difficult for my opponent to
point out any measure passed within
that time calculated to be of benefit TO
| the American people. | suppose the
| Federal election bill will be pointed ont
as a measure of that sort, but | will
leave you, after | am through, TO de-
termine whether or not they are meas
ureS of that sort.
Mr.. PendletOn then led his audience
back through portion Of the tariff his
tory of our country, and called atten-
tiOn to the fact that in 1860, under the
Walker tariff law, this country had a
population of about 31,0O0,000, and
yet, north of Mason and DiXon's
line, in all the vast population
he had named, there could not have
been found three hundred millionaireS.
In 1890 the population had doubled, and
while in 1860 the wealth of the country
was generally distributed among the
great masses Of the American people,
and the general prosperity Of the coun-
try had never been equalled, when you
come to examine the census of the pres
ent year you will find that OF the Ga
900, 900 people living under the flag OF
our fathers, there are 1900 million
aires. and that these 1900 people own
more than one-half of the wealth OF the
American people That is a startling
situation, and all history shows that it
has been dangerous one.
Mr.. Pendleton then quoted from the
histories of other nations, ancient and
modern. to show that the consolidation
of wealth was most dangerous thing,
making a most convincing argument.
Proceeding he said that in 1887, when
President Cleveland, as was his duty 70
do under the National Constitution,
made recommended looking to the
relief OF the people, the citizen who took
time to glance about him saw Spccta-
Gle essentially different from that exist
ing In every other country in South
America and Europe. In South Ameri-
ca all the petty Republics were in
debt and in Europe every nation was
striving to invent measures for raising
more taxes, their expenses exceeding at
all times their revenues: but when the
observer looked across the Atlantic to
America he found the revenues exceed
ing the expenditures by nearly $4,000.
600. The President felt it was his duty
to recommend to Congress reduction
of taxation on the theory that it was al
ways better that the surplus money
should remain in the pockets OF the
people. The moment the PrcSi-
dent began TO review this situ-
alton, he became convinced that
the thing to do was To re-
duce taxation, and it was then that
President Cleveland recommended to
Congress the enactment OF such legiSa-
tion as would afford relief. He found
that large class of the American peO-
pie were being taxed for the benefit of
the few-in a word, President Cleveland
had arrived at the old truth that when
agriculture is profitable all other classes
in the country obtained benefit, and
when it was Improbable all other classes
were correSpondingly depressed. Mr.
Pendleton illustrated this by story
which had a direct application, and
| then resumed:
The President recognized that under
the existing tariff laws the farmer was
being robbed for the benefit of few,
and | think ! can illustrate this with
out indulging in fOwery rhetoric. You
are pre-emincntly trading nation.
You import between 500, 600, 900 and
$500. O0G. 600 worth of goods every year,
and export to foreign countries little
in excess of that When you come to
analyze your imports, you find that be-
tween $500. 600. 600 and 5000, 900, 600 are
foreign manufactured goods. Our in-
porters buy say $500, 600, 600 Of goods,
and the moment they start across the
Atlantic they increase in value by the
cost of the freight, aud when they ar
rive at New York, and at Boston, ana
at Philadelphia and at Baltimore the
strong arm of the government Is stretch
ed out. and the importer is compelled to
pay an average of S77 duty on ever 500
of valuation-or at least that
was the average under the old tariff
law. On a valuation OF $500. 100000
that amounts to S235, 600, 900. The mo-
ment these importations are placed in
the hands of the American importers
their value has increased to what. 1t
was originally valued at $500. 900, 600:
then the freight was added: then the
Se35. 600. 600 on duty was added, so that
when the importer came TO sell To the
merchant, he charged that merchant all
that. and a profit to himself in addition.
And when the merchant came to sell
the goods to the American farmer and
the American consumer that iarmerand
that consumer had to pay the original
$500 OOO. 900 to the English manufacture
ers. then the freight over the Atlantic,
then the S935, 600, 600 of tariff tax direct
" to the government, then the import
er's profit, then pay to the local mer-
chant the amount Of freight to the
place Of sale, and then, when, the local
merchant sold, the farmer and the con-
sumer paid it all, And in that way my
friends. the people paid in some years
--.... ....., 900 otI,v. biub