Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1890-07-26
CLAIMING THE MORTGAGE.


A Repuhli.an Paper Tells How the Wool
Growers Are Demanding the Pound of
Flesh.
The opponents Of our present tariff
system often assert that the various
protected industries of the country hold
a mortgage upon the Republican party,
and that, in its present effort to put on
new and enormously Increased duties,
the party~is simply paying off that
mortgage. The high tSlg leaders in
dignantly dei.s ais and denounce it as
wicked free-trade slander.
Now is it not positively refreshing to
seeone of the most prominent of those
pSjtected industries frankly take the
.rame view Of the matter; and is it not
san more refreshing to see. leading
protectionist paper publish the fact 10
the world?
A staff correspondent OF that sturdy
protectionist organ, the Philadelphia
Press, writes to that paper from WASH
ington to say:
''Jhe proposition In sacf>tsry BiairaAs
letter to the President on the subject OF
reciprocity with South America, which in.
wolves the free admission of >outh American
woods, has caused something like a sensa.
ton among the Western wool growers.
Chairman Mckinley, of the House Committee
on Ways and Means, and Senator sherman
and other members of the Senate Committee
received large number of kilograms yes.
terday and to-day from wool growers, who
clare that any such legislation would be
breach of good faith toward them for the
part they took in the National election
against the free.woo policy of the Demo.
Gratis"
1t is perfectly delicious to see the
wool-growers pleading for the pound Of
flesh just as it was nominated in the
bond, and when the staff correspondent
Of one of the foremost Republican pa
pers of the land tells us all about it, we
may look upon the matter as settled.
But even without this papers ayowal
of the partys obligations to the wool
growers, does not every intelligent man
know that the Republican party de-
pends for its majorities upon the pecu-
mary profits which it votes out of the
peoples pockets to the enrichment of
protected industries? Candid Republi-
cans themselves must admit that their
party could not hold together a single
year but for the financial support of
the men whoa benefited by its policy,
Is it not shameful and corrupting
thing that great political party should
prostitute the law-making power of the
Nation in such way as to bribe any
class Of citizens to support it?
But is it not melancholy spectacle?
Here is Mr.. Blaine recommending a
policy which would greatly enlarge the
foreign market for our farm products
and thereby go far in relieving our agri-
cultural depression, and recommending
that we admit South American sugar
and wool free Of duty in return; but at
this point-and here is the melancholy
spectacle-a little knot of noisy wool
growers Jump from out the bush" and
shake their mortgage in Blaine's face,
saying "No you don't We helped to
carry the last election-we voted down
free wool-that was the issue; and you
would break faith with US so soon? You
are pledged to pay us for our support;
If you turn your back lst3F NJ the Te2l
states will gGe demand the pound of
fesK!an w
And it has come to this-a party that
used to boast of being the party of great
moral ideas bullied and threatened by
the very men whose allegiance it has
purchased with the peoples money. A
great party, that has had and still has
its statesmen, dictated to by those who
have dollars at stake a great party be-
come a slave to the protected interests
that bought it and now seek by threats
to shape its policy!
The throne of Rome sold at auction!
There was where great empire touched
the low water mark-touched mud, Has
not the Republican party touched mud
a lSOp