The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-04-24

lne WcbCerH fdrIHoIss
THE ''congress of western states" col
cluded Its sessions in Kansas City Frida
evening In an angry political row, demonstrt
ting anew The irresistible current that In
set In through the west against high protet
ton. The idea of rhis congress came fror
Kansas Republicans, was fathered by tn
Kansas senate, the Republican branch OF tn
legislature, and was designed to set up som
sort OF defense against the sweep Of tn
Farmers Alliance. And yet the result of al
assemblage under such auspices Is a declara
tion OF "unalterable opposition to the protec
tion tariff principle" and a demand that "th'
tariff be placed on a purely revenue basil
as soon as practlcable.' An attempt wa,
made In vain to replace this with a less radi
cal declaration for "a tariff for revenue limit.
ed to the actual needs of government econom'
ically administered but so levied as to cover
differences In industrial conditions between
this and other countries, but not to create
nor foster monopoIies."
The Minnesota delegates, led by x. V.
Smaliey, left the hall amid bowls and cat
calls. The amusing claim Is of course made
that the congress was !'packed In the interest
of the De democratic and alliance parties" The
"packing" was just such as will be found at
any assemblage of western farmers; four.
ffths Of them will be death on the tariff,
whose benefciaries have done their best with
their greedy extortlons In the Mckinley bill
to drive moderation from the minds OF men.
The question has become one, not whether
high protection has got to 60, but whether
destructive radicalism In action can be pre-
vented. 1t is the old lesson of history. Spec
ial privileges like tariff favorltism always
grow In eXactlon and injustice until they
raise a revolution that sweeps them away In
a moment almost.
OF course there was a lot of other radical
Ism and crankism mixed In with a good deal
of good sense, in the action and resolutions Of
tn e congress. Unlimited free coinage of sill
yer was endorsed, and a qualification about
a ''just ratio" voted down. There were de.
nunciatioDs of trusts, alien land ownership
and stock gambling, a recommendation that
New Mexico and Arizona be admitted as
states, a demand for the opening to settle.
nent of Indian lands, the abolition of the
tribal system and the settlement of Indians
lands In severalty, an Endorsement of irri.
CATION and praise of Secretary Rusk. Appro-
aggregating hundreds of millions
were called for. No delegate with a pet
scheme involving an appropriation was
given the cold shoulder. There was some
,roopotbr with tho v{oup of (,n,cIos J,,,,ota |
Adams who said:
"The very general popular Idea wbi,h now
'Xists that the government Is the grand pa.
do-all to protect everything and every
me. and to provide remedies for every III
hat the body polite is subject to, Is one in
which I do not sympathsze. On the contra
Y, I am so ont of date and antiquated In my
as to think that the world is gov.
rned altogether too much"
But 1t takes time for the men who are ris.
NC in protest against the evils of paternal-
SIN, 70 see that the remedy cannot be 10
more paternalism, in offsetting government
neddling with government meddling. So
mong the schemes endorsed were:
The Hennepin canal, a deep water harbor {
t Galveston, a ship and canal connecting the :
peat lakes with the Atlantic ocean. a canal .
Onnecting the Tennessee and Missouri I
ivers; the completion and perfection of the '
'vee system on the Mississippi river from /
t. Paul to the sea, the establishment of the r
avy-yard near the mouth of the Mississippi +
yer, canals connecting the waters of the $
ennessee river with the Gulf of Mexico by '
'ay OF Mobile and eastward by way of Sa- /
innah, a canal connectlng:the headwaters of a
e Ohio river with Lake Erie and another a
the Mississipp! with Lake SUPER a
r. canals and %jetties for the Columbia river !
Oregon and finally a fat appropriation for p
e Nicaragua canal connecting the two L
cans. X