Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-03-31
IDAHO W ORLD.
Observation-Disclosures. 81, 1S9
MH. CLEvELAyD's LETTER.
Salt Lake Tribune.


Mr.. Cleveland puts out another let
ter on tariff reform. AS usual IN his
letters he has expresses great sympa-
thy for the farmers hard lot and chs
disconraging struggle for better re-
ward for his toll" and holds out as
panacea for all evils the blessings of
free trade. The men Of the West
will take his counsel for just what it
is worth. Some of them have studied
the tariff question good deal longer
than he has. Like all men who have
a fetch or hobby, Mr.. Cleveland is
inclined to overwork it. He thinks
il there is a scarcity of circulating
medium it is worth while to try the
experiment of leaving the money in
the hands of the people switch is
needlessly taken from them under the
pretext OF necessary taxation"
That is sp6cious and it sounds very
profound, when in fact it is merely
chestnut which was roasted to death
years ago, long before Mr.. Cleveland
began to consider the subject at all,
and the remedy he prescribes has
been tried on more than one occasion,
and it has not resulted as he magines
it would result. Rather has it result
cd in causing furnaces to grow cold,
looms to cease spinning; it reduced
skilled workingmen to the humiliation
of eating free soup, and absolutely
drained the country of money. The
farmers of the United States are n
brave set OF men. They fought
through all the troubles of the past.
They bore the pressure of a great war
without a murmur. They did not be.
gin to cry for relief until the Govern
ment of the United States did what
it could to reduce the money of the
world one half, and which succeeded
in Initiating gold to such a figure that
when they went to sell their crops to
buy gold to pay their taxes and their
debts, it required SO much that they
had nothing left for their labor.
When they begged to have that in
justice undone, Mr.. Cleveland an :
swered them that their request was
unreasonable; it was not according
to the principles of sound finance as
delivered to him by Dan Manning
Carl Schurz and the New York Even
ing Post. In that respect he showed
If possible, more obtuseness than ev-
en- President Harrison himself, and
when, partly through his help, the
prayer was denied and the relief
turned aside, and the farmers were
sent back to their fields, the product
of which brings them no profit, to
comfort them Mr.. Cleveland assures
them that if they would only bring
around the legislation which would
again cause the furnaces to grow
cold and the looms to grow still, to
once more set the skilled mechanics
either to eating free soup or drive
them out to become competitors with
them in producing food, which does
not even now bring living price,
aud would buy from abroad what they
need, the era which precedes the
millennium would descend upon them.
Mr.. Cleveland writes these letters
as stepping-stones up to the station
where candidates for President are
nominated. just now the intelligence
of the American people is having a
supreme test on that point, and hav-
ing faith IN the intelligence of the
people we predict that Mr.. Cleveland
will not be nominated; or that if he
shall be he will be showed under eff
fectually.