The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1892-10-13
POLITICAL PUZZLES.
WILDCAT BANKS, CONVICT LABORAND
THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

The Democrats Don't Know What to Do
with Them-Cleveland's Silence on State
Banks-The Convict Labor Question in
Democratic States.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Oct. 10.-The absolute 81
lence of ex-President Cleveland in his
letter of acceptance touching the propo-
sition of the Democratic platform for
the re-establishment of state banks and
wildcat currency calls afresh the atten-
ton of the people here to that subject.
The sentiment of the large majority of the
people of the country is SO clearly against
this proposition that it is not surprising
that Mr.. Cleveland failed to take the
matter up, as he could only condemn the
proposition if he were to discuss it in
any way.
Wildcat History.
Some interesting facts have recently
hcelne to the surface here with reference
to the history of the kind of currency
to which the Democratic platform pro-
poses areturn. An official publication
issued IN 1858, when state banks and
state bank notes were the only kind of
paper money that the country had, gives
a list of 75S broken, closed and worthless
state banks in the United States. Of
this number 189 were in the state of
New York, sixty-three in Pennsylvania,
sixty-four in Ohio, sixty-eight in Indiana,
and so on through the various states
north and south. The editor of Thomp-
sons Detector estimated at that time
that the loss of bill holders in the pre-
ceding ten years had amounted to $751;
600, 900, an average of more than thirteen
dollars for every family in the land.
This same publication also showed that
that there was discount of from tc
per cent. on the bank notes of banks in
various states-those from North Caro-
lima, Illinois, Wisconsin and Virginia
being discounted at from to 7per cent.
when offered in other states.
Democrats and Laboring Men,
The record of the Democratic party
with reference to the laboring element
of the United States is receiving good
deal of attention here just now. Tho
somewhat remarkable fact that the con-
vict lease system prevails in nearly every
certainly Democratic state is leading
the workingmen of the country to con-
slider seriously the attitude of that party
toward labor. They remember that the
Democratic party in the house, both when
the Mills bill was considered and when
the Mckinley bill was before that body,
voted against the Republican PROPOSE
ton to exclude convict made goods
from the country. They also remem-
Der that Mr.. Cleveland, while governor
of New York. vetoed the bill abolishing
convict labor in prisons, and that he
also vetoed twice the anticonvict labor
bill sent him by congress for his sigma
ture. They also remember that he pro-
posed in his message of Dec. 6, 1886,
that government prisoners be employed
in the manufacture of such articles as
were needed for the government.
Convict Lease systom In the South.
It is in the south, however, at present
that these thoughtful workingmen find
| the strongest evidence of Democratic
hostility. They find that out Of twelve
solidly Democratic states, where the
party can follow it's own inclinations
without the fear of losing the state,
leased convict labor is openly put into
direct competition with workingmen.
Convict camps, they find, are scattered
over nearly all of the solidly Democratic
states, and appeals of workingmen
against the leasing of convict labor to
be put into competition with them are
disregarded. 1t Is only in solidly Demo-
cratic states that this happens, and the
workingmen of the country are begin
ming to seriously ask themselves in the
light of these developments whether the
Democratic party has any regard for la
Dor or laboring men.
What the Agricultural Department Has
Done.
One of the most remarkable of the
series of misfortunes which has befallen
the Democracy is the attack made by
Democratic newspaper upon the de-
partment of agriculture, It has given
Che Republicans just the opportunity
they wanted to bring sharply to the
attention of the country, and particularly
the farmers, the benefits which the
present administration has brought to
them. AS soon as Uncle Jerry Rusk
was made the head Of the department.
of agriculture and q cabinet officer he
consulted with President Harrison about
plans which he had for opening to the
farmers of this country without re-
striction the markets of the world.
When this administration came into
power it found vexatious restrictions
and in some countries prolonged quar-
antine, with discouraged and hampered
exporters of live stock.
The meat and provision trade, and
through that the farmers who supplied