The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-10-15
POLITICAL PUZZLES.
WILDCAT BANKS, CONVICT LABOR AND
THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
The Democrats Don't Know What to Do
with hThem-Cleveland's Silence on State
Democratic States,
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK. Oct. 10.--The absolute ST.
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-
tion 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
come to the surface here with reference
to the history of the kind of currency
to which the Democratic platform pro-
poses a return. An official publication
issued in 1858, when state banks and
state bank notes We're the only kind of
paper money that the country had, gives
a list of 1JS broken, closed and worthless
state banks in the United States. Of
this number 1S9 were in the state Of
New York, sixty-three in Pennsylvania
sixtyfour in Ohio, sixty-eight in l<Iiana
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 $75.-
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 l to
per cent. on the bank notes Of banks in
various states-those from North Caro-
lima, Illinois, Wisconsin and Virginia
being discounted at from 5 to per 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 a good
deal of attention here just now. The
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 III his message Of Dec. 6, 1886,
that government prisoners be employed
in the manufacture Of such articles as
We're needed for the government.
Convict Lease System in the South.
1t 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 its 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
~, 10 Vi e. l.,
Dor or laboring men.
What the Agricultural Department Has
Done.
One Of the most remarkable of the
series Of lniseortunes which has befallen
the Democracy is the attack made by
Democratic newspaper upon the de-
partment of agriculture. 1t has given
the 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 Rus!l
was made the head of the department
of agriculture and a 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
it, was greatly hampcred and practi-
cally strangled by oppressive regula-
tions abroad, which excluded their meats
from many ports and required such un-
reasonable things as to be almost pro-
| hibitory. This condition has been great
! ly changed and greatly improved by
the present administration. Restrictions
against the admission Of American pork
have been removed by Germany, Den
mark, Italy. Austria, France and Spain,
and from September, 1891, to April
1892, more tl.an 30 coo, 600 pounds of i'll
3pected pork had been exported. An
equally satisfactory plan was adopted
with reference to the cattle trade.
The requirement of the British gov
ernment for the immediate slaughter of