Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-09-08

ter charges are passed between the
factions, all eon6rmatoTy of the charges
of intimidation and fraud entered by
the Republicans in every campaign for
years.
Even La New York Tsmmany has
ways that are dark and uncertain, and
those ways are exposed by other Demo
Gratis quite as fully as by Republicans.
In fact, almost everywhere that the
Democrats once obtain control of the
official machinery outrages are perpe-
trated against the freedom of the ballot.
No wonder. in this view of the case, the
New York Sun and an influential por-
tion of the Democracy look on the
federal elections bill as the chief issue
of the campaign. No wonder they con-
slider any measure looking to a free
ballot and an honest count an issue of
importance to a political party that
abuses its power, wherever possible, by
interfering with the ballot. Knowing
that with honest elections there would
not be even the remotest possibility for
this party to secure free trade majority
or a taste of the official plunder for
which that party lives, it is no surprise
that it makes an issue of the elections
bill and attempts to rally all the mercen-
ary elements to the support of despo tic
power. The issue thus raised, however,
is not one that stands alone. Perpetua-
ton of the system of intimidation and
extension of it would mean, in the end
power to accomplish the un-Amerl can
aims of the English party.
sPRINGER's FREE TRADE EFFORT.
Pittsburgh Dispatch.
The speech of William NJ. Springer on
the tariff question the other day is re-
markable exhibition of the free trade
cause. Mr.. Springer, after deep investi-
CATION, finds that the tariff has recorded
its failure in the statistics on three
points. They are, as summarized by his
journalistic applauders, that in twenty
five years there have been nearly 100000
failures in business with liabilities ag-
gregating s3,500,000,00O; that mortgage
Indebtedness has increased during the
past ten years; and that while the strikes
previous to 1860 were only counted by
hundreds, they have counted by thous-
ands in the period since that time.
Argal, in Mr.. Springer's style of reason
ing, the tariff is all wrong.
This is free trade logic with a ven
geance. 1t is noticeable in the Springer
style of augmentation that he does not
apply the same method of comparison
on two of his statistical points. Only
the total of strikes is compared with the
glorious era of Democratic supremacy.
The mortgage statistics are compared
with those of ten years, which was as
much a protective period as the present.
The statement of failures is not COM
pared with anything, for the reason that
if Springer had made comparison for
the similar period extending over 1887
and 1857 the ratio of failures to ropula-
ton and commerce would have been
found to be immensely less now than
then.
The most unique of Mr.. Springer's
points Is his discovery that strikes have
increased. What a disclosurel 1t has
evidently never dawned on the mental
horizon of the Illinois statesman that
the reason for that is that employment
for labor in the forms of industry which
permit of strikes was very rare then. A
manufacturing establishment of the size
of Homestead was not even dream.
One of the size of the smallest rolling
mill now existing in Pittsburgh was
rare. Men who wanted work went on
farms and got it at $40 or $50 per month,
and never thought of striking. There
may be dispute as to whether labor
gets all it should of the proceeds of in
dustry, but every intelligent man knows
that strikes have increased because the
have undergone an immense
Perhaps Springer's quarrel is that these
industries have grown up and are afford
ing employment for labor. That seems
to be the present trouble with most free
trade advocates.