Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1892-10-22
POLITICAL PUZZLES.
WILDCAT BANKS, CONVICT LABOR AND
THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.

The Democrats Don't Know What to Do
with thThem-Cleveland's Silence on State
Banks-The Convict Labor Question In
Democratic States.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Oct. 1O.-The absolute 81
lence OF ex-President Cleveland in his
letter Of acceptance touching the propo-
sition Of the Democratic platform for
the re-esta blishlnent 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 tie.
people Of the country is SO clearly against
this proposition that it is not surprising
that MI Cleveland failed to take tie
matter mp; as he could only condemn the
proposition if he were to discuss il 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 Delnecratic platform pro-
poses u return. An official publication
issued in 1858, when Site banks and
state bank notes We're the only kind Of
paper money that the country had, gives
Il list of 11;;S broken, closed and worthless
state banks in the United States. OF
this number lS9 were in the state Of
New York sixty three in Pennsylvania,
sixty-fouriin Ohio, sixty-eight in Indiana,
and SO Oh through the various states
north and sonth. Tie editor Of Thomlr
sons Dvtec.or estimated ut that time
that the loss Of bill holders in the pre-
ceding ten years had amounted to $115,-
0G0, 200, an average Of more than thirteen
dollars for every family in the land.
This same publication also showed t;.at
that there was Il discount Of from 10
per cent. on the bank notes of banks IN
various states-those from North Caro-.
being discounted at from 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 goof
somewhat remarkable fact that the con-
vict lease system prevails i'll nearly every
certainly Democratic state is leading
the wo1l.insmen 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-
ber 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 reren- bcr that he pro-
posed IN his message of Dec. 6, 1885,
that government prisoners be employed
in the manufacture of such articles as
We're needed for the government
Convict Lease System 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 its own inclinations'
without the fear of losing the state,
leased convict labor is openly rrt into
direct competition with wo1kingmen.
Convict camps, they find. arc scattered
over nearly all Of the solidly Democratic
states, and appeals of working1nen
against the leasing Of convict Labor to,
be put into competition with them are
disregarded. It is only in solidly Demt'-
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 slS
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 Rusk
was made the head of the department
Of agriculture and cabinet officer he
consulted Wit, 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 fc1ll.t; s@x,itious restrictions
and in so1n% <E:,s.'...os 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 hampered 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 Spsin,,
and from September, 1891, to April
1899, more than 30.G00,000 pounds of in
spected 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
cattle brought there from America de-
nreciated their value in that market.