People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-11-25
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

to dismiss the subject of the late
elections by publishing picture of
a rampant rooster and by giving
brief account of the various ratifca-
ton meetings. This will, possibly,
satisfy the idle reader, who believes
just as much as the able Democratic
editor chooses to tell him. It will
not satisfy that large number of
readers who begin to see new agen-
cies at work in politics, and who
wish to keep abreast of the real
causes and effects of American
progress.
Two years ago, the Republicans
held sway in every branch of the
government Drunk with power and
position, they carried their domino
ton to extremes. The protective
system was pushed to high-water
mark in the Mckinley bill. At the
door of every shop in America the
purchaser was met by heavier
price laid upon every article he
wished to purchase. For once in
our history the facts were too clear
to be contested. Every shopper be-
came a jealous advocate against the
Mckinley bill.
Then, again, extravaganza in pub
lie expenditures was not only ad-
mitted, but was claimed as merit.
The taxpayers, who paid everything
and could save nothing while the
millionaires paid nothing and saved
everything, was comforted by the
assurance that a Billion Dollar Con
gress was all right-"it was Billion
Dollar Country"
Then, again, the force bill was
pushed to the front threatening to
centralize our election affairs. The
| evil aimed at was great and grow
ing, but the remedy proposed vio-
| lated the principle of home rule,
To these causes for the reaction
| which set in against the Republicans
| may be added the autocrat1c manner
in which Mr.. Reed presided over
the House of Representatives and
the new rules he established and en-
! forced.
The reaction amounted to a revo-
luton. 1t reached from one end Of
the country to the other. AS Mr..
Disraei once described a similar
landslide in English politics:
''It was like a CONFUSION of nature
rather than any ordinary transaction of
human life. I can only liken it to one
of those earth quakes which take place
| in Calabria or Peru. There was rumb-
ling murmur, groan, shrek, sound
Of distant thunder There was rent,
fissure in the ground, and then village
disappeared; then a tall tower tOppled
down; and the whole of the ministerial
benches became one great dissolving
view of anarchy"
From California to Massachusetts
Democrats had victories where they
never had them before. The Repub-
licans were annihilated. They had
barely sufficiency of members in the
House to make a decent protest.
Then the intoxication of power
passed from the Republicans to the
Democrats. They seemed to think
that the country elected them
merely to abuse the Republicans.
This they did, and nothing else.
Their campaign pledges were scorn-
fully repudiated. No taxes were
lowered; expenditures were not
reduced; the Mckinley bill was not
touched. Some free trade bills were
passed the House as pretense, but
were never pressed in the Senate.
The Democratic leaders never in
tended that they should become
laws. Free silver was shamefully
defeated in the midst of its pre-
tended friends. The sugar bounty
was left in the full vigor Of its in
Justice. Corporate privilege and
power was left unchanged, and no
attempt whatever made to lay any of
the burden of taxation upon those
most able to bear it.
This was the situation when Con-
gress adjourned, but the great
organs of the Democratic party took
good care not to let the people know
it. Such lies as these papers con-
stantly keep before their readers
we're almost superhuman. They
actually made the people believe
that the Democratic bosses were
continually and copiously persplring
in the effort to give US the reforms