The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-03-02
The Industriais.

Notwithstanding the indications at sew
eral times that it would develop into free
fight, the national industrial conference
was carried through in fairly creditable
manner. IGNATIUs DoNNELLY appears to
have been the man at the helm, and he
succeeded in making a cipher OF every
thing that did not suit him. The prohi-
bitlon element WAS tossed out of the con-
vention by aid of the womans suffrage
element, and then the woman's suffrage
element was set out alongside the prohi-
bitiOnists. As result the convention Sc
cured a reasonably compact declaration
for radical paternalism, but with the good
democratic Limitation that taxation shall
be limited to the necessary expenses of
the government economically and hon.
estly administered" perched on it like
the figure of a saint on the summit of a
vaudeville theater.
The platform demands "a just, equita-
bic means of circulation at tax not to
exceed per cent, as set forth in the sub
treasury plan of the farmers alliance, or
some better system" The alternative might
reasonably be accepted by almost any one.
and yet 1t seems well fitted TO retain the
support of the most rabid sub treasury agi-
tator. 1t Is at once Bacon ian and Shaks-
perean. The demands for postal savings
banks, government telegraph, government
telephone and government railroads are
explicit and emphatic. They ought rea-
sOnably to draw to the third party the
support OF every Bellamyite in the coun-
try. The effort in the paternal line is
capped by a bid for the soldier vote
in the shape OF q demand for pay
ing all Union soldiers the differ
ence between their wages received
in deprecated currency and the market
value of gold coin. The land plank,
which objects to railroads and other cor
porations holding lands Gin excess OF their
actual needs, is not so clear as it might
be. Corporation people think they actu-
ally need all they can get hold of. The
free coinage and graduated income tax
planks Will meet approval from many per-
SONS without respect to party lines, and
are the strongest features of the docu-
ment.
There is one remarkable oversight in
the platform. To be consistent with the
expressed paternaism there ought 10
have been a strong plank in favor of tar
if for the protection of American labor
and the building up Of our infant indus
tries. This matter, however, is en-
tirely ignored, with the exception
of an allusion in the Introductory part
to "a sham battle over the tariff" From
this it may be inferred that the conven-
tion desired to have the tariff left as it is
| There is also in the introduction a denun-
citation of the Old parties for not needing
''the outcries of a plundered people" in
regard to fringe, trusts, watered stocks"
etc, but strangely enough the platform
gives no further voice to the outcries
mentioned not even President HARRIsoN's
failure to enforce the antitrust law is re-
ferred to. This, coupled with the notori-
GUS fact that the tariff is the most prolific
source of rings. combines aud trusts,
demonstrates that the new political lights
| have determined to lay aside altogether
the greatest political question of the day
and make their fight on comparatively
unimportant propositions.