Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-12-10
Views of Randall Democrat.

Relative to Democratic action
concerning the tariff he says:
BY sheer misrepresentation and by appeals
to the low prejudices of the so-called poor
against the so-called "rlch" the present Demo
cratic leaders have persuaded large majorties
or pluralities 70 go against the best interest OF
the Nation This shows how much the people
Of this country still need to be educated
politically on this great public question The
supposed poor must learn 20 conquer their
Ireiudices. They must learn that there is no
other country in the world In which wealth is
so generally diffused as it is in this, and that.
properly speaking we have no poor excepting
the paupers who are supported by private
charity or at the public expense. A man who
I has a capacity to labor-who has muscle man
ual skill, intelligence, and experience in u
calling-is ms just sense a capitalist TO call
him a poor" man is TO degrade him TO the
| level Of the inmates of workhouse. Yet
| there are thousands aud thousands who do not
realize this, ana who allow the demagogues of
our land TO treat them as If there were a
natural antagonism between them and the
| classes who arc.caled rich"
know so well many of the men who foisted
the anti-protection plank into the Chicago plat
form that have no difficulty in Judging of
their motives. They are not free traders on
| conviction They went upon the principle
of anything to beat the Republicans and gain
political power" thereby manifesting lack of
all principle They raised the false cry that a
protective tariff is both unconstit4 4ional and
undemocratc. They debauched the minds of
great numbers of people with false ideas. and
brought about this great political change, to
the injury Of tne very voters whom they hau
persuaded TO lend themselves to their schemes
This PROFESSIONALLY is true, and
1t rs true also that the tricksters
who care not free traders in convic.
tlou," but who have been successful
Ia deceiving the peol lie, especially
the "so-called poor people," into
believing what they themselves
knew to be untrue concerning the
effect of protection, now are anxious
that the Republicans in Congress
shall save the Democrats in Con-
3ress from the necessity of fulfilling
the promises made in their National
platform, and reiterated by their
newspapers and orators during the
campaign. The Democrats are
pledged to free trade policy, but
are anxious to avoid redemption Of
their pledge, 1t would suit them
admirably were they able to go to
the people in 1894 and l896-with a
pretense that they have been pre-
vented from keeping their promise
"by the Republican majority in one
If the branches of Congress"
But, and az we think fortunately, !
there is not likely to be a Republi- |
can majority in either branch of
Congress. Mr.. Curtis, however,
thinks otherwise, and says:
notice that certain Republicans have ex-
pressed the hope that the Democrats will gain |
a majority in the Senate SO that the expert |
ment of free trade can be tried. They think !
It will fail, and that the Republican party will |
thus regain power which they will thereafter
hold for "a long course of years. / do not ike |
such tactics. They bear to close a resemblance |
to the tactics of your adyersarics They went
for free trade in order TO gain political power. !
on are advised to go foi free trade, temp
orarily, in order TO recover the power you have
lost / do not wish the experiment cf free
trade to bc tried FOR this or any other purpose.
This is not country in which it should be
tried Tor il will inevitably result in in iucacu-
liable loss of National and individual wealth
and in great injury TO the aboring people who
are employed in All kinds OF manufactures
We, no more than Mr.. Curtis, de-
sire "the experiment of free trade |
to be tried in this country" We
are as firmly convinced as ne is that
the experiment will be attended |
by almost unimagiuable suffering, |
especially to the "so,called poor"
who under it will become the really |
poor.
But it is not a question as to what
we desire. "UnsettIed questions
have no pity on the repose of ma
tons" The tariff question must
be settled, and il seems as If it can
be settled only through the fiery
ordeal of a free trade experiment,
The unbounded prosperity that pro
lection has brought to the country
has not settled it. Demagogues
have told the people that the pros
perity is Elusive, and the people
have believed them. Tricksters who
he'd no expectation Of the possibility |.
Of Democratic ascendency in all /
the coordinate branches of the