The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1892-12-17

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which is drawing to it's close, and of
the measures and policies Of the re
| publican party, was to be expected.
Under the circumstances some al
lowance will naturally be made for
the self-laudatory tone Of the docu-
ment which Tie President has pre-
pared as an exhibit of the work Of
the executive departments" and 'of
the growth and prosperity of the
country" under his administration.
AT the same time, Mr.. Harrison
cannot expect "the public" to whom
equally with Congress ''this sxhib-
it is submitted" to accept without
question either the statements
of facts or the conclusions which
he presents simply because he may
honestly believe in them. In fact
the President exhibits himself as an
apt illustration Of the saying that
"a man convinced against his will
is of the same opinion still" He
bows to the result of the November
elections as something that cannot
be helped He is not at all reconciled
to it as being the right thing. Re
garded as even a mysterious dispen-
sation of an all wise but inscrutable
Providence, he seems to view it rath-
err in the light of chastisement for
our national sins, and not even as
a blessing in disguise, for he antic-
ipates nothing but evil as likely to
follow from reversal of the "pro-
tectiye" policy Of the republican
party and the adoption of tariff
framed upon democratic ideas.
In the very FIRST sentence of his
message this feeling of soreness and
this readiness to anticipate this
calamity plainly betray themselves.
He invites the people to review the
record of the nations growth since
1860, the increase in its aggregate
wealth, the increased mileage of its
railways, the development of its in
dustries, as if he were asking them
to look upon a picture of a golden
and happy past to which they were
about to bid farewell forever. While
disclaiming "any purpose to renew
the argument in favor of a protec-
tive tariff" he says and that is his
whole object, apparently, of all his
statistics, that he believes "that the
protective system, which has now
for something more than 80 years
continuously prevailed in our legis-
lation, has been mighty instru-
ment for the development of our ma
tional wealth, and a most powerful
agency in protecting the homes of
our workingmen from the invasion
of want"
The picture which the President
draws and the conclusion to which
wishes to draw the minds of his
readers are both open to some very
obvious criticisms. In the first
place, while speaking of the increase
of wealth and the development of
industries, he omits to refer to the
increase of population. the extension
of the area of cultivation and the
development of natural resorces
during all these years Even the
very extension of the railroads, to
which he does refer, may have had
something to do with the increase of
wealth and prosperity as well as a
high tariff. Avoiding all facts that
would initiate against his argument
he omits to present to his readers
the actual condition of one once
flourishing branch ofAmerican enter
prise and industry. the shipping and
ship-building interests of the coun-
try where, perhaps more clearly than
any other field, the direct effects OF
a high tariff can be traced.
He leaves cut of account entirely
as factors in the nations prosperity
the possession of vast untitled, un
opened continent, virgin lands to be
had almost upon the single condi-
ton of occupancy and all the advan-
tages of soil, climate and institutions
which have contributed to the growth
and prosperity of the country since
its first settlement with referencnce
to tariffs or to changes in admins
tration or of parties. Not only does
he fail to recognize or discount these
obvious causes of prosperity, but he
| ignores the fact that the last thirty
years have been years ofunexampled
production and of increase of wealth
throughout the civilized world. He
makes no comparison with the rates
of increase of wealth, capital, manu-
features and manufactured products
even in great Britain, without the
blessing of protective tariff, or in
France or Germany, where industri-
al progress, treasured by the number
of industries and Industrial estab-
lishments in existence, the amount
of capital invested, of persons en-
ployed and the value of the products
turned out, has been almost as rap
id and as marked as in the United
States.
Finally, for his very figures, the
President draws upon sources that
are not authoritative nor in some in
stances even trustworthy, as, for ex-
ample, when he again quotes and re-
lies upon, as be did in his letter of
acceptance Of the Minneapolis nom
| in fiAp tho xuarth loen cx,I l,oouol.