The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-09-20
Opening Of the Ohio Campaign.

Akron week ago. The meeting is
described as the greatest political dem
onstration ever witnessed in Ohio. 1t
exceeded in numbers and equaled in
enthusiasm the great meeting of 1880,
when Grant and Conkling spoke for
Garfield and republicansm. The fea-
ture of the day, aside from the speech
of Mckinley, was a parade in which
$4,000, made up from delegations from
all parts of Ohio, participated. Con-
servative estimates place the number
of people present at $4,000.
This was the first important public
meeting for political discussion since
the last national election. The changed
conditions and the deep concern exist
ing in the country at large naturally
formed the subject of the governors
discourse. At such time as this, he
pa riotically observes, sober conserv
atsm and wise craftsmanship should
rule. Whoever may be responsible for
the existing condition, he is a public
enemy who stands in the way of relief
to the country, and will be held to aw-
full accountability. If individuals or
parties have been wrong on public
questions, now is the time to be put
right. This is no time for theorizing.
Practical craftsmanship is the supreme
duty of the hour. The president shares
in the general belief that the Sherman
act, so called, if not wholly responsible
for the present situation, has contrib
uted thereto. Senator Sherman believes
that the purchasing clause of the act
bearing his name should be repealed,
and introduced in the last congress
bill for its repeal. A great majority of
republicans in both houses of the last
congress voted for repeal, and the
act would have been repealed but for
the opposition of the democrats. If it
is not now repealed, it will be because
of the opposition of the democratic rep
resentatives and senators, and the re-
sponsibility will rest upon the demo-
cratic party.
The republican party stands, as it has
always stood, for the best money, which
is the safest money. 1t wants to strike
down neither gold nor silver. 1t wants
to use both metals. But it insists that
the one shall be of equal value with the
other, to the end that both may be used.
All the money we have to-day is good,
and the governor showed that there is
more currency for each inhabitant now
than ever before. On the first of Au-
gust there was S2432 TO each inhab-
liant, against S10.23 in 1862, SIS in
1872, 500 in 1886, S23.45 in 1891. Lack
of confidence in the proposed policy of
the government, not contraction of
currency by the government, is the
cause of the present trouble. There is
plenty of money, and good money; but
the loss of confidence has led to hoard
ing money for fear of the future. With
confidence restored and an abandon
ment of the declared purpose to reverse
the industrial policy of the country, this
vast sum of money now in existence
will speedily find its way back into the
avenues Of trade. The suggestion of
state bank money, coming from any
quarter, should be promptly rejected.
The governor made strong point in
support of the national bank system as
against the state system, in the state
ment that when 100 national banks had
suspended the bills of any suspended
bank remained as good as gold Not a
dollar was lost to the billholders. But
had 100 state banks suspended, there
would have come discredit to their notes,
which would have been nowhere re-
ceived, and a monetary disturbance
would have ensued that must have
caused universal bankruptcy and ruin
Governor Mckinley believes that the
president uttered great truth when he
said in his recent message to congress
that the embarrassment from which the
business of the country is suffering
arises as much from evils apprehended
as from those actually existing, and the
evils apprehended are the evils which,
it is believed, will follow the executed
decree of the last national democratic
platform. The president declares that
every effort of his administration is
pledged to the execution Of that decree.
1t is the threat of tariff reform, or free
trade, or revenue tariff, which has
disturbed the country. Remove that
threat, and confidence would at once
come back; business would resume its
old condition; mills would start, and
idle men find work and wages. Gov
ernor Mckinley made a searching re-
view of the debate over the tariff plank
-, in the last national democratic conven-
: ton. The original report favored pro-