Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-08-10
The Message As II Should Be.

treatment ileNelhnu ms mtbHdkF
for congress but it is not what I
should be. Some skillful writer wl o
has mastered the situation has pre-
pared message as II should be and it
reads thus:
"During the political campaign of
last year entertained the opinion that
the high measure Of prosperity then
enjoyed by the country did not reach
the full possibility that was attainable.
had persuaded myself that the
policy of protection to home industry
} was based upon false principles, and
that, because Great Britain had grown
rich under free trade, the adoption Of
free trade 10y the United States would
enable us to acquire even greater
wealth. II seemed TO me that the
manufacturers who were operating
under protection had an unfair adyan-
tage over their fellow citizens, and
denounced them as monopolists and
robbers, who prohted by oppression of
the working people. / felt sure that
with free trade we could maintain
high wages and yet cheaper the cost
Of commodities. did not reason this
out, but not unnaturally, accepted
the vehement statements TO this effect
made by some Of the most eminent
free traders in this country.
IL am now compelled by the require
ments Of truthfulness. but with deep
regret, to confess that was mistaken
and misled No sooner was my
election declared than evidences of
alarm and dismay presented themselves
in all the manufacturing communities,
The CONSERVATION of the people
increased upon my accession to office
with the result that during the past
i've months the number Of CONNER
cial failures has been twice as large as
during the corresponding months
last year. More than hundred banks
have suspended, a thing without
precedent in forty years. The
popular alarm has manifested itself in
the withdrawal of money from circula.
ton; cotton, wooden and iron mills are
suspendng operations or running upon
short time; the prices Of securities
have fallen 80 far that hundreds OF
millions In values have been eXtermi
mated and thousands Of men who wer,
employed at good wages ON election
day, 1892, are now idle and likely Il
suffer from want during the approach
ing winter
ut was my FIRST purpose to try t.
account for these sad and deplorabl,
occurrences by attrIbuting them solely
TO the fact that the treasury was com
PEELED to purchase silver in large
quantities. But my reason and my
conscience both forbid me to place tn,
blame upon practice which has beer
continuously followed for fourteen
years and which was in use last year
the most prosperous in the history o
the nation. Besides, it Is manifestll
absurd to endcavOr to explain depres
sion so general aud alarm 10 widespiea,
by supposing that the American peop
doubt the ability of their government
with unlimited power TO tax the great
est and richest nation In the world, I
maintain, Mt parity with gold, a fe,
hundred milliona Of silver. No, Ia
fault lies solely with the mistake mad
by the Democratic party in declarin
for outright free trade end with IN
tor making war upon my fellow citizen
who are employed in conducting tn
wealth producing industries of tn
. nation.
"Under such circumstances it
, necessary that should now advis
: congress not to make any movemer
\ for the overturn Of the system of tart
protection and that | should try
D restore the confidence that | hay
r disturbed by declaring that any attemI
Y to embody in legislation the free trad
i principles of the Chicago platform vi
q encounter positive resistance from m
o GROVER CLEVELAND.
With n message like that Mr. Clev
p. land would rank as a statesma
instead Of IA demagogue.