Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-07-13

i
lion. The tariff is yet an issue.
Our Democratic friends may hold up their
hands and affirm that they have not
the tariff. That Is true but the
fear of what the Democratic Congress will
do is working just as much evil as though
the tariff tinkering had already begun.
The Democratic party may not be respon-
sible for the financial disturbance, but the
Democratic victory is responsible for it,
Morning NowS.
We should not be much surprised,
after this, to find our neighbor grayely
claiming that it was the fear OF what
the Democratic Congress will do with
the tariff that impeled India to shut
down on the free coinage Of silver.
Consider the contention of the Netos.
Forced TO admit that the silver question
is the foremost feature Of the situation
to-day and confronted with the fact
that President Harrison's administra-
ton was responsible for this legislation,
1t essays to plead that the silver problem
would not have troubled the country
much had not the voters repudiated
that administration at the polls last
Novemberl
Put this contention in another shape.
That Republican administration be-
queathed to US two laws which are still
In force-the Sherman Silver purchase
act and the Mckinley Tariff act. Under
the operation of these laws the country
has gotten in a bad way. We might
point to recent history to substantiate
the claim that the tariff act alone would
be abundantly capable of working all
the mischief that has followed. Just
twenty years ago the worst panic this
country ever saw was inaugurated under
protective" tariff, and for long and
dreary months able aud industrious
mechanics tramped the streets of our
cities and towns in heart-sickeu-
ing quest of the employment so
hard to find. In our own city we saw
hundreds of men holding mass meetings
night after night, in the City Hall to
petition Council to start work on Cool
Spring reservoir that they might by
welding the pick and shovel earn bread
for their suffering families. There was
no silver question in issue to shut down
our rolling mills and block the wheels
of our industrial establishments twenty
years ago; it was the tariff pure and
simple that was responsible; and the
voters of the nation knew just where to
place the blame when, in 1875, they re-
nounced the high tariff policy and
elected Samuel J. Tilden to the Presi-
dency of the United States.
Last November the voters went again
to the polls and $3.50, 458 of them again
placed the seal of condemnation upon
the high tariff policy that had wrought
so much Of disaster to the country and
threatened more of evil.
Now we are told, substantially, that
these millions of people-workingmen,
manufacturers, business men, all OF
whom in large numbers voted the Demo-
cratic ticket-are in deadly fear that the
Congress which they elected will do the
work they elected it to do, and that ii is
this fear that is responsible for the
financial disturbance" which has grown
out of the Sherman act Is it not
more reasonable to contend that, but
for the assurance of the last election
that these millions have decided that
the reformation Of the tariff must and
shall be begnn in the near future, the
condition of the country, under the
combined operation of the Sherman and
the Mckinley acts, would be ever
worse than it was in 1895?
President Harrison said the other day
that "the Sherman act was only tenn.
porary expedient, passed to proven
legislation of a still more radical char
acter." DO we find hint of such more
radical legislation in the deliverance o!
the Republican State convention O.
May, 1899, in favor "unreservedly" o,
the free coinage of silver as soon as by
international agreement that meta
should be brought to parity with gold
The Netos says that the spokesmeI
for the Democracy promised the "gulli
bic wage-earners that they would in
augurate golden era" of prosperity
Win our neighbor please state whel
and whereof Our recollection is tina
the men who spoke with authority TO
the party were constrained by the con
ditions then prevailing to devote thei
attention more largely to pointing on
the evils wrought by Republican legis
lation and threatened in aggravated
shape by continuance of that party il
power. We recall, in this connection
the following utterance of Mr.. Bayard
on the eve of the election, in his appea
to his fellow townsmen, at the Oper
House meeting, to avert the threatene,
destruction of their liberties and thei
further oppression and impoverishmen
at the hands of the party of the Fore
bill, the Mckinley bill and the Sherma
Silver bill:
If we are in danger of passing upon
silver basis, If we are in danger of havin
60-cent dollar paid the laboring or sayin
man instead of the 100 cents he placed i
bank, whom shall we thank for it2 Sha
we not thank John Sherman who col
cocted the bill, and President Harriso
who signed 1t, and the people who declare
1t WAS an only and yet a safe step TOWARD
the free coinage of silver? The coinae
bill of 1880 was passed and that stanc
to-day, my friends, a shadow over tn
land it does threaten the business
OF this country; it is something that 20
and and our representatives in Congre;
know that in the near future they must
prepared to meet--to meet cries of distres
of Ignorance and of folly-to meet thu