Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-09-28
Stand by the Protective Tariff.

The exclusive information in regard |
to the state of the national finances
published in the special Washington
dispatches of last Thursdays Press
has been fully verified by the United
States treasury report for August, |
which was made public yesterday.
Democracy has only been in power
six months and the treasury is con-
fronted with a deficit. The expenses
of the government exceed it's income
by a third of a million dollars a day.
The public debt increased during
August by 100000 900. Receipts
from tariff duties fell off Sc, 900, 900.
In spite OF heavy imports OF gold the
gold reserve in the treasury was re-
duced from $4,000, 900 to 1896, OOO,-
600, and is likely to be drawn upon
still further to furnish funds to carry
on the government. Mr.. Cleveland
and Secretary Carlisle would not issue
bonds, when by doing so they could
have strengthened public confidence
and prevented the tremendous finan-
cial panic that has cost the people of
the United States than two bill
lions OF dollars. Now they are faceto
lace with the necessity of selling bonds
to get enough money to pay the run.
ming expenses of the government.
In place OF prosperity Democracy
has given us distress. In place of
confidence it has given us panic and
ruin. For healthy and profitable in
dustrial activity, furnishing employ
ment at good wages for all American
citizens who were willing to work, it
has substituted the idleness OF paraly-
sis, the shadow OF closed mills, the
gloom OF silent mines. Revenus am
pie, economically administered, to
support the government, have been
transformed into a deficit whose pro-
portions threaten to increase with
every week. To this condition the
menace Of free trade and the utter in
ability of the Democratic party to
govern have brought the richest ma
! ton under the sun in half a year.
In this emergency what remedy do
the Democratic leaders propose to
use? What device does the president
suggest to undo the disaster that his
party has brought about? What
course does the Democratic majority
in both branches of congress intend to
follow to waken the industrial ma
chinery that rusts in idleness, to give
employment to the "a array of
labor whose wages have ceased, to
start anew the circulation of boarded
currency through the veins of COM
merce, to restore the national income
to a parity with the acknowledgements
lures? The mere prospect OF tariff
revolution has brought industry to a
standstill, and now the Democrats
propose to infiict upon the country
the revolution itself. Democracy's
pledge to destroy protection has
closed multitudes of factories all over
the land, and the Democratic party |
proposes to multiply disaster by car
rying that declaration of suicide and
folly into effect. Having taken away |
hall the laborer's loaf, it will now rob
him of the remainder. With a deficit
already existing in the governments
revenues, it is proposed to throw the
revenue system into utter confusion
by the reduction or destruction OF
duties. Mr.. Cleveland based his
famous free trade message of 1887 on
the TACT that a large surplus existed
in the treasury because of the exces-
sive sums levied by the tariff. The
tariff has been revised. The surplus
has vanished. And still the politicians
who control the Democratic party
clamor for the overthrow of protec-
ton.
Craftsmanship, patriotism, regard
for the welfare OF the masses of the
American people, the elementary |
principles OF sense are all
opposed to the purpose of the Demo-
cratic leaders. The country needs a
chance to recuperate after the terrific
strain that has been put upon its en-
ergies. The government is not in a
position to spare n dollar Of its
revenues. The w~orkingmen whose
savings, are becoming exhausted must
have work speedily or their families
will suffer dire restitution in the COM
ing winter. This is nc time to try eN-
periments or test theories whose fail
ure must bring poverty and starva-
ton into hundreds OF thousands of
homes. II the Democratic leaders
persist in their policy OF criminalfolly; |
il to serve the interests OF European
monopolists and inauguratefree trade
they sink the government into the
mire of debt, destroy American in
dustry and pauperize American labor,
they will invite certain and overwhelm-