The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-10-27
Is NOW REPUBLICAN
ONE OF THE LEADING PAPERS OF
MASSACHUSETTS, MAKES A
CHANGE.
Democracy Disguised it.

Democracy Disguised IT.
The Democrats of Massachusetts are I'm a
most demoralized condition. The shutting
down of mills and the general stagnatiOn OF
business have alarmed and astonished them.
MANY who are not hide-bound mossbacks
are expressing their disgust and openly
deserving the party. The Holyoke Daily
Free Press, one of the Democratic standard
bearers, announces its change from the
Democratic to the Republican party in the
following leading editorial. 1t is good
reading for Democrats as well as Repub-
cans:
At the head of the column today are
found the names of the Republican candi-
dates for Governor and Lieutenant Gov
ernOr. They occupy the same place In the
column that the names of the Democratic
candidates did last year. 1t Is with deepest
regret that the Free Press acknowledges
that it has lost faith in the Democratic
party, and that it firmly believes that the
present industrial stagnati0n, financial
stringency, and general distress existing
throughout the land are the result of Demo-
cratic supremacy.
Such a conclusion should not be reached
nor the statement be made without reasons.
One year ago this country was enjoying a
prosperity such as had never existed before.
There was not an idle mill in Massachusetts,.
In this city there was not waterwheel that
was not turning, not spindle idle, not a
loom that did not send its pleasing hum out
on the breeze, not a paper engine or machine
that stopped from Monday morning till Sat
urday night at midnight; all was life and
activity in this the greatest paper producing
city in the world. There was not a large
mill in the city OF HOlyoke that did not run
over time. So great was the output OF
paper, cotton, wooden, silk, and machinery
that the railroads kept double force OF
men at work with extra locomotives all
night, as well as all day, handling the
enormous output of manufactured goods
that were being shipped to all parts of the
known world. And this condition OF affairs
existed from sea to sea, and from the Cana !
dian line to Mexico. The whole world
looked on and wondered at such prosperity. |
Such was the condition of affairs one year
ago.
Last November Grover Cleveland, our
noble President, was elected to the highest
Office in the gift of the American people.
At the same time the Democratic party was
put into control of the National House of
Representatives and the Senate. The Free
Press believed with majority of American
people that the Nation was destined, under
Democratic CONTROL to reach still higher
plane of prosperity than it had ever reached
BEFORE greater than even that OF the year
1892.
The Democratic party has now had abso-
lutte control of the affairs of the Nation for
seven months, and the result-the most
sOrrowful time the Nation ever saw, bust
ness paralyZed, industries shut down, wages
cut down, financial panic, such strin-
gency in the money market that bank AFTER
bank, business house after business house
IN hundreds
thousands out of work.
A year ago all the mills in this city were
rushed with orders; they could not produce
fast enough for the demand. Today there !
is scarcely mill in the city that is running
full time, and of the large mills there is but
one that has not gone on half time or cut
wages 10 per cent or more. An awful
change for a year. This frghtful condition
of affairs appeals strongly to the American
citizen who has a powerful weapon in his
hand-the ballot. 1t was the ballot that
brought about this great change from pros
perity to proverty, from industrial activity
to industrial stagnatiOn, from financial
ascendency to financial depression.
The present industrial stagnatiOn is with
out any doubt the result of the free-trade
plank that was inserted in the Democratic
National platform of 1892. That platform
denounced the protective tariff policy, under
which the Nation has grown and developed
from child to giant, and declared that If
the people intrusted the offices of the nation
in its hands it would wipe out every trace
of that policy. The people who voted that
ticket did not believe that the platform
would be carried out to the letter. They
had faith in Grover Cleveland and other
conservative men. But the last few months
have shown that the President cannot con-
troll his party, and in his brave and uncOm-
promising fight for the repeal of the silver
bill he is looking not to his own party for
support but to the Republicans who passed
the BILL and who now stand shoulder to
shoulder with the President i'm his noble
fight for repeal. The absolute free traders
have secured control of the Democratic
party. They intend to make great altera-
tons in the existing tariff laws. The man
ufacturer cannot start his mill on full time;
he can only fill his present orders. He dare !
not make goods for the future, for If the
tariff is lowered on the goods he manufact-
ures and the fOreign-made goods are brought !
in direct competition with his, he must lower {
tho price of his commodity. He cannot pay
the present high scale of wages and COM
pete with foreign goods made by poorly {
paid help. fthe tariff laws are not changed, !
as prOsposed by the National Democratic
platform and insisted upon by the free {
trade Democrats who control the party,
then the manufactures must adapt them
selves to the new condition of affairs. If
HI.<.A .fH he n. L..