The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1893-12-01
Washington Letter.

light on many vcxed questions and Is
looked forward to with more interest and
curiosity this year than generally at
tacheS 10 annual messages. Not only
will it outline the policy of the admins
tration on the question ot tariff revision,
the question above all others upon which
the country was carried last year by
such an unpreccntcd majority, but will
throw more light on the financial pro-
blem, the Chinese exclusion question,
the repeal of the federal elections laws.
and the absorbing topic Of our attitude
in relation to Hawiian affairs. The
mystery about the state department in
relation To this last question IS 50 thick
that even the door keepers have become
sphinX-hke with importance, and the
thirst for reliable news can in no way
be satisfied except by such plain state
ment of the Presidents position as the
message Is expected to contain. If Mr..
Cleveland simply wished to take the
popular side of this question, without
regard to the rights and wrongs involved,
he would of course stand on the side of
the revolution, and annexation, and all
that is implied thereby But the Presi-
dent has a fair and logical nina, reason
ing mechanically and accurately from
cause to effect and l. consumate mas
ter of details. Having thoroughly in
veStigated and satisfied himself Of the
justice of the case, he takes up his posi-
ton in utter disregard of the rantings OF
prejudice, or the clamor of ignorance.
1t Is much more difficult in this instance
to do right than 10 do wrong, hut We
may look To see the sober second
thought Of the people sustain the Fresi-
dent IN his endeavOr to undo a wrong
done by our minister, aud wipe out the
scandal which attaches 10 Us by reason
Of the llagraut disregard of the rights of
a weak nation.
As the President and the cabinet
ministers are engaged on their annual re-
ports, necessarily large number of in
liniticimal Me Tous' In the shape of.
assistant secretaries are doing likewise
But the thought that these estimabie
gentlemen are not important factors in
the great structure Of government bor-
derS on the sIcrIlcgious. No aIubi-
tiOuS pullet contemplating her initial
egg was ever half 80 important nor
nearly 50 busy. The whole scheme Of
free Government passes ia critical review
before these fledgiugs in craftsmanship,
and they feel themselves sitting IN the
heated focus of the gaze of sixty million
souls, allowing one soul to each IndIyId-
ual, and firmly believe that if they
should prove too weak for the burden
laid upon them, the flaming torch of
liberty which has been handed down by
the fathers, and kept brightly burning
bv the sons for four generations, would
to out in the black night of ruin, anar-
chv, and chaos. OF coarse they are not
as important a. they think, and year
hence will know that none but the proof
readers have really read their reports,
bat i'm the first sweet blush of their en-
thu~iaSm they have deafcning applause,
ana see, with ciairvoyant vision, them
selves the objects Of an awakening peO-
pies gratitude.
About the most remarkable case of
deliberate and persistent partisan blind
ness that has ever bocn exhibited in this
country, is shown bya glance at the
history of the last three years in COnnCc-
ton with the contemporary statements
of certain Republican politicians and
papers. In 1850 the tariff act was
passed, and pronounced to be IN the
most delightful harmony with the party
platform of 1855. But 10. the cOngrcs-
sional elections of that year came along
and swept cut of public life nearly every
man who was a prominent advocate Of
that measure. But we didn't hear any
thing from Republican sources about
the tariff thinkers being rebuked 1t was
caused by the influx of foreigners, or
the numbering of negroes, or the heavy
rainfall, or the great drUuth, anything
and every thing so that il WASH the tariff.
Then came the presidential election of
1892. Every prominent man on both
sides declared that protection was on
trial, and that the result must be accept
ed as expressing the sentiments of the
voters on this question. The RepubH-
can platform had declared for protec-
ton, with reciprocity for desert. Mr..
Harrison was in the fullest accord with
the platform The Democrats declared
for revenue only, and no public man
! ever stood more squarely upon ques-
ton than had Mr.. Cleveland for live
years on the question of tariff reform.
| There had been no business depression,
no executive acts to be rebuked, no for
| eIgu complications to turn the people :
| heads and what was the result The
most overwhelming avalanche tnat even
| bore down Il policy swept away the adj
vocateS OF the Mckinley bill. No can
| didate ever carried so many states be-
| fore, and no President had ever before
/ received so many electoral votes as did
Mr.. Cleveland, and yet not a single
/ statesman or paper opposed To his policy
! was frank enough TO admit that il was
a rebuke 10 prOtectiOnistS. Now, how,
| ever, when there has been an election
| IN five or six states, at which not a sin.
| gle official was elected who could inhu.
! ence national legislation, when the
| panic which the Republicans had be
| queathed 10 us was still with Us, when
/ purely local and not national ISSUES
were in the main discussed, the high
priests of the G.. q. z. held grand fes
| tval and felicitate over the recent elec.
| tions a. great triumph for protection
''Nhat fools these mOrtalS be,''
The number Of cranks of both sexe,
who visit Washington annually 70 prose
| cute before Congress some claim which
| the governmint l. alleged 10 have Owed
| their ancestors, are like the sands Of che
| sea and the stars of heaven combined,
/ in point of numbers, ami the spider
| which taught persistency To Bruce could
receive multitude OF pointers on hi,
favorite subject from this class of yisi
| tons. \ few years ago members of con
| gress were shqdowed by an old crank
/ who fancied he had fallen heir to all the
land on which the city of Frankfort
| Ky, stood, and for many sessions ht
was a very troublesome lobbyist, impor
tuning congress 10 pass bill TO restore
him the dominions of his fathers.
Finally some of the members made him
the subject of a cruel joke, by suddenly
announcing that his bill had passed. and
| by turning over to him "A check on tn,
! sergeant-at~arms for fifteen million dol