Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-08-22
Written for the Oxford Democrat.
NAT CAN THE MATTER BET

WHht SNN lHc WSt EN- Dc
The Sherman lawf No! What is itf
Well, the weather looks threatening,
and the old farmer IL sitting on q PROV
ender box In the barn door, picking his
teeth with straw and watching the
sky. Nobody 10 moving much just
now. There Il storm coming.
History Is repeating itself. We are
face to face with conditions which have
existed several times before. Following
the low tariff of 1916 Col. Benton said |:
"No price for property or produce. No
sales but those Of the sheriff. No en-
pl0yment for industry, no demand for
Tor labor. No sale for the products OF
the farm. No sound OF the hammer but
that Of the auctloneer knocking down
property"
We are face to face with such condi.
lions AZ existed 10 81 following o period
Of low tariff, when James Buchanan was
led to say In his message to congress
"With unsurpassed plenty In all the
elements of national wealth, our manu-
factures have suspended, our private
enterprises Of different kinds are aban-
doned, and thousands OF useful laborers
are thrown out Of employment and re-
duced to want"
And century Of history tells US that
II the promised repeal Of tariff laws Is
made, we shall soon be confronted BY
other extreme conditions such as exist
ed In 1897, when 30 per cent Of all the
small property holders lost their homes
and cows were sold for % by the tax
gatherer In every state In the Union.
We are suffering now from threat OF
n repeal of protective laws. They Will
not be repealed. Why? First, because
the Democrats promised they should be,
and It would be q violation OF every
moss-grown tradition Of the party II
they should keep that promise, or tell
the truth. Second, because the Repub-
licans In congress won't help repeal
them, and without their aid the Demo-
Gratis don't know how-but II they did,
they "dasn't."
Notwithstanding the flowing, free
trade beatitudes Of Grover, somehow
the thing don't work just right. lie has
been president $50 days and the nations
failures have been 800 millions. This
country can no doubt stand as much
wrecking as any other on Gods earth,
but how long It can stand two millions
day Il question history is not pre-
pared to answer.
There Is disappointment In the heart
of the Democrat now. II an American
citizen puts his ear to the ground to-day
and harks as hard as he can, for the
hum of industry and the roar OF prog
ress, the most he can hear ID a Republic
can snicker sizzling along In the grass;-
while that fellow who voted his wages
away last fall 10 getting It now "where
the chicken got the axe" The case 10
right here. II he has got days work
In him and can sell Il for %, he has
food for his family when the night
comes on. II he has thousand days
works under his jacket and can't sell one
Of them, he Is a. poor as the devil when
the sun goes down, and the cry Tor
bread will disturb his slumber.
We are recommended to cultivate our
confidence In this emergency. Well,
we will try, but under present condi-
tions Il Ia q mighty uncertain crop to
raise. Clevelsnd's crowd are whistl-
Ing to keep their courage up, but they
haven't reached the graveyard yet, nor
groau and chatter, but It's coming.
There 10 serious emergency ahead
and we might just - we'll understand 1t
90. Cause and effect are Just a. potent
10 they ever were, and the history OF
every transition for Q hundred years,
from high tariff to o low one, 10 Q
record Of disaster and loss, falling hard |
est on the small property holder and the
wage worker. "Don't quote history"
they say. "Don't worry,-don't admit
Il II you do. Everything 10 all right
the president 10 firm."
Yes, 90 II q mule-but II the mule gets
headed for the dark ages, "as IL were,"
people who have been accustomed to the
light of progress and civilization don't |
care TO ride that way.
The fact 10, this fat, financial Infant 10
thoroughly ratified. He ought to be
satlsfed; for tho banks arc all going
Democratic, and the wooden mills are
with him; but he Isn't, and % he called
around him western hnanciers who
never had dollar, southern fnancicrs
who never earned q dollar, and We have
no right to expect that Democratic
aggregation OF monumental stupidity,
that has In six months time overthrow
half Of the nations Industries, can
remedy the evil now. They won't 10
peal the tarifY, neither win they DO wise
enough TO % assure the. people, and the
only element Of confidence 70 10 the
hope that the country can stand u I'LL
90, 1t which time there
won't b Democrats enough len In the
United States TO count the party vote;