Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-09-11

wise administration and legislation. The
want of this quality is the lnfirmity of
the present Administration and the
present Congress. Could the people
have expected any different result or
condition under the circumstances of the
late Presidential election? The Demo
cratic victory was due to discomfort of
every kind. 1t was not the result of
| unity of purpose nor of lofty and united
I public sentiment. 1t was the outcome
of misguided Judgment, .pique, passion
who voted for Mr. Cleveland and the
present Democratic Congress did not
| aoren rnor anv nrinoinln nr rolirv
CoNGLoMERATEs.
"They had their several different
reasons for opposition to the Republican
party and their temporary union was not
inspired by devotion to Democratic prin-
| ciples, purposes or policies. Free silver
men voted the Democratic ticket; OPP
ponents of free silver, or to any silver in
our circulating medium, voted it; the
widest inhati0nists, as we'll as those in
flexibly opposed to every form of infa-
| ton of our currency, voted it; the pro-
| tectionist voted it because he did not be-
| lieve the Democratic leaders would be
reckless enough to disturb the tariff; the
free trader voted it in the belief that the
Democratic leaders would abolish all
custom houses and inaugurate unrestrict-
| ed commerce with all the world: the
Populist, and those whom they call the
| gold bugs of Wall street. both voted it;
| the single tax man, the disciples of Hen
ry George, voted it, while thousands who
hate all such vagaries voted it; the silver
standard. the gold standard, the double
| standard, the paper money advocates and
the advocates of State bank money voted
| it; the pensioners voted it and those who
were certain that the Democratic leaders
could be counted upon to wipe out all
pensions voted it. And when it was all
over and the victory was won by these
various antagonistic and'cOntending ele-
ments, the realization of their hopes and
the enactment of any legislation for the
good of the country were of course found
to be utterly impossible.
THE WHOLE COUNTRY SUFFERS.
"Failure and disappointment were
bound to follow an Administration and
Congress thus chosen, and the whole
country suffers as a result. The Admin
istration and Congress are without COM
pass or rudder. They have at length
passed tariff law, such as it is, but if
we credit Democratic testimony alone,
the people burn with impatience for an
opportunity to repudiate both il and
them. we could bear with resignation
their party differences and demoraliza-
ton, if the Democratic party was the
sole sufferer. But when we contem-
plate the widespread ruin to business
and enterprise and employment we APP
preciate the dreadful sacrifice which
this Administration has entailed and the
appalling mistake of 1892,
SECTIONAL LAW.
1.-THE law of 1894 is not natural, it is
sectional. Every paragraph manifests
its inspiration and discloSes its authors.
1t has been considerate of the manufac-
turerS of the South, but has not spared
the vast industries of the North. What
ever protection has been given to the
great North and Northwest has been
grudgingly given, and only because with
out it no tariff law could have been
passed, and where concessions have been
made to the Northern industries it will
be found that they were made at the
| dictation of Southern people whose
interests were identical with those of the
people of the North. Have you reflected
| that the minority, and not the majority,
representing the great industries and
occupationsof the people made this law?
by the census of 1890 the manufactur-
| ing products of all the States in the
Union were $9,370, 100000 in value. OF
this vast sum the entire South, including
Maryland produced by the same census
but 81 ,202, 000, 900, or about u per cent.
or one-eighth of the whole. This small
fraction of our industrial life dictates
the industrial policy of the whole nation.
Elghty-eight per cent. of our manufac-
turing product and natural resources and
nine-tenths of the laborers employed
were not consulted or even considered in
making up the tariff. New York, whose
manufacturing product alone exceeds
that of the entire South by 100000, 900,
was totally ignored, except as to single
industry at Troy, and the senior Senator
representing that greatest manufacturing
State in the Union, refused to submit to
the dictation of the South and voted
against the bill. Pennsylvania, too,
whose manufacturing product is greater
by S129,OO0,000 than that of the whole
South together had no voice in the franz
ing of tariff law which was to effect
every home and every days labor in the
State. New England also could only
protest as it witnessed the destructive
cyclone sweeping over and against its
Industries. A law thus made cannot
permanently stand. The majority must
rule and the majority voice alone can
write into public law statute which
will endure"