The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-19
DEBT AND DEMOCRACY.

| After all the dust throwing and playing
bond scheme is to be put through. L:
has been regarded as certainty from
the beginning by observing people, and
| the secretary's order was no more OF a
surprise than will be the passage of regu-
lar appropriation bills in congress. Ii
the president and his party suppose the
public have been in any wise deceived
by the apparent hesitation in the matter
| they are woefully deceived. The facts
| are that this has been part of their
| game from the day Of Inauguration, and
the newspaper comment in party organs
and reputed dissentions in high party
councils have simply been for the purpose
of educating the public mind and
| to gain for the measure popular
consent. On this line there has been
pretended effort to induce congress to
| authorize the issue of bonds, but at the
, last moment, when the treasury balance
! had run SO low that help must come
from some quarter, the VOORHEES, conf
mittee discovered that Secretary Carlisle
is fully authorized under existing laws
to issue the bonds Nobody believes for
moment that it was to be considered
by congress. Nobody believes that
Cleveland would take the one chance Of
causing delay or defeat by submitting it
to that body.
But what is TO be said of the party
which, by its voluntary act, deprives
the government of its revenues, aud
then increases its debt by borrowing
money to pay running expenses:
A bankrupt treasury is, to say the
least, an anamely in this country.
That there was ample pro-
vision for revenue under the old
order is shown by the fact that the gov
ernment has been abundantly able
meet all till now. The claim that
present difficulties grew out of former
legislation is both insincere and libelous.
The people hold opinions of their own
which rank higher than those of any
administration. Every body knows the
industrial institutions Of the country
received paralytic stroke when it be-
came known that there was to be q re-
duction in tariffs. Any school boy can
see that when millions in duty on inn-
ports are cut off that it is SO much re-
duction of our revenue Everybody
knows, and millions to their sorrow,
that closed mills means starvation to the
laboring class, and it cannot be denied
that these calamities all date from the
day of Grover Clevelan DIS election.
Let it be denied ever so
strenuously, the public mind is made
up, and the people will shape their
course accordingly.
Back of all this is another significant
fact. During Mr.. Cleveland's first ad-
ministration 1t was discovered that he
had all the requisite qualities for a Wall
street tool. In the interim between his
two terms he was put in training by
that interest, during which he is known
to have amassed al easy fortune. His
election to a second term, by the aid of
unlimited money, was accomplished,
and now the country is reaping she
iIultS VI Its IL Is pam lndI SLlFGT Was W
receive its quietus. that every means,
fair and foul, to depreciate values was
to be employed. This necessarily in
creased the purchasing power of a de-
pIeted currency to the extent that few
dollars now controls the commerce of
the country. Coming along with
these conditions, is the loss
OF confidence which never fails to retire
the surplus available capital of the
country. In net results we have bus-
ness situation which need not be de.
picted here. 1t is only too apparent and
realistic to millions of patriotic, indus
trious people. The whole situation
brought to focus is this: We are in
the hands of legally constituted body,
armed with the means for perpetuating
the existing state of things through this
administration. This body is dominated
and controlled by few men, whose
financial interests are enhanced by still
further depressing the masses.
1t is not altogether a pleasant picture
to contemplate