The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-02-20
HARD TIMES.

Communicated
This subject has been so generally dis
cussed that further reference to it seems
commonplace, yet the public interests
demand that it be agitated.
The democracy says that the cause of
the present financial depression is. trace
able to bad laws made by the republI-
cans and enforced by past republican
administrations. Largely, financial
troubles are not from political causes at
all, but in great measure they are.
Every intelligent person knows that the
prosperity Of this country depends upon
the prosperity of the tillers of the soil.
A great many people think that scare
ity of money is our only difficulty,
when in reality we have money enough,
but we have a lack of confidence in
wise administration of public affairs.
A bank cashier can abscond with stolen
money no difference who is president;
train robber can rob an express car no
difference who is president. But let us
see if the agriculturist and mechanic
can do as well under democratic rule as
under republican rule. This is gov
ernment of the majority. When the
majority says democratic rule, we have
democratic rule, and vice rersG. Let
us review the past little for the
purpose of comparing democratic rule
with republican prosperity, and let the
majority in the next election take their
choice.
In 1856 there was national election.
The money of that time was democratic
money. State banks and individual
banking was the system. Paper money
was issued by whoever wanted to issue
it, redeemable, of course, in gold and
silver upon demand if the holder of the
paper could find the bank or the banker.
In those days every Friday was black
Friday. They had black Mondays, too,
and every other day of the week was
black. The banks were all the time
breaking. That was a part of their bust
ness, and when a farmer would receive
the money for a load of corn, say at p.
M, before he could get to the bank it
would be closed, and the next morning
at 8 it would be broke. These were
democratic ''good times" in the sos.
1856. Well, the democrats had been
ruling the government for long time,
with but little intermission. Occasion
ally the Wings would get an administra-
tion, which was worse, the Whig party
being a compromise between slavery
and aristocracy. In that campaign the
democrats said if they did not carry the
election they would dissolve the union.
They said: "If you don't play our way,
we won't play"
1 want to say before proceeding fur
ther that these things are not said in
sarcasm, nor to appear smart. 1 have
learned long ago that there is no argu-
ment in abuse. But the truth is two
edged sword, which will rip either up or
down, and whenever you cut into the
democratic anatomy, it makes no differ
ence which way you rip, it is puss in all
directions.
Well, in that election the democrats
were successful. The republicans re-
tired from the contest defeated, and the
, Union was not dissolved. In 1860 there
was another national election, with vir-
tually the same issues. The same threat
was made by the democracy, that if the
republicans won, the democrats would
dissolve the Union. The money that
was paid to the producer or the laborer
all this time was worthless paper, gen..
orally called "wild cat.' There was no
security for it; its redeemer had not
been mined out of the mountain yet,
and no adequate laws were made to pro-
tect the poor man who had to receive
that money if he received any. In the
states where democracy had no opposi-
ton the lash was legal tender for
labor, and out of their bounty they al
lowed the laborer corn meal to live upon,
and here is where the original demo-
cratic idea of the protection of labor
came from. A paper dollar issued in
Dalton, Georgia, was worth seventy
cents in Peoria, Illinois: dollar in
Iowa was worth forty cents in Missouri,
4. G., when the money fell into the hands
of the poor man. / mention these
things because at this time the issue
is one of finance. The issue then was
one of greater Importance, before which
the mere question of money and finance
sinks into Insignifcance. It was of free
dom or slavery in the territories OF Kan
sas and Nebraska. It was of liberty and
equal rights under the lava question