Little Falls weekly transcript., 1894-08-24
WEEKLY AUGUST - 1884,

WEEI,
Democrat cannot. without self-stu1tifica-
tion. permit to become law, was accepted
as the sole fruit of a year and a half of
Democratic performance, and year and a
half Of mortal agony for the business i'll
terests of the people. ~T. - = +
Effects of This Tariff Legislation.
A whole campaign is summed up in THE
history of this tariff legislation. Republi-
cans need not to prefer charges against
the party for uncertainty and incompe-
tence. They need not to analyze it's work
or to show it's inconsistency. The very
best campaign material which they could
ask for is to be found in the speeches of
eminent Democratic leaders in opposition
to the bill for which they voted, and in the
vigorous denunciation of Mr.. Cleveland's
letter. The scnism on the tariff has split
the Democratic party and left it wholly
demoralized. The people who have suf-
fered the disastrous consequences of this
year Of Industrial paralysis are thoroughly
indignant.
Already, as the Industries of the country
begin TO show scant signs of recuperation,
it is found that they must be reorganized
on scale of lower wages TO correspond
with the lower duties now imposed. A
large array of sacrifices, great and small,
stretch from the distressing past unto the
uncertain future, and the most ardent
Democrat can see no good reason why
these should have been made. The new
tariff is protective tariff; but it protects
the monopolies and the interests
fortunate enough to possess prominent
Democratic representatives in the
senate and the house, and does
not protect American industry and
American labor The tariff issue
speaks for itself as never before from hun
dreds of silent factories and thousands of
desolate homes. With full possession of
both branches of the legislative body and
of the executive office, the Democrats
have been impotent to carry out any sus-
tanned plan of action. One has but to
mingle with a crowd anywhere engaged
in the discussion of politics to be con-
vinced that the rebuke about to be admin
istered at the polls will be one of the most
overwhelming in the political experience
of this country.
Piecemeal Reconstruction of Tariff Laws.
We are not even assured, if the Demo-
cratic party is to be retained in power,
that this is the end of tariff agitation Not
content with having turned everything
topsy turvy for nearly two years past, the
men who are not suited with the senate
bill announce loudly that the campaign
has but begun, and that future bills, of
which we have a foreshadowing in the
separate bills for free sugar, free iron ore,
free coal and free barbed iron wire, passed
by the house and sent to the senate, will
continue this piecemeal reconstruction of
our tariff laws indefinitely. That threat is
more terrible to the people than any other
that they could utter. Far wiser is Gov
ernor Flower Of New York, who is quoted
as saying: 'There is one plank which is
going in the Democratic state platform
this fall, if 1 have my say, and that is
plank giving the solemn pledge of the
Democratic party that it will not pass
another tariff bill in 30 years.
The Democrats of Indiana however, have
tumultously declared in convention that
they are in the fight for absolute free
trade; and the only hope of the country for
the continuance of stable conditions lies in
excluding totally from power this party
which is fit only to disturb and not to ac-
complish. The tariff issue will stand at
the front in every congressional district
this fall and will speak for itself more
loudly than the most eloquent of CAM
paign orators.
Public Favor Turns From the Populist
Party
There has been duri ng the past week a
gratifying Indication of the decline of the
Populistic party in public favor, as shown
by the election in Alabama. Two years
ago Captain Kolb came near carrying the
state, by gathering together the disaf-
fected farmers, a large section of the negro
vote, and the opponents of Democratic
fraud and intimidation at the polls, under
the banner of the Populist party. It
was believed that his chances this year
would be better. It was reasonable to
suppose this: at least if there were any
truth in Populist predictions that they
were gathering strength everywhere and
winning new accessions every day. The
whole country, indeed, looked for the re-
suit of the Alabama elections with pc
culiar interest, as showing what the Pop
ulist party might be expected to develop
in the way of strength this fall
The result is gratifying, as showing that
under the most favorable circumstances,
and when pltted against a party that has
discredited itself hopelessly, the Populists
are not nearly as strong as they were two
years ago. The wave ofsympathy for their
peculiar doctrines that swept over the
agricultural portions of the South and
West at that time has now subsided, and
there is reasonable certainty that the Pop
ulists will show greater losses, where they
are confronted by the intelligent masses of
Republicanism. than they have in this
hidebound Southern state.
Free Silver Is a Sort of 'Populistic Theory.
There has been marked subsistence of
free silver sentiment in the West and
Northwest of late. For time this dan
gerons heresy made it's converts from
every party, and men sincere in their ad-
vocacy of honest money had
lively fight on their hands. AS the
campaign of November approaches the
lines are being more strictly drawn The
Democratic party everywhere is divided
on this issue, as on all others. In about
one-third of the states the honest money
Democrats are in the ascendant, while
most of the rest pass free silver resolutions