Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-10-12

| pnblicanism from every mooring.
When the Democratic party FOR the
first time in thirty years gained control
OF the government in all its branches,
the county had under McKinIeyism,
which was the last straw, reached the
condition which every intelligent OBJ
server had long known and predicted it
must have reached under the vicious
system which had shut this great nation
out from the rest Of the world and CON-
PEELED it to feed upon itself. HARRISON
called it the slough of despond," none
too strong term to describe the hnal
and inevitable results OF thirty years OF
the Republican policy of taxing
the many to enrich the few. When the
collapse came under McKinlevism,
! when HARRISON had run the ship OF
state on the rocks and the CLEVELAND
administration was sent aboard by the
! people to rescue the imperiled craft, 10,
and behold little Mr. HARRISON and his
crew shouting from a safe place on the
shore, "See what the Democrats have
done!"
That same ridiculous cry was raised
by Mr.. ELKINs last night; it was the
burden of his remarks. He blamed the
recent hard times on the Democratic
administration, though he knows il
came about as the result largely OF Re-
publican laws and with McKinleyism in
full force. He knows that for the past
generation we have had only Republi-
can laws on our statute books, and that
the only Democratic law the country
has seen passed in thirty years is not
vet month and half old-the Wilson
bill. But these plain facts and truths
matter rot to the demagogc Mr. Ell
KINs. He keeps right on shouting
blame at the Democrats who have
struggled manfully and successfully TO
get the ship of state afoat once more,
though he, ELKINs himself, was one of
the Harrison crew that ran her on the
rocks, and he we'll knows how it al
came about and who is to blame.
Three times during this campaign
has the REGISTER now had occasion to
to correct the grossly false statement
made by Mr.. ELKINs that the present
Democratic administration was respon-
sible for the $50, OOO,OO bond issue
made at the outset OF Mr.. CLEvELAND's
present term. ELKINs knows that
HARRISON turned the treasury over TO
Mr.. CLEVELAND with an SS,OOO,O0
deficit and bond issue was the only
alternative left to declaring the alb
solute BANKRUPTCY Of the government.
HARRIsoN's Secretary of the Treasury
was on the point Of issuing those bond 5
himself when HARRISON stepped
in aud haughtiIy announced that be
would allow no increase in the public
debt under his administration. Lo,
what cheap patriotism! So Secretary
FOSTER scraped up the nickels and
dimes in the Treasury, which were
never before used for such purpose, and
barely managed to tide over the few
months or weeks remaining till the end
Of his term. Had the Harrison admin
istration not changed the form of
the public debt statement so as
to conceal deficit a bond issue
would have been forced long
before it was. HARRISON found the
Treasury with a $50, OOO, 900 surplus, and
he left it with a deficit. But the Cleve-
land administration is blamed by ELKINs
for the bond issue. for the increase in
the public debt made necessary solely
by four years Of Republican prohigacy.
Now let us argue fair" said Mr.. Ell
KINs at Flirmont the other day, Il was
never accused Of unfair argument by
anyone q the State of West Virginia,
except by the editor of the Wheeling
REGISTER.
Does Mr.. ELKINs call his charge
against the Cleveland administration re-
earding this bond issue fair argument?
If so may we never listen to one Of his
unfair arguments.
Here is another Of Mr.. ELKINs' 'fair"
arguments:
Wages gOc and S1.OO were formerly SL35
and $3.50. wheat quoted lower to-day than
ever before IN our history. Values and
wages have shrunk 25 to 30 per cent. An
awful, q terrible loss TO the people Of this
country.
Aud, pray, Mr.. ELKINs. under what
party's laws did all this happen? Did
we not have the Mckinley tariff in full
force on up until a little over a month
agoP
"Ah, but" says Mr.. ELKIYs, 1.-The
Democrats gained sscendency in 1922"
Very well, Mr.. ELKINS, though that
makes no difference, since the McKtn-
ley law was in effect just the same, but
we shall take the record Of
McKinleyism for the two years
under HARRISON's administration.
There were during these first two years
Of McKinleyism /, 200 strikes and lock-
outs, and reductions of wages, and war
on organized labor was the principal
news Of the day and the newspapers
teemed with it. What has happened
then and on up to August 2s last hap