St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-21
COhGER BOLTS M'KINLEY.
HOT SHOT FIRED AZ PROTECTION 81
a REPUBLICAN,.
REVISION DowNwARDwAN

REvIsION DOWNWARD WANTED
Mr.. Conger Points Ont That the
Republican Party Cannot Win
Upon q Mckinley Platform
The Present Law Full Of
Wrongs and InconsIsten oies-
The Recent Panic.
Col. "A. i. Conger. eX-member OF the
Republican national committee from
Ohio, and one OF the most prominent
manufacturers In the middle states, has
thrown a bombshell into the ranks of
the Republicans of Ohio by denouncing.
IN the most vigorous English, the Nc
Kinley tariff. sharply criticIsing Gov.
McKiniey's administration OF state af.
fairs and pronouncing Mckinley unfit
for president. Col. Conger's choice for
the presidency is Thomas B. Reed.
Some people are so unkind as to suggest
that Col. Conger's declaration for Reed
is prompted by his desire to be the
Ma ne statesman's running mate. bul
Longer says he is not a candidate for
Office. Concerning Mckinley. Conger
says:
have no i'll feeling toward Gov. Nc
Kinley. have always been his friend,
and during the past twenty years have
contributed more OF my time and means
to his success than any other man In
my city or county. BY his admInistra-
ton of the affairs of Ohio, however, he
has shown himself to be untitled for the
presidency of the United States. The
men who have always aided him in his
political contests. the friends of years,
he has cast aside. and he is now guided
and controlled by men whose sole in
terest in politics is personal advance.
ment. They are not the men who are
lying awake nights to devise plans for
keeping the wheels of their great indus
tries running for the ensuing weeks.
They are not the men who keep people
out Of the poorhouse and tree from
suffering. 1t is we'll to speak
plainly about the matter. McKin-
ley could not carry single
state in the union, upon the Mckinley
law, in 1896. and l believe that nine
tenths OF the business men of the coun-
try will concur with me in the view
that the Mckinley tariff is not only in
consistent, but'not in line with the bus
mess sentiment OF CUR people. We lost
the campaign Of 1892 on the Mckinley
law, and we will lose that of 1896 if that
law be the paramount issue 1t is un-
fortunate tor the Re publican party that
Coy. Mckinley's friends should have
preeipitated his candidacy at this time.
PROTEST AGAINST WILSON BILL.
We were all for him for governor, and
his friends have misinterpreted the
large majority he received last year.
That was protest against the Wilson
bill, not an Endorsement of the Nc.
kinley tariff. The business man learns
by experience one day and profits by it
the next. Why should not politicians?
do not quite understand what all
this political hubbub is about. said Con-
ger, but the people who are kicking it
up are killing off their candidate and
making votes for Tom Reed every day.
Garfield said in the Republican national
convention of 1880, and it has been the
law OF the party ever since, that every
Republican should have the right to
crltlclSe the action OF our party leaders.
and went so far as to say that he should
not be ostraciSed or read out of his
party if for good reasons he could not
vote for his party candidate. l nave
been educated for high protectienist,
but have been engaged in business in
some OF the leading lines of manufacture
of the country for a plumber of years,
and during that time have learned some
things by experience which have
changed my views upon the tariff CUES
ton.
Gov. Mckinley Is the leader of our
party i'll Ohio. The correspondents
sending out the news from our recen.
state convention said that every plank
in the platform was first submitted to
the governor for his approval. They
seek to com nit the party to the indorse-
ment of the. Mckinley bill for 1895.
they also put another plank in the
platform straddling the silver question
OF course we can fairly and justly hold
the governor responsible for these TWO
propositions as the platform upon which
he would stand in 1896.
LOST ON THE MKINLEY BILL.
So far. as the Mckinley bill is con-
cerned, we lost the campaign in 1892
upon that issue. The Republican party
is for protection. The country has
prospered under it: but as we have
grown Older we have needed less pro-
teetion. We meant in our national
platform in 1SSO-or at least it was the
Interpretation put upon it by the party
that we had now reached a point in
our history when we could afford to
make reductions in the tariff. This was
so stated by our speakers on the stump
aud by the Republican press; but when
we put forth the Mckinley bill we vio-
lated the pledges of the party, Increased
duties, then went forth to battle upon
the proposition, and were beaten. Now
II would simply be political suicide to
start out upon that proposition in 1896.
We will take. for instance, the subject
of binder Irvine. There are three hun.
dred millions of capital invested in the
manufacture of agricultural implements
and farm machinery In this country.
giving employment, directly and indi
rectly, to more than 800 900 of Americas
laboring men. Whatever is good for
the American farmer and will advance
his interests is good for the interests of
the manufacturers of agricultural ma
chinery and their employees. Their
prosperity must go hand ia hand. MANY
Of the leading manufacturers of agri