Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-15


the south, ruling simply 10 ruin, would cry
havoc and let loose the dogs OF war, !" bankrupt
the treasury. mortgage the nation by paying
the confederate debt and persiCning all south
eru soldiers. and finally reduce northern
wealth fifty per cent. ! heard Chicago repuo-
licans declare rs late as 1854 that their whole
estates would be for sale AT fifty cents ON the
dollar II Cleveland should be elected. That
state rights was to be reestablishod and the
as II Baron Munchausen had never lived
Waving the bloody shirt. and doing its utmost
this party. whose great days were given TO the
union Of states, devoted itself now To the DIS
union OF the people. all TO delay the return OF
liberalism, and secure Opportunity for itself to
make the passage from liberalism 10 toryism
without losing office. But these tactics wore
themselves out, and in 1890 and ls)2 liberalism
finally triuInphed.
Protection Breeds Parties.
But. In one important respect, this triumph
came too late. 1t was too late to forestall an
other of that frightful series Of national catas-
trophies and couvulsions which has marked. as
with trail OF fire, the disastrous tory ca
reer of the republican party 1873, 1884, 1880 and
3ss3 are the terrible Contributions OF toryisn,
to the prosperity of the nation
-Four financial crises. two OF them among the
greatest in commercial history, within twenty
years! think we ought To admit that the re-
publicans wasted none OF these twenty years.
but got into them Just many Panics as the
short time would allow.
Now. did this dreadful panic OF 1sa3-.his
Climax OF twenty years OF couvulSions-crush
republican leaders to earth, with shame and sor-
row? Did they dress in sackcloth and ashes.
and bewail their sins: Did they I'll the air
with ou.crles of conscience: Not at all! Not in
the least. But why: Why this callousncss: Sim
ply because they had become used TO response
bility for panics They had produce ed panics upon
panics Panics had become a sort OF fringe
To their policy. And you can get used to al
most anything. 1t is said, YOU know. that a
man can get used to being hanged. That Is go
ing little 700 far. but the republican leaders
only had to set used to banging their fellow
citizens, which is q different matter.
But let US give the doyl his due" TIE
IshR
to this latest of their pan,cs Ihev showed an
anxiety u get out OF ONCE before the storm
burst They knew Il would come. Their pro-
tectlVe system was always grinding out plDcs.
To protection they had added their hotch potch
currency poicy-gold Eoncmctc.!S-n support
ed by the Sherman law; and this. even with
out the protective system as q running mate,
was a sure winner IN 4 panic race. And finally,
TO reduce the time and break the panic record
they bankruptcd the United STATES treasur5-.
Alre1dy made tophcavy by tremendous il
creases OF outstanding paper and &i!ver issues
without increase Of reserves, they paralyzcd
INC treasury by glNinS II seVenty-SeEel nil
lions moro OF debts to pay. in year. than ii
had income 10 piv them with. They turned
yearly surplus OF . hundred millions into q de-
tcit o! seventy millions. Having thus fixed
for panic of the frst-class. they showed sen
sitivencss to being around wacn the time csIne
for IL to explode. But that was rs near as thcy
came TO i,cnitencc. Their one thought wcs to
get away and DC forgotten. and so their anx-
iety was to tide over the treasury bankruptcy
Unit! March (which they did by counting tie
nickels and other small change and by stand
Ing people OF. no had bills to collect
But the panic came on with horrible sudden
ness; almost before the republican ad1uinis-
tration could pack its trunks ana get out OF
town. This stunned the republican leaders;
and for several months they had nothing to
saw for themselves They were meek. The
thing had been awfully quick in working. They
had set fire TO the house. and its sudden blaze
revealed them in the act Of leaving it. For
the first part OF the extra session they were
still meek.
A Conspiracy Matched In Defeat.
spiracy-one OF the most remarkable conspir-
acies in the history Of political intrigue. 4
conspiracy unprecedented so far Us know. Par
questionable defense OF their action; but this
Is the first case OF q widespread. deliberate
and organized conspiracy of party leaders to
fRstcn upon another party the responsibility
for their own policy. The republican leaders
aided by their press, deliberately set about get
lican crimes. II was an afterthought Ii was
deliberate. Press and leaders, first tentatively,
then boldly began that TRADE OF charges, which
has hled the air for months They have cried
and cried and cried again, with q thousand
lout and Persistent NOTES.-THE smaller press
and leaders echoing the CHARGES from every
corner OF the land-that the panic was de,ao-
cratic panic the depression q democratic de-
preston, the treasury dcfcit democratic de-
Hcit, and the issue OF bonds democratic issue.
Having produced the panic the,nselves-it
being but number four in the republican Sc
rics-they conspired to charge 1t upon US.
But whence came such eiYrontcryg From the
success OF their previous TRADE Of violent
abuse against the liberalism OF the demo-
cratic party. They had once succeeded IN
keeping the democrats out Of power bv
false and incredible charges Why NOT try IN
credible charges AGAIN.
raise such a thick dust about the people that
the people could not look through ii back to
the principles for which, after years Of grow
ing convictions, they had fought and con-
quered. less than two gears ago.
That dust Is laying itself. But it j. our BUSH
ness IN this cam paign to lay 1t more quickly.
clear
ana the honest people be able to look through
clear atmosphere, to where their tariff re-
form principles stand unmoved, and see for
themselves that they are unchanged and un-
changeGble-as worthy OF their enthusiasm and
now as they were then. the hope Of the nation,
the expression Of progress and the essence Of
liberalism and democracy.
Inc arguments OF the conspiracy had to be
incredible Think Of the argument that q
great commercial panic. which can only pro-
coed out OF long-existing financial commercial
and Industrial conditions. was produced by a
future moderate reduction of the tariff. for
which the nation, IN overwhelming p.i1rtty
was most eager ana anxiouSl Think Of great
panic with its roots in the hereafter, Think Of
asking the people to believe that the mere ex-
panic among themselves Think of a really
great nation like ours becoming so frightened
atfts own opinion that II falls down in fit!
the intrigue was sure to kill itself within o
short time by its unscrupuiousnes. Consider
this. from one OF the leading republican organs;
1.-TWO wears ago free trade was a tn cory, but
tangible results
But how could rational human beings expect
to catch democratic and independent tariff re-
formers in traps and hand them over
to Mckinley: The gulf between tariff
reform and Mcktnlcvism is simply
impossible from one side. You can
pass from Mchinleyism to tariff reform: but no
human being has ever crossed the other way.
The mind of man has no processes equal to It.
1t would require u recolStructlon of the human
intellect.
Andhow could they expect TO keep the people
blind to the fact that the last eighteen months
have simply completed the evidence against
protection. Every previous objection to pro-
lection stands. and newly fortified And TO all
is added the convincing evidence. furnished by
that series OF 80. 81. 30 and sc, that, at fire.
quent and diminishing Intervals. il must ex-
pode in disastrous panics. Il has become clear.
that under Mchinicyism ncI-spcc ulative
business man might as well put his plant on
the top of Vesuvius
Mr.. NacSeagh's Position Defined.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, to fulfil the obligations
imposed upon me by my nomination. / VIII
state as frankly and clearly as j can. where
stand as TO the great questions Of the campaign.
But first let me refer. for moment. TO the
effort 20 label me O rich man: and to spread the
impression thu: / am entering public life
Through the rich mans door Republican lead
crs naturally resent even a moderately rich
democrat 1t is part OF their faith, that only
republicans have. right TO he rich-and only u