Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-03

Let me classify approXimat ely, says
Senator S. NJ. Cullom, in the May
Forum, the penalties which have fol
lowed as the early result of the politi
cal tornado of November, 1892 Fan
below the very lowest intelligent est
mates made from statistics of value
| may charge the dOminent party with
having caused an absolute and tangi
Bile loss in dollars and cents to the
Saturday recipients of weekly
wages the working men and women
of the United States, of $500, 100000
| mean by this that by the depression
in business consequent upon the adj
vent to power of political party
which is not responsible to any
higher authority hardly even to pub
lie sentiment than half a billion
dollars in wages have been taken from
the years due of men, women, and
children who stood ready and anxious
to give good dollars worth of labor
for every dollar of wages 4 thou
sand millions of dollars is but a small
and modest estimate of the difference
between the value of farms and farm
products in March, 1898, and March,
1894.
But the story is not yet half told.
Corporate enterprises, manufactures,
railways, tradesmen, professions
every interest is reached These inter
ests in which capital has been 50
largely invested, including every fac
tory, mill, store, shop, railroad, min
ing company, veSSel-OWner and trans
portation company, have sunk in val
uatiOn of investment and in loss upon
business, much more than $1,0OO,OOO,-
600 in addition. Add together, then
the recorded results of wrecked in
duStry and stagnant business which
have met our eyes and ears; give
ample allowance for every hope and
ray of future sunshine; and upon the
most undOubted proof we find our
country more than S2,5OO,OOO, 1000 to the
bad in twelve months.
In the senate last week Mr.. Cullom
said the initial policy and the ground
work of the enlightened universe is
protection. The lcivilized world has
SIONu ouI dllu away lICIll DiGDtlIIt
free trade and has developed very
universal recognition of the protective
idea. Government means protection
Any government must maintain itself
and must protect its people.
The democratic assumption that a
tariff for protection is unconstitutional
is in effect an assumption that the
ifIJti Of ,t,sxr i
the enactment of laws necessary to
the very existence of the government
itSClt. Such position is an alb
Surdity. When | remember, however"
continued the senator, that this same
distinguished authority, at the same
time that it declared that protection
is n fraud, also denounced the federal
election laws. recommended the repeal
of the tax upon state bank issues,
eulOgiZed the foreign policy of the
democratic parity. and compelled it's
work by nominating the present demo-
cratic administra ton, my admiration
for the gods of that democratic con-
vention is sadly impaired. l suppose
it is often true that body of men
gathered together may, by reason Of
their enthusiasm and by the absence
of Immediate individual responsibility,
commit excuses and 60 to extremes,
both in language and action, which no
one of them, acting in his individual
capacity, would thing of doing. For
the wild and impractical vagar1eS
which the Chicago convention of 1892
formulated into a platform, some eX-
PLANTATION like this must be accepted
as the only solution. And for this or
ganiZed anarchy. to which the country
owes its present difficulties, it can now
only be said that much of the time of
the average democratic legislator is de
voted to disavOwing his individual re
spOnsibility and in proving to his con
stituents that. although he is not a
protectionist, he is in favor of protec-
ton of local industries in which they
are interested. From the inevitable
consequences of this crusade against
business and good times, even Coxey
and his followers have mutinfed and
rebelled. The outraged people may
find expression for their woes in al
unusual and unwise manner. but what
ever misguided people may have done
or design, involve the country in ever
a small part of the trouble and mis-
chief caused by the present democratic
administration"