The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-01-18
DOMAIN TALKS TARIFF.
THE VIEW he TAKES OF IT.
AS a Southern Man-at-Large, he
Opposes the Wilson Bill---Calls
it McKinley's Baby in Wilson's
Cradle and Swaddling Flan-
washington POSt.l

Cradle and swaddling Flan-
nels. -
washington Post.l
Pat Donan, whom everybody knows
and whose characteristic speeches and
utterances of every kind, whether in
dorsed or condemned, are read by
everybody, and whom everybody likes,
in spite of his caustic criticisms of
men and measures, is going to have
his say about the Wilson bill in this
weeks Baltimore Manufacturers
Record. An advance proof of Col.
Donan's views has been given the
Post by Mr.. Thomas P. Grasty, man
ager of the Washington bureau of that
we'll known industrial weekly. After
declaring that "tbe wheelabouts and
turnabouts and willful wiggle-waggles
of all Americas 35,ooo,ooo radiant
and never-to- sufficiently admired
daughters combined become the lof-
tiest exemplihcations of consistency
and conservatism compared with the
recent antics of Southern so-called
statesmen in making gold the only
standard of values in America," and
telling how " Southern papers clamored
for the gold bug policy after opposing
it for generation, as the embodiment
of political folly and financial crime,"
and then exclaiming that &c, 900 bank
ruptcies and more than 1000, 900
beggars already attest the unwisdom
of this surrender, he proceeds to say:
This was bad enough, but there
is more to come. These same South
ern Democrats are now shutting their
blind eyes and whooping things up
for another plunge into an abyss,
whose fathomless depths of darkness no
telescope of prophetic woe can pene-
trate no plummet Of anticipated dis
aster can sound. The fiat has gone
forth that the Wilson tariff bill is the
crystallization of Democratic admin
istrative wisdom, and must be passed.
Southern papers are boiling over with
enthusiastic fervor in its favor, and
adjuring their alleged statesmen to
lose no time in making it the law of
the land. TO express doubt of its
inspired adaptedness to remedy all our
ills, to right all our wrongs, and to
roll in a glorious millennium of uni
versal prosperity, in which every man
shall be millionaire, and every wo-
man shall wear diamonds as big as
'punkins' in her ears, is to set ones
self down as hereto and an atheist.
81 know all this, and still I can
not see why Southern man should
favor Wilson's bill. Alas perhaps,
so much the worse for me. But l am
an independent Southern man, large;
l want no postofhce, or Van Allen
spurned $4,000 ambassadorship and
can consequently afford to say what
l please, and, rarest of all rare things
in American political discussion, to
tell the truth. 1 am a radical tariff
reformer, and believe in free trade, as
nearly as is compatible with raising
absolutely necessary revenues for a
government to run on the most econo-
mical business basis. Hence l can
speak honestly and impartially.
"They call this bill to bring about
universal bankruptcy in the South a
Democratic measure. There is not
a Democratic idea in it from head
line to tailpiece. 1t is a Republican
bastared protection scheme. There i:
not Democratic feature in its face
1t is McKinley's baby in Wilson:
cradle and swaddling fannels.
"Why should any Democrat sup
port it? Because an alleged Demo.
cratic Congressional committee re-
ported it? Arrant nonsense! NJ
Congressional committee is the Demo
cratic party, and no bill, act, or reso
luton is Democratic measure, un
less it accords with the established anc
recognized tenets of Democracy. A
protective tariff is not Democratic
no matter by whom concocted, re
ported, or supported +; and this bill j
simply Modified, but little mitigated
protection.
elbow any intelligent Southern
Democrat can hurrah for it, work 70
it, is beyond my comprehension, ane
: l am a good general comprehender
1t discriminates against the Soutl
and every Southern interest in ruth
less fashion.
"Five of the Scuth's great staple
are cotton, sugar, coal, iron ant
lumber. This Wilson declaration O
i war against the South leaves them a
at the mercy of the world, who's
stender mercies are cruel in all mat
tiers of trade. Cotton is unprotected
now, and remains so under the pro
posed bill. The duty on the kim
of goods made by the Southern mill
is cut to little or nothing, but the kin
J made by New England mills is pre-
y tected according to Mckinley. Th
bounty of z cents pound on sugar
to be abolished, which is stab unde
the fifth rib to sugar-making Louisian
. and Florida. The duty of IS cen
:, ton on coal, which is about one
Il third of its value at the seaboard
!, swept away. This kills, at one fe
Il swoop, the coast line coal trade {
Maryland, West Virginia, Virgins
Tennessee, and Alabama. The dut
\ of IS cents a ton on iron ore, wor,
on an average from 81 to $3.50 tol
. is removed. This is a death blow
,f iron mining in Virginia, West vi
- ginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, an