The herald., 1894-11-10
BAYARD'S VIEW OF TIE STU.
ALTON.


his diplomatic post at the court of st.
James, Ambassador Bavard made the
following cage observations at parting: !:
| had great apprehensions as to the
result Of the recent elections for some
time. l do not want to run afoul those
gentlemen responsible for the delay Of
the passage OF the tariff bill, but a
patriots duty is unmstaksble. The
necessity for pure Democratic tariff
legislation was never so great as it is
now. Bills for free raw materials should
be passed Immediately, and then the
country would be able to contemplate
the Democratic idea of tariff in full
working order for two years before the
national election reels around. Ii this
is done | have little fear that the verdict
will be unsatisfactory in 1896.
With Mr.. Bayard's words for text
let us look into the philosophy of the
recent political catastrophe which has
visited the Democratic party over the
union. In the light of returns from
every part Of the country it is readily
seen that two classes OF voters are
chargeable with the resnlt. In the first
place, it is obvious that the large float
ing or indeterminate vote, which two
years ago gravitated to the Democratic
party because OF widely prevalent dis
content with conditions then existing.
has this year expressed its disappoint-
ment in the failure Of the Democrats to
improve those conditions, by voting
solidly with the Repu blicsns. The sec-
wi m 70 ~
overwhelming defeat was the sullen
stay -at-home Democratic vote.
Now, the conduct of each of these
classes of voters is easily explicable.
The vast preponderance OF the indeter-
inmate vote, which includes the "hoat-
err" is made up OF people too much en-
crossed in business or the hand-to hand
struggle for existence to afford them
time to study the elements OF political
economy and who are therefore swayed
by superficial demsgogy or cunningly
cooked protection statistics. In vot-
ing with the Democracy two years ago
they went no further in excogitation
than to say: "The country is in bad
way. Maybe we can better things by
voting the Democratic ticket" Thus
the Democracy came into power, but fell
upon an evil inheritance. The country
was on the verge OF a financial cat
aclysm. Nothing could stay it, for it
WAS worldwide, and no measures of
quarantine could keep il out. Then the
national treasury was turned over all
but bankrupt, owing to the Billions
Dollar congress, the inadequacy OF the
Mckinley law as q revenue producer
and to the ill.advised, if not malicious,
taking up of low-interest- bearing United
States bonds and paving An enormous
premium for them. Much evidence
could be adduced to show that after
Harrieon's defeat, and pending Cleve-
lands Inauguration, the outgoing ad-
ministration endeavored to leave affairs
in as aggravated and difficult shape for
its successor as possible. However that
may be, an imperative necessity arose
for a repletion of the gold reserve in the
treasury by the unpopular issue OF fifty
millions in bonds OF the United States.
Handicapped by these administrative
difficulties and further embarrassed by
the division of sentiment on the silver
question, which though not confined to
the Democratic party, was the party to
be held responsible for Congressional &C.
tion thereon, and added to this the in
evitable difficulty and delay in putting
through q tariff bill which initiated
against the selfish greed OF powerful
interests-in view of all these things
there is no proper occasion for surprise
to the student of affairs political that
the unsophisticsted citizens, the indeter-
inmate and floating voters, should
flop" back to the Republican party.
since they obtusely attributed the
money panic of 1898, as we'll as the ina
dustrial depression following. to the tar
iff law passed two months ago.
That there has been an enormous
stay -at-home Democratic vote is mani
fest from the "totels" reported from
Missouri, Ohio and, indeed, everywhere.
1t is a characteristic way the rural Dem
ocrats have of expressing disapproval
representatives in congress. They will
not 60 over to the opposition, but quiz
etly await the outcome OF the new and
experimental tariff law. If in the two
years to come it shall justly itseli. they
will come out to the polls so multitudin-
ousy as to cause astonishment 10 Re-
pubicans, who will wonder where they
all come from.
At the coming short session the ma
jorty in congress should pass bills put
ting coal and iron ore on the free list
and wipe out the sugar trusts diferen-
tial. Should it do 30 it will in some
measure expiate its criminal delay of
the last session and. as Mr. Bayard eays,
1--WE need have no fear that the verdict
OF the people will be unsatisfactory to
US in 1896"
4 POSSIBLE CURIOUS COMPILE