The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-10-05

write with vehemence, which cut off
sixty millions of revenue from one
article alone--the duty upon sugar.
They also expended and scattered the
sixty millions of dollars left in the
treasury by the first administration OF
! President Cleveland. They laid violent
hands upon the ffty-four millions of
reserved money in the treasury, placed
there by law to sustain the credit of
the Government paper in all its forms.
They and the Democratic members
of the House passed an additional
pension act, which provides for ex-
pending some forty or fifty millions
more year upon benevolent and
generous policy with reference to our
soldiers in the war but the RESPONSE
BILE majority in Congress did not pro-
vide the necessary means for paying
the increased amount thus charged
upon the treasury, along with other
appropriations, and for that l arraign
them.
In order to retain political power in
the silver states of the west they pass
ed the Sherman silver bill, requiring
the Secretary o. the Treasury to buy
over fifty millions of silver every year,
which the Government did not need
and which the people would not take.
They proceeded in the Mckinley act
upon which they pride themselves, to
vote large sums of money to those
people who would grow sugar cane in
Louisiana and beets and sorghum in
Kansas and California-putting their
hands upon the public moneys con-
hded to their care as trust funds, and
made donations therefrom to men
engaged in particular branches of
industry south and west. The amount
for the year ending last July was
about twelve millions of dollars, and
for the present year, based upon ap.
plicatlons made 10 the treasury,
amounts TO about sixteen millions of
dollars, and for the next year an es-
timated amount Of twenty millions or
more. So they imposed on US, in the
form of gifts TO favorite interests, the
expenditure of from twelve to twenty
million dollars per annum.
might go on with other points,
but l refrain. What was the practical
result2 When President Cleveland
came into power the Treasury was
substantially unable to pay its debts,
because appropriations had been with
held for want of funds. The hard
times were infamed by these unwise
and prohtless measures to which /
have referred, and which struck at
public credit and impaired it. Gov
eminent credit, if not the foundation,
is the mainstay of corporate and in
dlvidual credits in this country as in
Others. If the Government is weak
and feeble in its finances, it is waste
tul and protligate in its ouilays, unwise
in It's legislation, all trade and money
Interests suffer, as naturally as effect |
follows cause in any other case which |
can be mentioned. Did not we see
our Government four per cent. loans
tall from IsI TO 100 within a short |
time, the principal falling to an
amount equal to three years interest |
upon these loans Of course other
commercial transactions sympathize
with the downward movement of |
trade in public securities.
l pause, because this narrative of |
mlsmanagement, with the evil results |
to our people might occupy the whole |
evening in the narration. | will as.
sumo, therefore, that the hard times |
were partly caused by our relations to |
other countries because they could not |
buy from us the usual amount; that
over-production had been going on in
our own country, and vast quantities
OF produce and articles of trade and
commerce remained unsold and prices
fell, and industrial and manufacturing
in all their branches,
were paralyzed, throwing men out of
employment and those who remained,
working at reduced wages, and we had
" ~oieShil'iolS oliihCo anu popular
disturbances. For all this, beyond all
honest denial IN the judgment of any
lalr-minded man, no matter what may
be his affiliations politically or socially,
the Democracy of the United States
was in no way responsible.
Now what are they responsible for
IN this connection +? If for anything
hey are responsible through their
president and congress for what they
nave done in reference to hard times,
70 alleviate them and 10 improve the
condition of our people, Have they
performed the duty expressed by Mil
on in his versihcation of one of the
psalms" To raise the man in deep
distress by just and equal laws" Now
what have they done1 Some people
over'estimate the powers of govern
nent for good. They think the gov