The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-11-16
WHAT 1T MEANS.

WHAT Ill MEANS.
That the Democrats are dazed by
the result of last Tuesdays vote is
putting it mildly OF course they
must have an excuse for it, and many
of them are disposed to give as such
an excuse that the people were indig
nant because the Democratic platform
was not carried out in full, and the
simple free trade it called for not
given the country. 1t is more likely,
however, that Mr. Cleveland came
nearer the truth, when he wrote to
Mr.. Wilson that ''there is no excuse
for mistaking or misapprehending the
feeling and the temper of the rank
and file of Democracy. They are
downcast under the assertion that
their party fails in ability to manage
the government" This was I'M
doubtedly not only the feeling of a
large portion of intelligent voters who
but the feeling Of the people through
out the country as well.
But there was more than this. For
a third of century this country had
been under the protective policy, and
had pruspered as no nation ever be-
fore did in like period. We had
grown from comparatively nothing in
the way of manufacture to be second
only to England, and in many re-
spectS to lead the world
For years back the leading advo-
Gates of free trade have declared that
the United States had reached point
where it could throw off protection
and fear no competitor. They re-
peatedly declared that the protected
industries were robbing the people,
and growing enormously rich. They
further asserted that il the tariff was
reduced the conditions existing before
the war would not return.
A generation of voters had grown
up since the war, who knew nothing
of those low tariff conditions, only as
they gathered them from history, and
they felt that with the great progress
which had been made there must be
some truth in the continued asser-
tions of the free traders. Then too,
labor was more or less dissatisfied. 1t
felt it was not getting it's share of the
wealth which was being produced,
and it listened to the sirens voice of
free trade.
But the result was not as they eX-
pected. Business everywhere was
paralyzed. Instead Iof greater pros
perity there was stagnation. True,
the tariff bill Democracy passed was
not full redemption of their pledges,
but it was step in that direction,
and it was obtained at cost in the
shrinkage of values and loss of wages,
which fell only little, if any short of
the cost of the civil war. And added
to this they further declared that if
given further lease of power in the
house, they would keep business in
further state of uncertainty, by TAX
ing still another step in the direction
of free trade.
But the benefits they promised did
not put in appearance. The wage
Garner found that if goods were
cheaper it did not do him any good,
for his wages had shrunk still more,
and his chances for steady work was
more uncertain. Contrasting the past
eighteen months or more under Demo-
cratic rule with a like period under
the Mckinley law and Republican rule,
he found that the prosperity which
then existed had taken wings and fled,
and it's chances for return to such a
high-Water mark under Democratic
rule were slight indeed
What different result could be ex-
pected from an intelligent people?
They found Democracy incompetent
to handle the affairs of the govern
ment; they found it's economic
policy brought disaster instead of
prosperity; they found it largely
lmpregnated with the Populist theory
of a debased currency, and they re-
pudiated all. In short they pronounced
that the future policy of this country
must be along the protective line and
for sound currency, and the Repub-
lican party in the future as in the past
will heed their demands.
A FEW days before election the
FREE PRESS stated that the claims of
the Populists that they would be sue
cessful on election day, when sifted