The herald., 1894-11-05
SHIFTED RESPONSIBILITY.

SHIFTED RESPONSIBILITY.
Throughout this cam paign the big and
the little demsgoguee OF the Republican
party from Czar Reed and Attitudinizer
Mckinley, down to the Southern Pacific
candidates for congress, McLachlan and
Bow-wow Bowers, have been belittling
the memories and insulting the iudg.
ment OF the people. by playing hide and
seek with the facts OF history and the
dictates OF reason. No argument has
been too fimsy. no assertion too false,
no subterfuge too discrsditabls to serve
them in their attempt to fix the respon.
sibility upon the Democratic party OF
the financial and industrial depression
we are now happily emerging from.
They are like the wolf in Esop's fable
that accused the lamb down stream OF
muddying the water up stream. In
Other words. they have the effrontery to
infer that the laws OF nature have been
altered and that cause and effect are CO.
existent, or that the latter prscsdes the
former. According to them the sun OF
prosperity shone undimmed upon q
contented people during, and because
OF Republican rule, and business failures.
strikes, lockoute, idleness and want are
the peculiar concomitants OF Democratic
supremacy. They have reiterated the
falsehood of unparalleled prosperity"
of general contentment" and OF "work>
ingmen going singing to work in the
morning." until they may actually be-
lieve it. But what are the facts regard
ing these thirty yesrs OF Republican
statesmanship?
In 1860 the working classes OF the
country owned more than 80 per cent OF
the wealth and capitalists less than 40
per cent. In 1890, 8 per cent OF the pop.
ulation owned II per cent of the wealth,
leaving 20 per cent TO the lsboring pso-
Pile. who represented 81 per cent OF the
population. The increase OF mortgages
from 1880 to 1890 was 56 per cent. In
the 25 years previous to 1892 the busi-
ness OF the country was In such a hilari-
GUS state OF prosperity that 200. 900 fail
ures occurred, with aggregate liabilities
exceeding So, SOC. 900, 900. The Mckinley
act proved 80 satisfactory to trade that
the failures of 1891 were 27 per cent
more than they were the year before it
went into operation. During the Is
years previous to 1892 there were over
6 600 strikes. involving 1,000.000 en-.
ployees. Under the last 15 years OF
Democratic tariff (lS46-50) the mum Der
of strikes officially reported wore sew.
enty-four.
In 1851 the American tonnage en-.
gagged in foreign trade amounted to
2,642,000, more than two and one half
times what it is now. In 1851 the
American merchant marine carried 65
2-10 per cent of the foreign commerce /;
in 1890, after twenty-nine years of fos-
tering protection, it transported only
~ 8 10 per cent. The great panic OF
1873, with its paralysis of the coun-
try's financial heart. came in the
very heydsy Of Republican power.
and at least once every year
OF the two decades preceding the advent
Of Democracy, the press OF the union
chronicled q series Of strikes, lockouts
and labor riots that told more eloquent
ly than Mckinley can, OF the kind oi
peace. plenty and profit the American
working people were enjoying. Time
and again have the citizens Of large Cit
les and town. from New York to San
Francisco and from Detroit to New Or
leans, seen the proof Of Republican
prosperity (?) in PROFESSIONS of hungry,
desperate men bearing aloft banners
calling for "Work or Bread" It was
while guarded by Republican protection
that the wage OF the Pennsylvania and
Ohio coal miner sank to 30 cents per
day, and the "sweating" system Of the
great manufacturing oities literally
"boomed."
The vast labor organizations which de.
veloped under Republican rule afford
the best testimony that "protsotion"
failed Of its avowed purpose OF
maintaining the wages of labor.
The panic OF 1898 was the inevitable
outcome Of 80 years Of legislation that
set at defiance the laws of nature, the
teachings of political sciencs and the
principles Of sound finance. Great dis.
asters like that of last year are not born
Of the causes of an hour. They come 60
the logical sequence Of forces operating
for long time, and the Democratic par
ty WAS no more responsible for the dis
tressing period We endured than the
physician WHO is called to the bedside
OF man who has ds6ed the laws al
health, would be for the patients pros-