Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-04-12
M'KiNLEY's FIRST. GUN.

w -oAA--S VII -NSWS
M'KiNLEY'S FIRST. GUN.
rhe Tin Nspoleon's Inauguration OF His
Presidential Campaign.
The series of speeches delivered by
Mr.. Mckinley at Minneapolis were &C
copied by his hearers, and doubtless
Intended by himself, as the opening of
the presidential campaign of 1896. It
Is an early start, and too early start
has its perils. but that is his affair.
Mr.. Mckinley is a bold man to stand
up and discourse of the calamities
which he has been chiefly instrumental
In bringing on the country. He is a
bold man to seek to lay them on the
democrats If we could conceive of
Paris, had he survived the Trojan war,
standing amid the ruins of Hum and
laying all the blame for the desolation
around him upon the unreasonable jeal-
ousy of Meneiaus. on the one hand,
and the reckless daring of Hector. on
the other, we might find something
like parallel to the nerve of McRin-
ley. But we are not driven to the bor-
derland of myth for such parallel.
When Nero, after firing the city of
Rome, and fiddling while the conhagra-
ton was in progress, came forward
when the desolation was complete, and
said the Christians were the cause of
the whole trouble, he furnished Mr..
Mckinley with a historical precedent
perfect in all its details, with single
exception, namely, that Nero knew
what he was doing, while we cheer
fully give Mr Mckinley the benefit of
the assumption that he had not the re-
hottest idea that he was playing with
fire when he struck the industries and
the prosperity of the country so fatal a
blow. We might also note that Nero
spared his impoverished people the in
Fiction of four speeches in single
day; but then Nero was not candidate
for the presidency.
If anyone doubts that Mr.. Mckinley
was the chief agent in bringing on the
panic of 1898 he has only to remem Der
that it was admitted on all sides last
summer that the Sherman act caused
the panic. Now, it has since come to
light that the Sherman act would never
have passed had it not been necessary
to the passage of the Mckinley bill If
Mr.. Mckinley had devised a rational
tariff bill, such as the republican lead
crs in the northwest had promised the
people in 1885, no bargain would have
been necessary to secure its passage.
BY framing a bill so outrageous that
his own party would not agree to it
without a bargain, Mr.. Mckinley
brought upon the country all the woes
that attended and followed the panic
of 1898, as well as that are yet to fol-
low.
In declining to criticise the tariff bill
in detail, Mr.. Mckinley acted the part
81 xxyiodnr1 He folIoxuS tho
platform in asking for tariff that will
cover the difference between wages in
this country and wages abroad. 1t
would be rather difficult, we imagine,
for him to find any article of impor-
tance on which the rate is not sufficient
to cover the difference in the cost of
labor. Though the republicans laid
down this rule, they have not been will
ing to abide by it. When Mr.. McKin-
ley introduced his bill four years ago
he said in the accompanying report
that in no case had the rates been made
higher than was necessary to cover diff
ferences of cost in the United States
| and in foreign countries. This was
shown to be untrue in innumerable
, instances, but Mr.. Mckinley would not
on that account agree to any abatement
in rates.
When Mr.. Mckinley dilates on the
benefits of reciprocity he raises the
question why he put his bill through
the house without any reciprocity in
it The reciprocity scheme, such as it
| is, is not his work. It was added after
the bill went to the senate in conse-
quence of a suggestion from Mr.. Blaine,
| though Mr.. Blaine's scheme of reci-
procity was rejected and another sub
stituted This fact might not be so
important were it not for the fact that
| Mr.. Mckinley is candidate for the
presidency on the basis of his bill He
should, therefore, confine himself to
| such things as he put into the bill with
out compulsion from the senate The
scheme of reciprocity is not success
| as a whole, and any slight benefits
that may have resulted from some of
| its features cannot be credited to Mr..
Mckinley. It was devised to reduce
| the balance of trade against this coun-
try with sugar producing countries,
which it has wholly failed to do. but
on the contrary, has increased the bal
ance very largely.-Louisville Courier
| Journal