Birmingham age-herald., 1894-10-11

history as the crowning act of the 'sbillion dollar congress, ' both branches of which, as you know, were under republican con- ol. The Mckinley law increased tariff tlxes upon the necsssaries of life to a point lar beyond the highest rate hitherto known to our history. h it's effect upon foreign importations it was, in large measure, prohibitory tariff. The intention of it's au- tnors was to give the market to the home manufacturer and allow him, at his own sweet will, to increase to the consumer the cost of all the necessaries of lite. How was this to be accomplished? Simply by so increasing the tariff tax as in many instances to absolutely prevent foreign com9e itlon. But this was not all. The Mckinley law not only largely increased to the consumer the cost of all articles that enter iuto daily consumption, but It de- prived the government uf it's accu stoned reveuues-reveanes absolutely necessary to meet the daily and hourly expenses of the government. The importations being cut off, of necessity, the revenues were cut off Is il to be wondered, then. that under the operation Of the Mckinley law the surplus left by the Cleveland administration dis appeared and q deficit threatened our nation il treasury? Thus, as you will see, the inevitable effect of tue Mckinley law was, hret, to increase 10 the purchaser the Cost of his goods, and in the second place, to deprive the govern nmenL of revenues ab- solutely necessary to meet it's current ex- penses.
 Now, my fellow citizens, it is not diffi- cult 10 understand why it was that the heritage of the second administration Of President Cleveland from it's republican predecessor was a depleted treasury. It must not bedorgotten that one provision of the Mckinley law required the annual pay ment of bounty to the sugar planters for long term of years. This bounty ex- ceeded in its aggregate for the last fl cal year the enormous sum of SIP 1000, ,000. The enormity of this legislation will not now discuss. It has al tue ballot box re- ceived the uumlst kable condem nation of the American people.
 l have now given in hurried review something of the conditions that con- frontsd the incoming democratic adminis- tration on the h of March, 1893, and of the ill advised legislation that brought to this sad condition the treasury and coun- try. You cannot have forgotten how earn estly President Cleveland and his political associates addressed themselves to the task Of making good their promises to red uce taxation, nor cap you have forgotten the unfortunate conditions prevailing at the time this great work was inaugurated. Business was paralyzsd, the workshops were closed the great army of wage earn CTS in enforced ijleness, and poverty and want the common lot. It is no figure of speech to say that, literally, men were them leave to toil.''
 Bear in mind that this was the actual condition while the Mckinley law was still in force and before an arm had been lifted by the democratic congress to change the existing law. These are the stubborn facts with which the republic ID leaders are now confronted. Wha. is their answer? What explanation do they give you as to this terrible condition of our bus ness in- dustries under the Mckinley law, their own arling enactment? They eaauot deny the fact that these conditions sprang into existence under the Mckinley law, but they tell you they were the result of want of con tidence felt by the country in the burden of their complaint in the press and upon the stump, let 1t have careful exam ipa,ion. What is their charge? FL at the financial depression under which the country wal staggering when the de- mocracy ca ne into power was caused by an apprehension-a fearful fore- boding upon the Iart of the American people-that President Cleveland and his party were incompetent to administer the government, aud that all business was to suffsr Arrangement, if not paralysis, by the threatened reduction of tariff taxation l beg you to refisct upon this assumption for one moment. Who elected Cleveland and solemniy declared that, after almost lifetime of republican misrule, all branches Of the government should again pass under democratic control? Have you forgotten that theAmerican people, by plu rality of 132 in the electoral college, elected Cleveland over his republican com petitor? Have you forgotten that his popular vote exceeded that of Harrison 38) ,0J0? And yet, notwithstanding the fact that the ,ope, by this unprecedented majority, elected Cleveland, you are told that the people at once, and before his inauguration, dis trusted him. You are told that the people immediately contemplated with apprehen- sion and alarm what they had themselves achieved at the ballot box. In addition to this you are told that the sad condition existing at the close of the Harrison ad- ministration was the result of apprehen- that the democratic president and congress would endeavor to thinker with the tariff.'' With the beneficiaries of high protection any attempt to reduce taxation is always 'stinkerlng with the tariff.'' The object of protection, as you know, is to enable tbe producer to sell his goods at an increased price over what he would be otherwise able to secure in the open market. The higher the tariff, of necessity, the higher the price charged the from the responsibility Of the evils brought upon the country by. the enactment of the Mckinley law, republican orators and papers declared these evils the result, not of what the republi- cans had done, but of what the democrats might possibly do. It other words, in order to escape condemnation for the evils resulting from their own vicious legisla- tion, repu ublicans are driven to the assump. tion that the people shrank with horror from the contemplated tariff reform for which they had so earnestly and emphati- cally declared at the polls. Can more monstrous assumption be imaginedf It is one that discredits the intelligence of the American people. Both at the elections of 1890 and of 1892 the Mckinley law had been condemned. In the lightof historic facts, then, does any sane man believe that depleted treasury, and almost bankrupt country, resulted from fear that 8 demo- cratic congress might do exactly what it had been elected to do-reform the tariff and lessen to he people the cost of the nec- essaries of lifef No, my fellow citizens, I trust you will not be deceived, The en-