Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-04-05
ATTACKS sr REPUBLICANS.
Shifting the Blame D0e 10 the Ras-htsnr
McEl;. Act

ATTACKS Ely REPUBLICANS.
Shifting the Blame Hoe 10 the Ras-htanr
Mckinley Act
The effronIery of the reru blican lead
ers and organs IN charging upon the
democratic party-En6 especially upon
the administration - the s1ringency
through which we have passed and the
resulting consequences to the business
OF the country is the most brazen thing
Of the kind the country has ever wit
messed II these leaders and organs
had any sense Of responsibility or of
shame they would be doing penanee in
sackcloth and ashes for the sad effects of
the conduct and reckless mismanare-
meut of their party instead of trying to
foist the responsibility upon the
shoulders of their political oppo-
nents. For it Is as clear as day to the
intelligence Of the world that in so far
rs the trou bles from which the country
has been suffering and still suffers can
be traced to the action Of any political
party, they are directly traceable to the
acton of the repu bhcan party.
Largely, Of course. they are due to
causes with which the country has had
long experimental extravaganza aud
over-confdence in business and to the
undue extension of credits which can
not with entire justice be charged to
any party. But we challenge success
full contradiction of the statement that
the bulk of our business troubles are
due directly to the extraragant ex-
penditures Of the repu bican party
10 r,oTvar md IN o1o
lation which bears the label OF that
party. That the result did not show
itself until that party had been driven
from power by an indignant and out
ragged people does not change the fact
It was clearly foreseen while the party
was in power and in the main as clear
ly predicted; and it was because it was
SO seen and predicted that the party
was driver from power.
That the Sherman silver law was in
great part responsible for our financial
troubles has been clearly, though
grudgingly, admitted by the more in
telligent leaders of the republican
party. That the Mckinley act is also
responsible to great degree is suscep-
itible Of the clearest proof. To 1t can
be traced directly the falling off in our
expectation Of breadstufs and other
staples which has been SO important a
factor in the diminution of our trade.
This WIS clearly foretold The trainers
OF the Mckinley act were distinctly
warned that the imposition which that
act contemplated on our purchases of
foreign goods meant retaliation in
kind 1t required no gift of prophecy
Il H.
the voice Of all experience: and the end
merely confirmed the teaching Of the
past Great Britain is nothing if not
commercial She buys Of those to
whom she can sell Finding that she
could not Sch to us she bought her
wheat as well as she could Of Russia
and the Argentine Republic, and her
cotton Of India sending in exchange
what she had to sell II was not senti-
Inent, but business She has bought OF
Us what she was compelled To, but she
has bought no more: and the conse
quence has been an enormous falling
off in our trade, sufficient alone to &C
count for half Of the disaster which has
befalien our business interests
The Mckinley act was responsible
also, very largely, for the overproduc-
ton in manufactures which has glutteo
our markets and brought about staCna-
ton. 1t has been the result of protec-
tive tariffs from their first inception.
The first effect is to unduly stimulate
manufacturing and thereby competi-
ton. Then follows that falling In
prices over which the short-sighted
protectionist gloats as the fruits Of his
pet policy. The next step is the scram-
bic to unload and this soon results in
staCnation. There Is nothing new in
the process. 1t Is as old as protective
tariffs are.
The most absurd Of the pretenses by
which 1t is sought to justify the attack
on the democratic party is that the
foundation of the trouble has been
dread Of tariff change. It is undoubf-
eddy true that the inaction and delay
in congress has produced, and is pro
ducing feeling of uncertainty which
initiates against the revival for which
we are all waiting. But it IS arrant
nonsense to talk Of the panic, SO called,
having been produced by anxious an
ticipation of tariff changes. Aside
from the fact that the blighting effect
Of the Mckinley act is abundantly sui
6cient TO account for the mischief done,
il is ] ,torious that because Of the evils
II foresaw from that act the country
voted overwhelmingly for those very
tariff changes which it is now repre-
sented as looking forward to with
gloom and forebo5iOg.-De Free