St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-11

the great army of wage earners in en-.
forced ldleneSS. and poverty and want
the common lot. 1t is no figure of
speech 10 say that, literally. men were
begging their brothers of the earth to
give them leave to toll"
Bear in mind that this was the actual
condition while the Mckinley law was
still i'll 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 Re-
publican leaders are now confronted.
What is their answer? What eXplaua-
tion do they give you as to this terrible
condition of our business industries
under the Mckinley law, their own
darling enactment? They cannot deny
! the fact that these conditions sprang
into existence under the Mckinley law.
but they tell you they were the resultof
a want of confidence felt by the country
IN the Democratic party. As this has
been the burden of their complaint in the
press and upon the stump, let it have
areful examination. What is their
CHI large? That the financial depression
under which the country was stagger-
ing when the Democracy came into
power, was caused Uy an apprehension
"a fearful foreboding upon the part of
the American people-that President
Cleveland and his party were incom-
petent to administer the government,
and that all busi.iesS was to suffer de-
rangement, if not paralysis, by the
threatened reduction of tariff taxation.
L beg you TO reflect upon this assump.
tion for one moment.
Who Elected Cleveland
and solemnly declared that after almost
lifetime of Republican misrule, all
branches of the government should
again PASS under Democratic control?
Have you forgotten that the American
people. by plurality OF 1872 in the
electoral college, elected Cleveland
over his Republican competitor?
Have you forgotten that his popular
vote exceeded that of Harrison 3S0, 900?
And yet, Notwithstanding the fact that
the people by this unprecedented ma
jOrity elected Cleveland, you are told
that the people at once, and before his
Inauguration, distrusted him. You are
told that the people Immediately cons
templated with apprehension 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 administra-
ton was the result of apprehension upon
the part OF the American people that
the Democratic president and congress
would endeavOr to thinker with the
tariff" Can a more monStrouS aSSump-
tiOn Do imagined? 1t is one that dis>
credits the intelligence of the American
people. Both at the elections of 1890
and of 1892. the Mckinley law had been
condemned. In the light of historic
facts, then, does any sane man believe
that depleted treasury. and almost
bankrupt country, resulted from fear
that Democratic congress might do
exactly what 1t had been elected to do
reform the tariff and lessen to the peo-
pie the cost of the neceSsarieS Of life?
No, my fellow citizens, l trust you will
not be deceived. The enforced ldlenesS
which has brought sorrow to so many
hearts and hearthStOneS was the direct
| result of what Republican congress
had done, aud not of what 1t was feared
the incoming Democratic congress
might do.
Have Promises Been Redeemed?
l come now 10 consider the question
as to how Tar the Democratic party has
redeemed its promises-how well it has
Kept faith with the people. 1t promised
a reduction OF the expenditures OF the
government. This promise has been
made good by reduction of the ex-
penditures S2S,00O,O0O over those of the
previous year. when the executive and
the senate were Republican. In this
cOnnectiOn.it must be remembered also,
that the sum appropriated by the pres
ent Democratic congress for pensions
exceeded by s20,000,000 that appropriat-
ed for the same purpose by the Repub-
llcan "blllOn-dOllar congress-"
The Sherman silver purchase law was
| repealed, the OdiOus federal elections
laws wiped from the statute books, the
| tax On whisky increased from 90 cents
to 81 20 per gallon, tax put on playing
| cards, the income tax passed and 600
| useless federal offices abolished, all
this in addition 10 the revision of the
| tariff on lines that will encourage COM
merce and manufactures, cheaper arti-
cles of necessity and provide sufficient
revenues for the governments needs.
The income tax is one of the methods
! devised by a Democratic congress TO
meet the imperative necessities of gov
| ernment. Do you desire its immediate
repeal? If so. elect a Republican con-
greSS, repeal the income tax. and there.
by add sS0,OO0,O0O of annual taxation
upon the articles of daily consumption.
now ask your attention to conSid-
Grafton of other sections of the tariff
and the senate and is now the law of the
it is not all that | desired. There never
was moment that l would not gladly
| have given the casting vote in the sem
| ate in favor of the tariff bill as it passed
| the house of representatives. From the
beginning | have been a firm believer
in the doctrine OF free raw material.
But it must not be forgotten that, while
the house of representatives con-
tanned Democratic majority of
near 100. our majority was but
one in the senate. In fact. with every
state fully represented in that body,
there would probably have been no
| Democratic majority at all. The senate
| contained but fortyfour Democrats. and
| with the Republican senators voting
| Solldly against the bill at every stage,
| 1t can easily be seen that in a body so
nearly balanced, tariff reform had no
| easy battle to fight. At one critical
moment of the struggle, the bill was
| only saved by the casting vote of the
| presiding officer of the senate. | have
| thus gone somewhat into details in
| order that you may realize something
| of the difficulties under which the
| present law was enacted. Recalling, as
| do, the hostility of Republican sena-
! tors TO the tariff bill from the moment
| it crossed the threshold of that chamber,
| | can only wonder that 1t ever became a
law. Firmly believing, as / do, that
beneficial results must follow 1t passage,
rejoice with you in Its triumph. and
| that the Mckinley law is no longer
| upon our statute books. In determining
! the merits of the present tariff law COM
| parison should be made, not with any
ideal tariff bill, but with existing law
| the Mckinley law then in force.
Millions For Sugar Bounty.
| The Mckinley law gave to the sugar
| planters bounty of two cents per
pound upon their product. This was
| to extend for period of fifteen years
| from the passage Of the bill. 1t was
| paid out of the treasury of the United
| States, and amounted during the last
year to the enormous sum Of S12, 1000, 900.
| The tariff bill just passed by Demo-
cratic congress repealed this sugar
bounty, and removed from the statute
| books this odious class legislation, 1t