The Colored citizen., 1894-09-10
A SAD ANNIVERSARY.
RECORD OF A YEAR OF DEMOCRATIC
LEGISLATION.
What the Party In Power Promised and
What It Has Accomplished-Poiit
wrangie and Disagree While Industry
Stands Still.


What Il Has Accomplished-Po Politicians
wrangie and Disagree While Industry
Stands stin.
Anniversary occasions are usually Joy
Gus ones, but there is nothing in the an
niversary of the meeting of the Demo-
cratic congress to suggest joy or salts
faction. The record Of the year of DEM
ooratic legislation is not pleasant one
for that party or the country to contem-
plate. One year ago the Democratic
congress met. 1t had been called in spe-
cial session by the Democratic president
to carry out the pledges Of the Demo-
cratic platform. It has been in session
practically the entire time since its
meeting on Aug. 2, 1898. The short in
terim between its special session and
the regular one, which met in Decem-
Der, was utilized by the ways and
means committee in framing the tariff
bill and by other committees in for
warding the work of the session, so
! that it may be, with propriety, said
that the country has had year of Dem
ocratic legislation.
What 1t Was Pledged to Do.
The Democratic congress when IL met
was pledged to do many things It was
elected under platform Of wonderful
promises Free trade, free voting at
elections, free manufacture of wildcat
money, free offices for ex-Confederates
and freedom from pension charges were
among the things which that wonderful
platform adopted at Chicago promised
and which the Democracy in congress
assembled was expected to carry out.
Everybody who supposed the Democra-
cv capable of carrying out it, promises
expected to see q radically low tariff
bill, repeal Of the tax on state bank
circulation, repeal of the silver law
by Democratic votes, new silver legisla-
tion which would give q safe addition
to the currency and utilize the product
of our silver mines. sweeping reduc-
tions in the pension expenditures, re-
forms which reduce the expenses Of the
government and repeal Of the laws en-.
acted for the protection Of the ballot
box.
| What It Has Done.
OF all the things which this Demo
cratic congress was pledged to do 1t has
done the only one which might have
been expected-that is, the repeal Of
the laws for the protection of the ballot.
For years the Democracy has smarted
under the election laws passed by Re-
publican congress, which protected
voters at the polls in the south and in
great cities, made it practicable for the
colored man to cast his vote and have
it counted and made it impracticable for
men to be voted over and over again or
for those who were not voters to be
thus utilized in tho great cities. This
has been the stronghold of the Democra-
cy. Force in the south and frauds in the
great cities have enabled it to obtain
and retain power. Hence II is not sur
prising that the Democracy made haste
to carry out the pledge Of its platform
which had promised repeal Of the elec-
tions law. This pledge was promptly
carried out, and it is the only one which
has been redeemed by Democratic votes.
The only other important measure pass
cd by this congress in accord with the
pledges Of the Democratic platform waa
the bill repeating the silver law, and
this was only passed by the aid and
earnest cooperation of the Republicans.
Without Republican votes it would
have failed.
| What 1t Has Not Done.
What the Democratic congress has
done in the way of redeeming party
pledges can be told in few lines, but
what it has not done would make vol
ume. What it has attempted to do and
failed by reason of party chickering's, in
nate weakness, lack of real party leader
ship and party principles, forms not
only remarkable chapter, but includes
practically every pledge of the party
platform. The pledge to give new and
satisfactory silver currency to the coun-
try has been disregarded, and it was
only by the earnest and laborious effort
| of the Republicans that the Democrats
were brought to the point of repeating
the silver purchasing law when the time
came that it should no longer remain
upon the statute books. Its pledge of
repeal of the tax ON state bank ciroula-
tion and permission to the country to
issue wildcat money failed to receive
sufficient Democratic support for its
passage.
The promise to reduce pension ex-
penditures by direct legislation the par.
ty did not have the nerve to carry out
but left il to subordinate officer, tho
head of the pension bureau, to accom-
plish this by indirect and unjust meth
DDS. This was attempted in wholesale,
but resulted in such sweeping denuncia-
tions from all over the country that it
was quickly abandoned. The attempt
to reduce the expenses of the treasury
proved an absurd fiasco, and instead Of
that the head of the treasury has plung-
ed the nation $50, 900, 900 more deeply
into debt and reduced the gold reserve,
which the Republicans had always held
sacred, until there seems today prob
ability that further increase in the in
debtedness by another bond issue will
be necessary. The tariff promise, over
which the Democracy had so long brood.
cd, has been as absolutely disregarded
as any of the numerous other pledges.