The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-08-11


the bcncfcent effect Of . protective tarin IL
the laboring men OF the nation. they. too. viii
stop to ask how II happened that after an ex-
perlence OF more than thirty years undcr the
most rigid protective laws a free people ever
endured the first breath Of misfortune that
came could cover the country with organized
armies OF destitute men striving 10 reach the
seat OF government and lay before congress
their he plcsS condition that they might beg OF
IL for public assistance.
Surely system that was conceived In char
ity for lBboring men after q trial SO long And
so complete should have left them suffcient OF
the fruits of their toll to tide them over panic
OF a few short weeks without organized effort
TO bring the government TO their aid.
mo, gentlemen, this mask OF protection OF
American labor under which the eager recipi-
ents OF tarif favor have organized their trusts
and combines to suck the life blood from ths
very veins and arteries OF labor everywhere
has been torn by recent events until the man
who refuses to look through 1t and see thut II
covers nothing but the bony fingers OF greed
that have used IL so long and so we'll will de-
serve no sympathy IL he becomes or remains
the serf it has so largely helped 70 make OF SO
many.
And turning from the men NAo labor in the
protected industries to that ,~stly greater
body who cultivate our farms, operate our rail-
ways and conduct the innumerabe classes OF
business that none are SO brazen as to claim,
derive n direct benefit from protective laws.
democracy must ask them to stop long enough
crowded into the history of u country whose
destinies they hold in their own hands anc
control by their own votes.
"They, too, must remember we are standing
at the end of more than three decades Of a
| most intense protective policy on the part OF
the government: that no change in this policy
has yet been Effected; that 1t is still In prac-
tical force.
And what Is the result?
TRUSTS and combines every hand; the
| fruits of labor taken from the many and giver
| TO the few; millonares counted by the thou,
sands; homeless men by millions; rumblings
OF discomfort from every quarter, but loudess
| and longest in the very centers of the most
| highly protected industries Of the land; strikes
| and lockouts everywhere; armies OF idle men
| gathered in our cities and marching over
| the country, vaunting their destitution In the
! face of the world, with here and there the
howl OF the anarchist, the knife OF the assas-
| sin and brand of the incendiary emphasizing
| with fire and blood discomfort that has be-
come almost epidemic and threatens the sta
bility. of the government itself until the last
resort of a nation. an appeal to the military
arm for protection, has become n public neces.
sity.
surely there must be a cause for all this,
! Where is it to be found?
| Certainly not in any governmental policy
| for which the democratic party Is responsible,
| for In the whole period of n generation it has
been unable to subject any one of its theories
| to practical lest.
And equally certain it is that if these con-
| ditions are due in any degree or to any extent
to the acts of a political party the RESPONSE
bility for them must rest upon the shoulders
of that party whose theories have been nodded
| into laws that for thirty odd years have con-
trolled the policy of the government
May we not, theref ore well inquire whether
we have not carried the theory of paternal
government that is to single out one or many
branches of business and give them the aid OF
governmental protection, which simply means
Of t,lyf
class to give to another up 30 the danger line of
experiment and are we not already sufficiently
warned that some change in the political policy
of the government is necessary II We would
preserve it for generations to Gomez
And what theory, let me ask, is 1t possible
TO evolve that would be more likely to bring
peace to torn and distracted country than that
to which the democratic party is pledged; q
policy that formulated into law would simply
mean equal and exact justice to all with special
privileges to none coupled with faithful hon
est and economical administration OF public
affairs.
Il wish l could stop here and look forward
with undiminished Conscience to the final cone
summation of the wishes and faithful fultilment
of the promises of the party as l understand
them. know. however, cannot do this
1t would be a cowarGly evasion of truth to
attempt to conceal the fact that the democratic
party has reached acrisis in its history that
threatens its welfare II not its life.
I'm what now say speak for no faction in
that party, for no man or set of men within 1t,
for l have neither right authority to
so speak.
"As an individual may rightly express my
, views on a matter of such grave Importance to
the party of which am member, and avail
ing myself of this privilege want to say that
when the history OF this administration is
written, l hope it will not contain the state
ment that the democratic party of this union
was incapable of keeping to any extent or in
any degree the principal promise upon which
1t rode into power.
!, within the party councils want the voice
once. want, gentlemen H. to realize that we live
in Il country Of vast, of varied and sometimes
conflicting interests that affect different local
tiles in different ways: that many general laws
must of necessity be the result of COMPROMISED
= and 1 want the democratic members In congress
! to agree upon the very best measure of tariff
, reform it is possible to pass and make it the
. law of the land without further delay.
Il want this because 1t is better than moth
ing and because 1t will be an honest effort on
the part of these members to carry out as far
as possible the pledge OF their party as they
understand it.
If 1t does not come up to the requirement of
that pledge as L read it will not lay down my
: arms; l will not consider the matter settled;
will say frankly that my party has not been
able to keep in all its parts and to it's full ex-
tent one of the pledges 1t made upon which it
Q was intrusted with power, and in my own way
4 to the extent of ths influence 1 am able to ex-
n ert will help to keep the wheels of reform in
: motion until all that has been promised Is
: faithfully performed. This is my view of the
duty of democrats in this crisis both in and out
: | of congress-"