The Monticellonian., 1894-10-19

DiIlty or the evils brought upon the country
 by the enactment of the Mckinley law, re-
 publican orators and papers declared these
 evils the result, not of what the repub-
 licans had done, but Of what the democrats
 might possibly do. In other words, in
 order to escape condemnation fur the evils
 resulting from their own vicious legislation,
 republicans are driven to the assumption that
 the people shrank with horror from the con-
 templated tarin reform for which they had so
 earnestly and emphahcally declared at the
 polls, Can more monstrous assumption be
 imagined' It is one that discredfts the intelli-
 Pence of the American people Both at the
 elections of 1890 and of fs9!, the Mckinley law
 had been condemned. In the light Of historic
 facts, then, dnes ;sa.g zaare man believe th,yt.
 depleted treasury, and almost bankrupt coun-
 try, resulted from a fear that a democratic congress might do exactly what 1t had been
 elected to do reform the tariff and lessen to
 the people the cost of the uecnssaries of life:
 No, my fe.iuw-c.tizens. 1 trust You will not be deceived, The enforced idleness which has
 brought sorrow 10 p many hearts and hca-th-
 stones was the direct result Of what a Tcpub- lican congress had done. and not O. what 1t
 was feared the incoming democratic congress might do The people were neither taken by surprise nor alarmed by the bold declaration in President Cleveland's inaugural in favor of reduced taxation. Tarin reform had been the shibbo.eth during the campaign. As I have sad both in the platform and in debate, 1t was the batte cry Of the supporters of Cleveland and the democratic party. The people de- handed q reform of the tariff, and the declar- ptiol ny the president and the bill passed by the house of representatives at the late ses- sion, but voiced the will of the people as de- elared it the ballot box Again my country men. beg of you not to be deceived. but to hold to a just accountability the republican leaders who are solely responsible for the ter ribie condition from which the country is now happily emerging
 Bear in mind that from March L 1861 until the inauguration Of Cleveland on the 4th of March. 1893, there was no single moment that the democratic party controlled the presidency and both houses of congress, never moment that 1t could place q single law upon your stat ute books. For all Of the legislation during that period which has brought in it's train financial disaster, monopoly, combinations and trusts the republican party Is alone re- sronsihle. And yet by republican orators we are condemned in one breath that we have done too much, and in the next that we have not accomplished more Is it not unreaSon- able to demand that democratic congress in single year repeal all Of the il-adFised enae4,r mcnts of third of q century of republican domination?
 T come now to consider the question as to how far the democratic party has redeemed its promises how well il has kept faith with the people. + promised 3 reduction of the ex- FeHditures Of the gaEernmcut. This promise has teed made good by a reduction ot the ex- penditares Of twcntyeight millions of dollars over those Of the previous year. when the cx- ecutive and the senate were republican. In this connection, il must he remembered also that the sum appropriated by the present dem ocratie congress for pensions exceeded by twenty millions that appropriated for the same purpose by the republican billion-dollar con gross
 ass tI,aa ti, sion of congress, convened soon after Presi- Gent GleTeiaud'S inauguration. was consumed In tepeaHng the herman law, passed by a re- publican congress and approved by q rcpub= lican president: This iIt-adyised enactment. which i'll q large measure, destroyed silver money Us part of our circulating medium, re- qured the annual purchase of hfty-four mill ion ounces of silver bullion, and this at an an nual eest If little les than fiity million dol lars, and the bullion thus purchased was, as } ou know, heaped up as so much merchandise in the vaults of the treasury Tne great re- Pub-iean lender Senator sherman. the author ot the bill, vote, for the repeal of the purehas- faE clause indicated. eandidly canfsssHg that the law had not met he expectation, of those who enacted it. and that is longer continuance upon the statutc huuts would prove disastrous u the c3uAtrx. Thus you will sce that the democratic administration and congress, at the outset were confronted with
  by the confession Of republican leaders q only brought Gnsncidl disaster.
 What further has the democratic congress accomplished: HE it's platform and the utter ances of its candidates, the democratic plrty stood pledged 10 the repeal of the odious fed erui election laws 1hesc laws placed upon our st tute books when the republican party Was n the heyday of power. provided for the iuterposition of armed deputy United States rngrshals at the polls. It would be dtdicult to conceive ef lcst>latien more hostile to the spirit ui our tree institutions or more de- struutiXc of the rights of the elector For }cats taey haa s,o4l constant menaee 10 the freedom Qt tac ta.iot-boN. By the act of the democratic toa -iess, approved by a demo- cratic pIessgeut. these cnactueHts, like repub- Acdn force bills and the old federal allen and >tdllion I9vs have become things 0f the plst 1t will excite the Wouder of those who come alter IL now laws. so hateful as1 tyrannicll could ever have received the approval of the huerican congress.
 "1he democratic congress has increased the from ninety cents to one collar and ten .cStS per gallon on distilled spirits. This will Increase government revenues annually twenty millions of dollars Lo8ou in the in- .erCst of the whisky tfust desire this law re- eEed Tho democratic congress has placed , tax on playing cards, which as you KNOW, were untaxed ndcr the Mckinley law
  dollars per annum. Do you wish this provision ,f the new Jaw repealed and the old law re- stored If so, your pathway of duty is clear. Vote te return to congress the rt publican law makers who opposed the tariff upon playing cards and the increased tax upon whisky.
 But again, what has thlS democratic con yress accomplished? You wil Lear in mind that the billion-dollar congress controlled by he republicans created more than twelve hundred new federal offices at a total annual 'ost to the people of more than two million !ollarS. The present democratic congress, by series of wise and weI-considered enact ueRte, greatly simplified and improved ad- methods In the several depart nents of the government by means of which more than six hundred useless federal offices ave been abolished and governmental ex- Dcnsos thereby lessened annually to the eX- eut of near one million dollars.
 "Oue section of the democratic tariff bill just 'naeted provides fer the payment of an income 8N. Individual incomes Of less than four thou sand dollars are wholly exempt from this tax savings banks and building and loan aSsocia- ions are exempt from this tax. This wise ex- 'mption Is in the interest of small investors md depesitors Upon other corporations and jUon individual incomes exceeding that amount tax of two per cent Is to be collected. As this cature of the illhaS encounteretherce hoStil. ty both from republican legislators and press t k well to give Il consideration Two ques- ions at once arise Is this a just enactment. Was fl necessary Its enactment became a necessity because of the bankrupt condition n which the passage Of the Mckinley law and he extravaganza of the republican congress lad plunged the country. It's enactment was he logical result of the vicious republican leg station that had brought deficit instead of surplus to the treasury.
 The duty of the democratic congress when t came into power, to provide the necessary avenues with which to meet the current ex- perses Of the government, was Imperative