The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-02-10
a DEMocRATTc CRITIC.

At recent dinner of democratic clubs
In Baltimore, President Ingalls,, of the
Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, responded
to the toast, "The Democratic Platform
of 1892" His speech throughout was
caustic criticism of the party for failing
to do what was expected of it.
Your committee requested me to re-
spond to the sentiment of s'The Chicago
Platform of 1892" That platform con-
tains much matter, much more than
would wantet take up in an after-dinner
speech, SO I propose to confine myself to
the following words from the third Sec
tion of that platform:
ssWe declare it to be fundamental
principle of the democratic party that
the federal government has no constitu
tional power to impose and collect tariff
duties except for the purpose of revenue
only. ~
This is the meat of what is known as
the "tarif resolution" This was passed
in the summer of 1892, when business
was good, everybody prosperous, and
the government had plenty of revenue.
Whether, on account of the disturbance
of business affairs and the depression
that has arisen since the meeting of that
convention, it would have passed the
same resolutions now, is a question.
This is for our leaders TO consider.
Now, what is the duty of the demo-
cratic party in such state of affairs?
Instead of obeying the mandate of the
people, they propose to try little ex-
pertinent of their own and initiate Nc
Kinley. Was ever such folly? The
gentleman who fathers this measure,
whose name is given to it, is distin-
guished member of congress, coming
from a little village up in the mountains
of the state of West Virginia. He has
had a large experience as a college pro-
lessor and as country lawyer and as
member of congress. He is student of
the doctrine of free trade, and well edu-
Gated as a theorist. By some chance he
Is made chairman of the committee on
ways and means, and is put astride of
the commerce of this country, and pur-
poses to demonstrate his theories, al
though in SO doing he may wreck the
COunLry anu MS party.
Politically 1 am against this bill, for
just as sure as you place coal and iron
ore upon the free list, so sure will Vir-
ginia and West Virginia leave the demo-
cratic column at the next election. Tell
me, where are you to get the electoral
votes to take their place? Can you pla-
cate mugwumps enough in New Eng
IN ~ ~,
you lose in the South? What justifca-
tion is there for free coal? None, ex-
cept that the books say that raw mate
rial should be free, and this committee,
with no business experience, but we'd
ded to their theories, have classed coal
as raw material, where every ton at
the mouth of the pit represents so per
cent Of labor and 10 per cent of material,
and when it comes in competition with
foreign coal in New England it repre-
sents 96 per cent of labor and per cent
of raw material. It would seem to me
that if you wished protection for labor,
here was better chance for it than any
where else. Who asks for free coal?
The people? No; no one except a few
New England and New York specula-
tors who rushed into Nova Scotia the
wcck after the election, when they
thought they could establish free trade,
and bought everything that could be
brought here if the duties were taken
off, from a coal mine to a lime kiln.
While ihis committee of ours graciously
allows the coal of Her Majesty Queen
Victoria to come in here and displace
our own and break down 500, 900 of our
laborers, the thrifty Canuck smiles and
still scharges go cents ton for all that
we sell in his western dominions. Verify
this committee of ways and means are
great and patriotic gentlemen.