Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-04-10
Senator Frye's Promises.

senator Frye is an enthusiastic NE
publican, and promises as follows:
"Give us Republican rule for single
decade, unlimited, uncrippled power,
and we will show the people the benef
icence of Republican legislation. We
will lift the bankrupt treasury to the
light of profusion and repletion, and
will raise sufficient revenue without an
odious income tax. We will restore
confidence and inspire courage, and
there will start spindles and water
wheels.
EVERY man who wants work will
have it, and at the wages of the crown
ing year of Republican rule, 1892. We
will place our flag on all the seas of the
earth, restore the merchant marine to
its place, and will increase our white,
strong armed squadrons SO that they
command the respect of all nations"
AS the Petersburg Inder-Appeal, a
non partisan paper, very truly OBJ
serves, that Senator ought not to need
reminder that the light of profusion
and repletion was not around the Uni
ted States treasury during the last
years of the Harrison administration,
but that long before the Democratic
success of November, 1899, the twilight
of diminishing income and increasing
expenditure was upon it. Whatever
faults Democratic administration
and Democratic congress may have
committed, everybody knows that
foreign trade had begun to shrink,
manufactures and mills to reduce their
output, and labor to ask for employ
ment, before the change of admins
tration of congress was made certain.
And about that navy, too. There is
belief abroad that Secretary William
G. Whitney, a Democrat, had fully as
important a part in it's creation as
Secretary William E. Chandler, and
that Secretary Herbert is it's good and
efficient friend to as great an extent as
Secretary Tracy was But where all
have favored the new navy so heartily
it is unfair to make comparisons. Sen
ator Frye should not have done it.
That merchant marine, however, the
hope of every statesman of every party
for generations, seems to require some
thing more than the lavish appropria
tions and technical skill that can with
certainty create navy. 1t is not toe
much to say that our merchant marine
steadily dwindled while the Republic
cans had the unlimited power which
the Senator Graves for them. They
controlled the finances of the country
the policy of the country. substantial
ly, for many years after 1866, when oul
foreign trade was enormous. but it il
not of record that they did anything,
or at any rate anything that was eff
fectual, to help our merchant ma
rine."
1t is easy to be Unfair, as Senator
RYE is, and easy to make promises, as
he does. If he finds pleasure in either
of these things, he can go on. Nobody
will wish to stop him. But we think
no greaterleYil could befall this fail
country than that any party SHOULD
have an assurance of ten years OF s'un
limited, uncrippled power" even il
every party were much better thar
the party for which the Senator
speaks. No party, even with the feal
before it of any year losing the popu
lar support, has shown itself entirely
fit to govern. entirely safe for the coun
try, entirely devoted to the carrying
ont of what are by the people general
ly looked upon as the Fundamental
ideas of the government. Remove the
fear of defeat, and inside of ten years
there would be experiments in govern
ment and excuses in expenditure that
would frighten Ocala and Omaha and
put Tom Reeds congressman to the
front as Representative economists.