Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-06-27
FIXING THE RESPONSIBILITY.
Speech Delivered In Debate by William
sharp, Of silver Creek. at the Closing
Exercises of the Lawrence County
High School, june 22, 1895.
QUESTION:

sponsiblc for the present condition OF the coun-
try.
"He who dares not reason is cow
ard; he who will not reason is bigot;
he who cannot reason is fool" Let
us see how this applies to the conten-
ton of my opponents.
The people of this Republic have
been sorely betrayed and disappointed
by the Democratic party, and they
have right to feel disappointed and
resentful. For 20 years they were told
by the politicians of that party, that it
was the Ubiquitous Republican protec-
tive tariff that was expressing the far
mer and laboring man and making
them poorer and poorer every year and
the "times hardr They said the Re
publican party had had control of the
government ever since the beginning
of the war, and what was needed was
to just turn the Republican rascals out
and give the grand old Democratic
party a chancel Oh yes, just give her
a chance, and in a little while this
grand country of ours which they
said was groaning under the heel of
Republican oppression and class legis-
lation, would soon be blooming with
prosperity like the traditional Rose of
Sharon. Tariff reform was the battle
cry. The campaign of 1892 between
the two old parties was fought out on
that issue. The people took the Dem
ocratic leaders at their word and the
Democrats elected their ticket by an
unprecedented majority. When the
smoke of battle lifted it was found that
the victory was complete-that the
Democrats had the President and both
branches of Congress;-theirl long Gov
eted chance to redeem the country had
been realized!
My hearers, how have the seductive
and glittering promises of the Demo
cratic party been redeemed?
Let the awful financial panic of 1893,
whose blighting effect on all the indus
tries of the country is still seen on ev-
cry hand, answer. Let 5 cent cotton
answer. Let 80 cent wheat and cheap
farm stock and cheap everything else
which our farmers raise all over this
country, answer. Let the issuance of
S162, 100000 of Understanding bonds,
issued by the Cleveland Administra-
ton in time of peace for National
bankers to fatten upon while they
fleece the people by extortionate inter
est, answer. Let the armies of militia
called out simultaneously in six States
of this Union the second year of the
Democratic jubilee THAT was to be- to
quiet strikes and labor troubles, an
swer. Let Coxey's army of tatterde
mallions marching on Washington,
while the minions of plutocracy trem-
bled in conscience guilt of of wrongs
perpetrated against the honest masses,
and the 100000 of trampS and idle Ia
borers throughout the country, the
second year of Democratic control, an
swer Let the Standard Oil Trust, the
Coal Trust, the Iron Trust, the Sugar
Trust and the Whisky Trust, which
contributed literally to the National
Democratic campaign fund, and which
we're able, by this "puV' on Demo
cratic Congressman to SO deform the
Reform tariff bill that Cleveland de
nounced and refused to sign il, let all
these stand up and answer.
1t will not do to say all these crimi-
mating facts, as our opponents claim
were simply the legitimate fruition of
the Republican policy hitherto pur-
sued. The Democratic party was en-.
trusted with power under pledge to re-
deem the country from the abuses OF
Republican misrule, not initiate the
Republican party as they did and are
still doing. Claiming before the cleo
ton that Tariff Reform was the over.
shadowing issue and necessity of the
country, the new Democratic Admins
tration had not been in office six
months before an extra session of Con
gress was called-not to revise the tar
if, but to legislate on the money ques-
ton, because Cleveland and his Secre-
tary of the Treasury had patterned af-
ter the Republican policy, played into
money sharks, and helped them to Gre
ate a financial panic in order to de-
monetiZe silver and get more govern
ment bonds issued for the National
Banks to operate upon.
The Republican party, with the as
sistance of the Democrats in Congress,
demonetized silver in 1873, and in 1893
the Democratic party, with the assist
ance of the Republicans, struck it down
again, it having been meanwhile par
TALLY restored to its former status as a
money metal.
Now the Democratic leaders from
the President down, are proclaiming
from Yuba Dam to Kalamazoo that the
bill Cleveland stigmatized as bearing
the marks of party perfdy and party
dishOnor, has settled the question of
Tariff Reform and that the currency or
money question is the great overshad-
owing issue, just as it was when he
called Congress in extra session in
1893. The battle between the Demo
cratic silver-bug and the Democratic
gold-bug is getting faster and more
furious day by day, with the Republi-
can silver-bug and the Republican
gold-bug lined up in the same way, but,
my hearers, the long promised Demo
cratic prosperity train has never yet
rolled up to the station anywhere, and
the cry of hard times is still universal.
The Democratic party not response
BILE for the present distressed condi-
ton of the country! Why, you might
as well try to prove that Satan is not
the author of sin.
Friends, let us no longer close our
eyes to facts, or allow selfish Demo
cratic politicians to continue to mis-
lead us on this party question to our
own hurt as people. What our coun-
try needs is new political reform
party, based on enduring principles of
truth, equality and justice, manned
and led by patriots. Both old parties
are hopelessly honey combed with
demagoguery and corruption. l be-
seech you, in the name of the boys and
girls of this audience and others yet
unborn to let us have change.
..once to every man and nation comes the mo-