St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-09-21
THE DECEPTION EXPOSED.
Voters Last Fall Were Buncoed by Re
publican Misrepresentatsons.


publican misrepresentation.
It is largely assumed by our. repub-
lican friends that the men OF demo-
cratic an5eeedents who voted the re-
publican ticket last fall will do SO this
year and next for the same reason.
Hence they entertain very lively hopes
of q victory IN Kentucky this year and
of sweeping the country next year.
This view omits several important.
factors. Last year the republicans
told the peop1e and made some Of
them believe that the democrats
brought on the panic and were respon-
sible for the depression in business
They told the people that the tariff
bill which became a law last August
would be followed by reductions OF
wages. suspensions OF the mills and
general distress. They also promised
that il control of the house was given
them they would put an end to tariff s.l
agitation.
In view Of this plan OF campaign, yet
fresh in the minds OF the people, Sem
ator Lexow, of New York, recently
said that the rise in wages must neces-
sarily be temporary, for unless it was
so the republicans were wrong and
had been wrong all the time. Yet
the increase in wages has continued
and now they are higher In some in
stances than they were before the
panic. This is q revelation to more
people than Senator Lexow. Il must
be especially revelation to those who
thought last fall that the democrats
had caused the panic. What really
caused the panic is thus told in an ex-
change:
.The reason for the passage OF the Sherman
act was stated long ago by Senator Jones, OF
| Nevada, who was ons OF the conferrees. The
Mckinley bill was sent to the senate by the
house about the middle OF May. Senator
Jones served notice on his republican coi-
| leagues when the silver bill was In conference
committee early in July that II the committee
did not agree enough votes OF republican sem
ators from silver states would be cast against
the Mckinley BILL which had not been taken
| up for consideration at that time, TO defeat 10
| That threat was effective, and the silver con-
| promise bill was passed. and then the Mck1n-
| ley bill went through afterward. Every one
/ can see now that 1t would have been far bet
| ter for the republican party Il that threat had
i been treated with indidereneas Had the res
| suit been the defeat OF the Mckinley bill the
| democrats would have been deprived OF the
ammunition which enabled them to win the
| sweeping victories OF 1890 and 1892 and to pass
/ the Wilson-G Gorman bill There would have
/ been no industrial panic In l893-9A II there
had been no legislation on the silver question
/ there would have been nostnereased purchases
OF silver ana no financial panic IN 1893.
The candid and truthful statement
/ is taken from that well known repub-
lican paper, the Chicago Tribune, Of
/ July o. 1895. In the light of the facts
there set forth it is clear that the voters
who hold the balance Of power in the
elections OF last fall were buncoed by
being made to believe that the depres
sion in business, reductions Of wages
i and general distress were due to the
accession of the democrats to power
and the tariff legislation that followed
Such republicans as Senator LexoN
/ and the editor of the Tribune SET
i clearly enough now that this is not the
case, and it IS not to be presumed thai
fall can be induced to vote the repub
Iiean ticket second time for the same
reason.
/ The extract cited from the Tribune
shows that the corrupt bargain b5
which the Mckinley bill and the Sher
man bill became laws was at the bot
tom Of all the business troubles OF thu
last two years. The Wilson bill, there
fore, had nothing to do with them, ant
If business revival and advance q
{. wages should not be permanent it sviI
be due entirely to matters affecting
the currency, and not at all to the re
4 vision of the tariff. The currency agi
tation is the only thing which nov
threatens the continuance OF prosper
4 ity. Whether the republicans, whei
| congress meets, will keep their pledg'
not TO revive tariff agitation remains
to be seen. At all events, 1t Is prett,
clear that they will not be able +
Il work the tariff as the cause of busi
4 aess depression for any democrati
votes at the coming election. Thatde
ception has been pretty effectually es
posed by the s'inexorable logic Q
q events Louisville Courier-JonrnaL