Fair play., 1895-08-31
EXPOSED DECEPTION.
Voters Last Fall We're BuE-oed by Re-
publican MfSrepresentations.

i
| 1t is largely assumed by our repub-
| lican friends that the men of demo-
cratic antccedents who voted the re-
| publican ticket last fall will do 50 this
| wear and next for the same reason.
| Hence they entertain very lively hopes
| of victory in kentucky this year and
| of sweeping the country next year.
| This view omits several important
| factors Last year the republicans
told the people 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 Il law last August
would be followed hy reductions of
| wages, suspensions OF the mills and
general distress. They also promised
that If control of the house was given
them they would put an end TO tariff
agitation.
In view Of this plan of campaign, yet
fresh in the minds of the people, SEN
ator Lexuv, of New York, recently
said that the rise IN wages must neces-
sarily be temporary, for unless 1t was
SO the republicans ''were wrong and
had been wrong all the time. Yet
the increase III wage, has continued
and now they are higher in some in
stances than they were before the
panic This is a revelation to more
people than Senator Lexow. 1t must
be especially a 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 o! the sherman
act was stated long ago by Senator Jones' OF
Nevada, whs was Ons 0! the con!erre@S. The
Mckinley bill was sent TO the senate by the
house about the middle OF May. Senator
Jones' servci notice on his rcpibhcan col
leagues when the silver bill was il conference
committee early In July that II the committee
did not agree enough votes Of republican sem
ators from silver states would he cast against
the Mckinley bin. which had not been taken
Up for consideration 1t that TIM, to defeat /:
That threat was eT ,ctire, ant the silver COM
promise bin was passed, and then the Mciiin-
ley bill went through afterwari. Every one
can see now that 1t would have been far bet
ter for the republican plrty 81 that threat ha !
been treated with Indifference Had the re-
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 1899 and 1872 and to pass
the Wilson, Ormau bill There would have
been industrial panic in lst2si II there
had been no Legislation on the silver question
there would have been no increased purchases
of silver ana no fllnciii panic in 1898
The candid ana truthful statement
is taken from that well-known rcpuh
I,.il. sc
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
and general distress were due To the
accession of the democrats to power
and the tariff lcgisla ton that followed.
Such republicans as senator LcXow
and the editor of the Tribune see
clearly enough now that this is not the
case, and it is not to be presumed that
the democrats who were deceived last
fall can be induced to vote the repub-
lican ticket a second time for the same
reason.
shows that the corrupt bargain 10y
which the Mckinley bill and the Shcr-
man bill became laws was at the bot
tom of all the business troubles of the
last two years. The Wilson bill, there
fore. had nothing to do with them, and
if business revival and advance of
wages should not be permanent it will
he due entirely u matters affecting
the currency, and not at all to the re-
vision of the tariff. The currency agi-
tation is the only thing which now
threatens the continuance of prosper
ity. Whether the republicans, when
congress meets, will keep their pledge
not to revive tariff agitation remains
to be seen. At all events. it is pretty
clear that they will not be able to
work the tariff as the cause OF husi-
ness depression for any democratic
votes at the coming election. That de-
ception has been pretty ctfectually cX-
posed by the ''inexorable logic OF
events" louisville Courier,Iournai.