Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-11-20
What of the Political Future !

NIHI vi Tic POLITICAL future
ED. HERALD AND T~RIBUNE-Let me
answer the above question:
Several years ago, a leading Repub-
lican speaker referred to the Democrats
as exceedingly lean and very hungry.
This was before they reached official
power under Grover Cleveland. Then
after their failure to destroy the Union
of our States, they had been for more
than two decades entirely out of official
joint. AS Grover Cleveland would put
1t, they had been resting on very far
back governmental" benches. OF
course, they were lean and hungry.
Under Grover Cleveland s first acct
dental accession to power, they had Il
partial opportunity to appease their
hunger, and, now for nearly three years
of his second official reign, the lean
and hungry ranks have been up to
their eyes in official fodder, oats and
corn. The American people now esti-
mate them about fat enough to kill.
This is exactly how the thinking, de.
liberately acting American people look
at, and see, and know the facts before
them. From 1860 up to March 4, 1898,
the country was under control of Re.
publican laws. Cleveland's first ad.
ministration was not coupled with
Democratic legislative power. The
thirty two year period referred to
stands unparalleled in human history.
First the suppression Of the greatest
rebellion of all time, and the firm es-
Enlistment of the leading Republican
government in the world; and second,
under what may be called our peculiar
American protective policy has oc,
Cured a continuous prosperity of the
people unparalleled in all financial
history. The wealth of the people
real, personal and mixed, having dur
ing that period, changed from sixteen
thousand millions to fully sixty thou.
sand millions of dollars.
That peculiar American protective
tariff policy may be stated comprehen-
sively and truly in these few words,
I'VE grind for our own people, practi'
cally, free of charge; but the grists
brought in by the outside world are
required to pay a reasonable toll. ,
Grover Cleveland leading the lean and
hungry Democracy declared in favor
of abolishing, practically, this reguIa.
ton of toll, and in lieu Thereof charging
outsiders what Democrats STYLED a
toll for revenu o~nly''-that is, a rate
of toll SO low and little, that the out,
side world could get their grinding
done here, cheaper than at home. The
change was, as per threat, TO have
been made, but was only a little over
half made. This but little over halt
of a very bad and un-American policy,
however, in its operation of some two
years, has accomplished two things.
First, the large amount of free grind.
ing for outsiders mostly English, you
know has so diminished the public
revenues as to increase the public in
terest bearing bonded debt about
$1,000 600 600 a year. The masses of the
people note this fact: That under Ben
Harrison's four years administration.
just preceding CleveIand's accession
to lean and hungry Democratic power.
over $500, 900, 900 of the public bonded
debt was paid; and, the full 500, 000. O0C
of gold reserve left in the treasury to.
gether with 500, 600, 900 of gold and a
large cash balance in paper for current
expense purposes; and had the pro.
tective system been continued and Ben
Harrison reelected the reduction of the
public debt would have continued al
the rate of $75, 000, 900 per annum. This
the people now know with the same
certainty that Cleveland and his lean
and hungry followers have been and
are now, practically robbing the public
treasury at the rate of 800, 900, 600 pei
annum.
Second, the lean and hungry Demo.
cratic threat of an entire change of the
revenue system and their actual change
to the extent of a three fourth adop
ton of free grinding, has, by the stop.
page OF manufacturing industries, the
loss of employment, the lowering OF
wages, and consequent lowering the
demand and therefore reducing
prices of farm products, and the gen.
eral shrinkage of real, personal and
mixed estates, caused a general los:
to the country of not less than twenty
five thousand millions of dollars.
The consequence has been and is
that the masses of the people of the
country embracing not alone those Of
the Republican faith but a large per.
centage of the better classes of sensible
Democrats registered a very deliberate
and powerful action at the ballot box
in 1894, and a yet more energetic and
powerful action in 1895, and in 1885,
their registered action will amount tc
such an upheaval as to drive the lean
and hungry clans with their paramount
leader SO far back and off of the off
cial government benches as to leave
them out of sight for many long de
cades to come.
Before dropping my pencil, let me
add this: All the supposed e%ffrontry
and brass of the devil, himself, a moi
equal that of Democratic leaders in
ascribing the hard times and shrinkage
OF values TO other supposed cause.
aside from the tariff changes. The
people know their assertions to be false
and have so voted, and will continue
to vote to the close of this and Ions
into the coming century.
OTn REprrpn ~. -