Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-08-01
M,KlNLEY AS \ cANploATE.
kattle Prospect OF q Revival OF the Ultra
Protection Law.

rs a candidate for the repu blican presi- |
Dental nomination should depend on |
comparison of the apparent results of
his tariff and those of the present
tariff, he would get left by a large ma
jority. a few weeks ago the McKin-
ley organs were disconnected to find
that the silver question was the upper
most thought in the public mind, be-
cause it had a tendency to hide the
benefactions of the tariff of 1890, and
the calamities OF that of 1894. Now
the danger is that the contrast be-
tween them will become too glaring,
and that the offenses OF Mckinley. as
the chief engineer OF the repu blican
defeats of 1890 and 1892, will be too
freshly brought to mind. For it is not
to be denied that the contrast is very
great We publish elsewhere a care
fully prepared statement of the show
ing in a large number of protected in
dustries, telling US how employment
has Increased and how wages have ad-
vaneed in protected manufacturing in
dUstries since the Wilson bill became a
law, and the contrary effect in the
same shops after the Mckinley tariff
went in force.
We shall not take an unfair advan-
We do not accept the maxim: Post hoe
ergo Propter hoe. These figures do not
prove that the Mckinley tariff was
worse than the Wilson tariff, or that
the latter was better than the former.
The fact is that the difference between
them was not sufficient to account for
the industrial changes here recorded.
There We're other everything causes,
and among these the currency, or rath-
-er the credit question dependent
upon the currency question, was by far
the most important The Sherman act,
so-called, by which four million five
hundred thousand ounces of silver were
bought each month and added to the
fat money of the country. shook CON
fidence on both sides of the ocean in
the standard ofwalue. Gradually, but
with increasing volume, capital was
withdrawn from the country, taking
the form >pf gold exports, which be-
came so large that after this act had
been III force two years and half a
genuine alarm filed the public mind.
The panic of 1898 was the eonse-
quencs. 1t came just at the right time
to enable the McKinleyites to say that
1t was caused by the election of C1eve-
land and democratic congress. They
4VdlIGQ themselves OF the maxim f,OSG
hoe Eropter hoe to the fullest extent,
and they persuaded the workingmen
of this country, who had lost employ
ment and had had their wages cut
down, that this was the true cause of
their sufferings. The workingmen
could not understand the mysteries of
finance, and although the democratic
party, under the lash of President
Cleveland, actually did the only thing
that.could possibly restore confidence
and revive business, by repeating the
Sherman act. they voted by over
wheiming majorities for republican
congress.
1t takes time to bring prosperity
back after so rude a shock as that
which the business of the country re-
"ceiVed in 1893, but the true remedy was
applied and the result was sure to fol-
low. 1t has now come. The McKin-
1eyites: are trying, in a feeble way, to
play their old trick over again AS
they said before that the panic was
caused by the apprehension of what
the democratswould do, although they
had actually done nothing, so they are
saying now that the good times are
caused by the hope of what the re-
publicans will do, although they have
'NOhC dISA CIcTS IS .iAC
chance. of their, doing anything tariff
wise fOr.two years to come.
This rs IAN argument that will not
bearsclose examination. It may serve
for the campaign of. this fall. but not
for next year. Long before the autumn
&af 1896 1T will have worn out. Most
likely the campaign of 1896 will turn
on other questions than the tariff, but
If the tariff lis then uppermost the
most effective battle cry will be to
--let 1t alone" That will be the fetch
ing argument with the worbingmen.
aud to;a large extent with their eRa-
ployers also. In that case Mckinley
viii bemnavailahle, because he stands
for ehange-the same kind of a
change that he made before. Es-
pee:aalg will he be committed to re-
store and even increase the duties on
wool, in accordance will. the demands
of the MOo[growinG triumvirate,
Lawrence, Harpster and Delano And,
of course, any change in reference to
wool must bring in corresponding
changes in w0olens, worstedS. mixed
goods, textiles of all kinds; in short,
everything that anybody wants if he
has a pull" with the committee of
ways and means. Does the republican
party want to wake up the spirit that
smote it In 1890? If so, it cas- be
pretty sure of doing it by making Nc
Kinley its candidate next year.-N. Z.