The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-08-01
UNWARRANTED ABUSE.

UNWARRANTED ABUSE.
The manner In which the opponents
of the ticket nominated at Chicago
have begun their campaign must rouse
the prefoundest resentment, of every
American regardfull Of the interests
and jealons of the honor of his country,
says the New York Journal. The re-
presentatives of half of the American
people have been denounced in de:
lirious language as anarchists, cut
throats and swindlers. Their chosen
candidate for the highest Office in the
republic has been pictured as q crazy
Jacobin or a designing demagogue.
Commerce and industry have been
threatened with the panic their'alarm.
lists Rave professed to fear.
This crusade has been one of .reck'
less misre presentation from the start.
The lfbellers of the late convention
know that the Chicago platform is not
anarchical. In most respecrs it ia in
spired by enlightened progressiveness.
The anarchical elements in the con.
vention-Tillman and Altgeld-were
distinctly frowned upon. Tillman was
hissed whenever he, rose to speak.
The mild implied criticism of the
majority of the supreme court, or,
rather, Of the one justice who changed
his mind, was thoroughly we'll de-
served, and might have been made
stronger without impropriety. Since
when have we been endowed with in.
fallible judges, whose acts are above
criticisn?. If the advocacy of the just
and scientific principle of the taxation
of large incomes was auarchistic, then
every statesman in England is an an
archist, and, instead of searching the
cellars of the houses of parliament for
barrels of gunpowder, the authorities
ought to search the pockets of every
mem Der for bon bs. The income tax
is tho: backbone of the British
financial system; it is about to be in
trodced. in a graduated form at that,
into France, and it already exists in
its most extreme degree-in Germany.
Decentralization of the practice of
substituting government by injunction
for the old, orderly processes of-courts
and juries,, 80 far from being revo
lutionary, is a vindication of. the
ancient rights of the English speak
ing race against novel and danger.
oas innovation which deserves the
name of.anarchy much better than
anything done at Chicago.
The platform reaffirms the principle
indorsed by a vast majority of the
people OF the United States, Of tariff
for revenue only. and protests against
to business that would
be caused by a return to McKinleyism.
There ia nothing incendiary in that.
In this point 1t is the Chicago platform
that is conservative and. the one
adopted ut St. Louis that Is revolution.
ary.
1--we hold" adds the democratic
profession of faith, "that the most
efficient way of protecting American
labor is to prevent the importation of
foreign paupers to compete with it in
the home Market" That is honest,
straightforward protection-the only
kind that does what it pretends to do.
The Chicago platform demands
and economy in govern
ment, and protests against the profit
gate waste of money that has charac-
terized republican legislation. That is
not the reckless spirit of a mob. 1t is
rather the sober utterance OF prudent
property owners and taxpayers, of
whom the Chicago convention was
principally. composed. =.
The : protest against arbitrary
federal interferepce in local affairs is.
one which jefferson would have COM
mended as the very foundation stone
of his political faith.
In denouneing- the attempt. to
swindle the government out of more
than 5000, 900, 900 by extending the
Pacific railroad debts the convention
was fighting anarchy, for there can be
no more dangerous anarchists than
those who are powerful enough to
override the laws and anass wealth
from the property of the people.
Moreover, the silver plank in the
Chicago platform does not deserve the
frantic vituperation levelled against it.
If Its authors were mistaken in their
methods, their aim was to introduce
bimetalism, and bimetalism is
theory with too much expert
authority on Its side to brand its ad
vocates as lunatics or incendiaries.
Nor is it possible with any more
sincerity to call Mr.. Bryan dema-
gogue. He the very reverse of.a
demagogue. He follows the truth as
he sees it, though 1t lead him to politi-
cal destruction. Last year he could
muster only ten thousand votes for his
faction in Nebraska out of over $780,
900, but he had no thought of com.
promise. He fought on, regardless of
victory or defeat, thinking only. of
what he believed to be right. If he;
had not been nominated nobody would
have dreamed of calling him a dema.
gogue. His spirit is rather that Of
prophet. .;..'-i-
On the other side we have William
bound .~hsnd, foot and
tongue to the most; corrupt combina-
tion that ever exhibited itself openly
In an American presidential campaign.
His election would put the resources
b the government. atthe disposal of
the Hanna syndicate 1t would mean
, return to Chinese protection, and
the exploitation of the people by a
ling of mandarins: 1t would
mean in the end a popular revolt. be-
lore which affrighted conservatism
night pray for a leader with the moder:
ate instincts of Bryan. *
IN most respects the superiority Of
The democratic. candidate is SO palp- |
lble as to make comparisons needlessly |
,ruel to his opponent. What, then, is
he duty OF American citizens who de-
ire to secure the best government for
he republic during the next four |
,aoreo plain1v II IA tn vote for that |