The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-09-18
OUR NATIONAL HONOR.
Mr.. Mckinley. in His Speech to the
Notification Committee, Says
1t is Involved in the Cur
rencY Question.

Senator IhurSton and Gentlemen OF
! the Notification Committee of the Repub-
| lican National Convention: To be select
| ed as their Presidential candidate by
| great party convention. representing so
| vast number of the people of the Unit
ed States. is most distinguished honor,
! for which | would not conceal my high
| appreciation. although deeply sensible of
| the great responsibilities of the trust and
| my inability to bear them without the
| generous and constant support of my tel
| low countrymen.
Great as is the honor conferred. equal
! ly arduous and important is the duty i'm
| posed. and in accepting the one l assume
| the other. relying upon the patriotic
| devotion of the people to the best inter-
ests of our beloved country. and the sus-
| tanning care and aid of him without
| whose support all we do is empty and
vain. Should the people ratify the
| choice of the great convention for which
| you speak. my only aim will be to pro-
| mote the public good. which in America
| is always the good of the greatest num-
| ber. the honor of our country, and the
| welfare of the people.
| The questions to be settled in the ma
| tional contest this year are as serious
| and important as any of the great gov
ernmental problems that have confronted
| us In the last quarter of the century.
| They command our sober judgment and
settlement free from partisan prejudice
! and passion. beneficial to ourselves and
| befitting the honor and grandeur of the
republic. They touch every interest OF
| our common country.
Much Is Involved.
"Our industrial supremacy, our pro-
! ductiye capacity. our business and COM
mercial prosperity. our tabor and its re-
wards. our national credit and currency.
| our proud financial honor, and our splen-
did free citizenship-the birthright of
| every American-are all involved i'll the
| pending campaign. and thus every home
| in the land is directly and intimately con-
nected with their proper settlement.
| Great are the issues involved in the COM
| ing election and eager and earnest are
the people for their right determination.
| Our domestic trade must be won back
| and our idle workingmen employed III
| gainful occupations at American wages.
! Our home market must be restored to its
proud rank of first in the world, and
| our foreign trade, so precipitately cut OF
! by adverse national legislation, reopened
ON fair and equita BILE terms for our sur
| plus agricultural and manufacturing
products.
Protection and reciprocity, twin meas
| ures of true American policy, should
again command the earnest encourage
| ment of the government at Washington.
| Public confidence must be resumed and
the skill, the energy and the capital of
| our country find ample employment at
| home. sustained encoura ged and defend
ed against the unequal competition and
| serious disadvantage with which they
| are now contending.
| Must Raise Sufficient Revenue.
'The government of the United States
| must raise enough money to meet both
its current expenses and increasing needs.
| Its revenues should be SO raised as to
protect the material interests of our
people,. with the lightest possible drain
| upon their resources, and maintain that
high standard of civilization which has
distinguished our country for more than
| a century of it's existence. The income
| of the government. l repeat, should equal
| its necessary and proper expenditures.
| A failure to pursue this policy has COM
PEELED the government to borrow money
! in time of peace, to sustain its credit,
and pay it's daily expenses. This policy
| should be reversed, and that, too, as
speedily as possible.
| 1T must be. apparent to all, regardless
| of past party ties or affiliations, that it is
| our paramount duty to provide adequate
revenue for the expenditures of the gov
ernment economically and prudently ad-
ministered. The Republican party has
| heretofore done. this, and this / conf
IDENTIFY believe it will do in the future
| when the party is again intrusted with
power, in the executive and legislative
| branches of our government. The ma
tional credit, which has thus far fortu-
| nately resisted every assault upon it,
| must and will be upheld and strength
| ened. If sufficient revenues are provided
will be no necessity for borrowing money
and increasing the public debt.
| Policy Is at Fault.
"The complaint of the people is not
| against the administration for borrowing
money and issuing bonds to preserve the
credit of the country, but against the
| til ln, Al
essary. 1t is but an incident, and nee
essary one, to the policy which has been
| inaugurated The inevitable effect of
such policy is seen in the deficiency of
the United States treasury except as it is
replenshed by loans, and in the distress
of the people, who are suffering because
of the scant demand for either their la Dor
| or the products of their labor. Here is
the fundamental trouble, the remedy for
| which is Republican opportunity and
duty.
During all the years of Republican
control following resumption there was
| steady reduction of the public debt,
while the gold reserve was sacredly
maintained and our currency and credit
preserved without depreciation, faint, or
suspicion. If we would restore this pol
| icy, that brought us unexampled pros
perity for more than thirty years, under
the most trying conditions ever known in
this country, the policy by which we
made and bought more goods at home
and sold more abroad, the. trade balance
would be quickly turned in our favor,
and gold would come to US and not go
from us in the. settlement of all such
balances in the future. The party that
supplied by legislation the vast revenues
for the conduct of our greatest war, and
promptly restored the credit of the coun-
try at its close, and that from its aband-
ant revenues paid off a large share Of the
debt incurred in this war, and that re-
sumed specie payments and placed our
paper currency upon a sound and endur-
ing basis. can be safely trusted to pre-
serve both our credit and currency with
honor, stability, and inviolability.
Our Financial Honor Is Sacred.
"The American people hold the fnan-
cial honor of our government as sacred
as our flag, and can be relied upon to
guard it with the same sleepless vigil
ance. They hold its preservation above
| party fealty and have often demonstrate
| ed that party ties avail nothing when