The herald., 1896-08-25
A MCKINLEY SPECIMEN

Mark Hanna's protege. Major Will
liam Mckinley, has been so far subordi-
mated to the Cleveland magnate, in the
public eye. as almost to have dropped
out of notice. OF course he has been
steadily making neat little speeches to
/ pilgrim Pennsylvania clubs from his
front door steps. but he has given utter
! ance to so little deserving of comment
that, for the most part, they have been
like twice told tales. veXing the dull
| ear of drowsy man" Last Saturday
| the major worked off the following to
a gathering of folk from Lawrence
| county, Pennsylvania
My Fellow Citizens-The people have
J a chance this year to take the wilson
| law off the statute books and put good
/ American protective tariff law in Its
place, which will provide adequate rev.
enues for the government, and gladden.
the home of every American working
man (Applause) They have chance
this year TO prevent u free-silVer law
soing on the statute books and thus
keep our money of every kind now in
circulation as good rs gold and preserve
our national name above reproach. II
they do not improve the chance now,
they will not have another opportunity
farmer the manufacturer want the
Wilson law TO remain on the statute
books for four years longer? loud
cries OF 'No.) Do they want reciprocity.
which will give us a foreign market for
our surplus agricultural and manufac-
tured products. to remain off the statute
books four years more? (Renewed
cries of 'No.o Do they want any law
enacted which will compel them to re-
oeive for their wages and products
dollar worth less than 100 cents? (CrieS
of MOI These are questions which
every voter in the country must answer
in his conscience, and by his vote next
November"
The Associated Press report says that
the crowd stood around for an hour
waving banners and beating tin he'll
NETS. The notices on these banners
were: We want back the good old
Mckinley times. We want the
furnaces and factories started, not
the rich mans silver mines Honest
money and a chance to earn it.
Well, well, what a great time it was,
to be sure. They wanted back the jolly
old Homestead strike and the cut wages
of the mckinley times" They didn't
want the restored wages that came
with the Wilson law. 1t must have been
crowd of iron masters, sent by Carne-
gle 6, Co. that carried this banner Color
is lent to this surmise because they
were solicitous that iron and coal and
steel should be protected d;-but silver?
No! d-n silver and the miners. They
wanted honest money and a chance
to earn it," but with gold cornered and
! the mints closed to silver they will wait
! long before they will get chance to
earn dollars of any sort or kind.
| But let us turn to the soul-stirring ora
ton of Major Mckinley. He told them
! that this year the people had a chance"
| by electing him-"to take the Wilson
| law off the statute books and enact an
| American protective tariff law (not for
silver) which will provide adequate
revenues for the government, ETC."
We may pause here to make a few
remarks. In the first place neither this
year, nor next year, nor the next, If
Major Mckinley should be elected, will
there be any general modification Of the
present tariff law, for the sufficient
reason that there will be too many free
silver men in congress to pass any tar
iff law until silver is admitted to the
| United States mints. In the second
place, if tariff for revenue is passed
it will not be of the high protection
sort, for the Mckinley law during its
brief existence converted q treasury
surplus of S105, 1000 600 to a deficit of s70,-
| 000, 600. 1t is certain that but for the
invalidity of the income tax $50 deter
mined by an appointee of President
Harrison) the Wilson law would have
proved entirely adequate as a revenue
producer. But the best feature of the
Wilson law is that under it the wage
scale of the Carnegie workers was three
times raised, and thus "gladdened the
homes of American workingmen."
They have chance this year" con-
tinues the major, ito prevent a free sill
Yer law going on the statute books and
thus keep our money of every kind now
in circulation es good as gold and pre-
serve our national name above re-
proach.'
Just how "our national name" can be
kept beyond reproach" by getting on
our knees to England to obtain her con-
sent to permit us to coin American silver
dollars-which, not only now, but al
ways have been and always will be as
good as gold-the major fails to ex-
plain.
In conclusion, Major Mckinley wants
reciprocity, which has been well de-
fined as free trade in spots" The orig
iral Mckinley bill made James G. Blaine
so angry that ne crushed his new silk hat
with a blow and declared it gave us mo
market for a single additional bushel OF
wheat or another barrel of pork" and
demanded this reciprocity" to which
Mckinley reluctantly consented.
But the burden of his song is now "a
tariff for revenue and reciprocity" Good
enough.
r. S. Van Dyke of this city is achieving
Widespread notoiety for having chris
tened the silver party "the financial
bronco" this satire appearing in the
Forum But it is well to remember that
the bronco is the best sort of steed to
get rid of an improbable incubus, and
also that the breed and spirit of the
prairies frequently leaves its competi-
tors in the rear-especiaily in race
where staying powers tell.