New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-24
THREE YEARS OF DEMOCRACY.


Tho whirgig of time. What rcvenges it
brings in. Only three years ago this month
President Cleveland issued his proclamation
calling in extra session Congress safely Dem
ocratic in both branches because of IAN ex-
traordnary OCCASION" The proclamation set
forth that 1.-THE distrust and apprehension con-
corning the financial situation which pervade
"all business circles have already caused great
"loss and damage TO our people, and threaten
ito cripple our merchants. stop the wheels OF
"our manufactures, bring distress and privatioh
ito our farmers and withhold from our work
"ingmen the wage of labor" and that the pres
tent perilous condition is largely the result OF
"a financial policy which the Executive Drahch
"of the Government finds embodied III unwlse
laws which must be executed until repeated
"by Congress" In consequence of TINS STATE
of things the President called an extra session
of Congress. ito the end that the people may
"bc relieved through legislation from present
land impending danger and distress. Ill
mes sage to that Congress, TO which Inc IT'D
une gave high praise for its wise patriotism
and the strong and manly words with when
he presented the case the President asked Con
gress to act promptly in the emergency ana
without delay repeal the sllver-purchase clause
of the act of 1870. His advice and suggestions
were unheedrd Democrats in both branches
intcrposed delays and INSTRUCTED action. ana
il was not until certain Democratic Senators
and REPRESENTATIVES, had been placated by prom
ises of Federal patronage that Il sufficient mum
Der of them could he brought TO unite with
almost the entire body of Republicans In Con-
gress to carry out the Presidents rcconmenda-
ton and repeal the silver-purchase provision.
II should not he forgotten that the Demo
cratic and Mugwump press insisted at that
time with their usual dogmatic assurance ana
posjtiveness that the repeal of the sver-pur-
chase provision would at once stay the tnan-
cial disturbance and that presently the repeal
of the Mckinley act and passage OF Demo
cratic revenue tariff would restore prosperity.
That the silverpurchase repeal did have
good effect in financial centres was apparent.
1t restored confidence In some degree among
business men, capitalists and financers. who
distrusted the purposes of the party in power
with reference to the currency. And although
It was notorious that the repeal was only car
ried by the prostitution of public patronage TO
secure enough Democratic votes for the pur-
pose il was received with satisfaction by the
business community Then followed the repeal
of the Mckinley tariff and the passage OF the
Wilson law now in force. The Democratic
party was on principle hostile TO Protection
that the repeal was effected without any such
use of patronage aS had been necessary in the
case of the silverpurchase repeal.
And now that we have had almost three
years experience of one and nearly two years
of the other of these saluiary measures, the
party which claims the credit for both Is about
to make nomination for President and ap-
peal to its record for popular approval. Have
the financial and business conditions changed
since President Cleveland strongly set them
forth three years ago and called upon his party
majority in Congress to remedy them by legls-
latiOn? Only for the worse. And what is the
party which signalized its entrance upon power
three years ago by repeating the silver-purchasc
provision i'm order to relieve THE distrust and
apprehension concerning the financial situa-
"tion"-what is this party about to do? Why,
this: 1t is about to declare formally in It's Ma
tional platform that the dstrust and apprehen-
sion, and the universal distress which have
increased since that time are due not to the
purchase of too much silver by the Govern
ment, but to the purchase Of too little. And
their present proposed remedy is to coin with
out charge all the silver brought to the Gov
eminent minis. Three years ago they Under
took to cure the financial distress by stopping
the coinage Of silver; now they propose as
remedy its free and unlimited coinage. And
this is the unchanging and Interchangeable JEFF
fersOnian Democracy.
Another interesting circumstance in the same
relation Is that the Democratic and Mugwump
newspapers, which have been charging all our
financial woes and business distress upon Re
publican uncertainty and vacatiOn on the cur
rency question, and for a couple Of months
past have been melting a panic in order to
compel the Republican candidate for Presi-
dent to declare for n gold standard before his
nomination, are now eagerly seeking n pre-
text upon which they can support a Demo
cratic candidate upon a free-silver platform.
And these are the opponents and guides of n
wholesome and patriotic public sentiment
What lightning changes This party and its or.
gans can make when occasion requires.