Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-01-16

Dourcs, they oertajnly oonstitutsd :
most powerful arFaignment of this
court Of last resort.
Vest ! most seveFe In his direct
Characterization o2 thu conduct Of the
Justice who changed his opinion after
tho first decision and before the sec.
ond was rendered. He would not At
tempt to enter into that Justices mo-
tives; but that Justice, and he (Vest)
did not know who he was, had been
mainly responsible In fastening q sor-
bid depotism OF wealth upon the ooun-
try by his change OF front. Certainly
he had q right to change his mind,
but It was q matter Of regret that he
had not 9 proper to put his reasons
on record for this far-reaChinR and
terrible decision.
That Justices name was: he contin-
ued. unknown except to himself and
his associates. The ISOLATED had been
ridiculed and vitupsrated because Of
the secrecp Of Its executive proceed
ings, but what, he asked, would be
thought OF q senator who should
change his position Of vital general
interest when his position was essen
tial to success or failure Of q cause
and who should not have the man
hood to stand before the country and
reveal himself and his reasons for such
q transformation? He could not in
such event imagine the storm OF op-
probrium, the hurtling wrath Of the
press and the charges Of corruption
which would follow.
He said he did not believe the terri
BILE effect of this decision had yet been
apprehended by the people Of the
country. 1t was beyond credibility
that Vanderbilt, with hundreds OF
millions, should have to pay no more
taxes than the poorest of men and
that the army and navy must be used
to support him in his rights, as must
be the ase If the decision was to
stand. He predicted that the time
would come when the truth of Justice
Browns opinion would be everywhere
recoRnized-that the decision Of the
supreme court had fixed for all time
freedom from federal taxation of the
''sordid wealth Of the land"
He reviewed the record Of the last
three administrations, and though he
differed with the head Of his party in
many things, he declared no admin
istration in the history Of the country
had been more successful than the
Cleveland administration from 1885 80.
He went extensively into the figures
Of the revenues, expenditures, ETC., to
show that the present condition Of the
treasury was largely q heritage from
the preceding administration. He
charged the Harrison administration
with defaulting in payment of obliga-
tiOns of the government and of misap-
preparation Of trust funds amounting
to s56,O0O,OOO.
When the republicans returned to
power in all the branches of the gov
eminent in 1890, he declared ironically,
they thought they owned the country.
They rested their fate on three meas
ures-the force bill, which failed, the
Mckinley law and the Sherman law,
They went to the people and came
back . funeral procession, stamped
beneath the feet OF popular disap-
proval-the Mckinley law afterwards
denounced by many republicans; the
Sherman law, bastard that it was, re-
pudiated by one of its authors.
Whatever the democratic party had
done, it had not placed ON the statute
books a law that it was compelled to
60 before the country and repudiate.
He admitted that his side is divided
on the subject of silver-the country
was divided. There was. he said, an
irresponsible conflict in the land-as
irresponsible as that which resulted
in the clash of armies Of the north
and south. u trust" Vest said, 1.-THE
issue will not be submitted to the
arbitrament Of violence, but q conflict
was inevitable between those who be-
lieve in the U.S. OF silver Is Q money OF
ultimate redemption along with gold,
and those who believe In the single
gold standard. To evade it was i'm
possible. The quicker it was decided
the better It would be for the people
and the private life OF the land"
In further contrasting the Mckinley
law and the Wilson law he praised the
latter, especially free wool and reduc.
ton on woolens. Wool, he contended,
furnished the element Of vitality I'd
the protective system. Yet he main
tanned that under the free wool clause
Of the Wilson law the price Of wool
had increased and the wooden mills had
been prosperous. Furthermore, wool
| en- clothing had been cheapened. In
fact there never had been . more com
plete vindication Of the position OF
the democratic party than had been
shown In this wool schedule, and he
was glad the Wilson bill had been en-
acted, on this account II on no other.
Recurring to the financial question
| Vest admitted that the financial in6u.
ence Of the world was against silver.
Europe feared that we would 60 on to
q silver basis. When the president
sent his Venezuelan message to CON
gress it had been received with accla-
nation BY the people, andhe had heard
hostile gums booming In this chamber.
How had England respondedf Not
with shot and shell and sabsr-stroke
and ~battleship; but BY throwing our
secIritiee on the market. The power
| ~ mnnev MA tn be used to Crl1ah M.