The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-02-12
True Democracy.
Don't be Frightened or Duped
Into the Enemy's Camp.

It is 10 be feared that there are many
men who, like Capt. Holman. have be-
come so disgrsted with the Democratic
failure to recsify the wrongs fastened on
tho country by the Republicans, will in
their anger ay to that party and help
them to forge fresh shack!es to bind for
many years longer the many poor for
the benefit of the few rich. These men
fail to realize that it was the dissatisfac
ton with the tyranny Of the Republi-
cans which caused the voters to give the
Democrats the opportunity to Judo the
work of the Republicans, aud now they
seem to think that the remedy is, to
give the latter an opportunity to pile on
more taxes.
For il high tariff is good thing.
when does it cease to be good thing
How high must it be? How much
above the cost of production must con-
sumers be made to pay for manufactured
goods to induce manufacturers to keep
on, aud to keep the country prosperous?
If .tinkeriug'' with the tariff has
brought US to the condition of poverty
10 which we are, Why was the country
so prosperous just before the war, when
the tariff was so low? It certainly
sounds queer to hear man say that be
and his friends have been made poor
bacause they have been enabled to buy
clothes, shoes, hats aud everything else
they have to use much cheaper than
they could a few years ago They
think that all of their prosperity de-
peuds on helping a few men to get rich.
er at their expense. that these few may
hire comparatively few more and ena-
Bile them TO circulate the money they
get for wages in the towns in which
they live. forgetting altogether that as
long as the farmers are being made to
buy these protected goods With money
made BY selling their unprotected goods
they are being sold out more and more
each year, aud being obliged to look for
other work, aud that as each one leaves
of; is,means more idle land. fewer of
the necessaries Of life, aud that if it
keeps on to its logical consequence
bread and meat won't need protection
to become high priced, but will become
so from scarcity. A country under
a high protective tariff is like man
under high state of alcoholism who
can look for awhile to be in condition
of robust health while all Of the time
the muscles and sinews of his body are
being destroyed. The consumers of
goods pay higher tax to the railroads
than they do to the Cover nment, for
they pay the freight Cd goods coming
and going on what they cell and on
what they buy to use. Does Capt.
Holman and bis friends, think that they
would be made richer by adding 80 the
freights and allowing the railroads to
pay their employees more wages if they
chose to do so? Oh, no! let's stick to
the Democratic party as long as we can
and try to elect brave and honest men
to Office, who will not tinker" With
the wrongs the Republicans have fast
eued on US. but will wipe toe whole
thing clean away for TO system adopt
ed at first to prevent the peoples know
ing what taxes they paid, and which
taxes a mans wants instead of his pos.
sessions and often "conpe's poor man
with ten children to support, to pay
higher taxes than man with ten mil
lions Of dollars with no children" can
ever bring true prosperity and happi-
ness. nor ever be "of the people, by
the people aca for the people But,
after all is said, it must be admitted
that what Capt Holman says is true,
when he says that we we're more pros
porous wbeu under Republican rule
than we have been since we have had
Democratic rule. 1t seems to me
however. that that is because some
Democratic leaders failed to keep their
promises to the people of undoiug all
Of the wrongs the Republicans laid ou,
and Only "tiokered" with the tariff aud
allowed the golden calf which the
Republicans had set up, to stand al
though they promised otherwise. And
now. to ordinary people. Cleveland aud
Carlisle and the millionaires are simply
carrying on game to themselves 10
which the men who have all of the gold
turns it over to the government for
bonds on which they are to receive In
terest, aud when the gold gets back
into their hands agaio, they 60 through
another shoAie aud deal of the cards.
And 80 it goes on and on to the entire
approval Of the Republicans. l am
not wise enough on financial matters to
know that free silver will cure our con-
ditiou. but like great many people in
this country prefer trying it for
while. For I caonot but think that
when every other article in use is made