Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-10-12
MAJOR M,KINLEY,s FOLLY.
Kansas City Star.

Kansas City star.
Major Mckinley is growing careless in
speech as we'll as eXtravagant in folly.
In addressing the farmers Of Geauga
county, Ohio, yesterday, he attributed
the prosperity which prevailed in 1892
10 the home market created by the pro-
tective tariff known as the Mckinley
law. The facts are that the exports OF
farm products in 1892 were greater than
in any year in the history OF the coun-
try. so that the markets which gave
prosperity 10 the farmer were not home
markets. An hour or two la,er, IN adj
dressing a delegation Of Yves, Virgiuians
he said: II do not believe there are
many men in this country. no matter
what they have thought in the pas, who
will not now say that free trade, or So
called tariff reform, has proven by The
experience of the past four years 90 be
a signal and disastrous failure. IL has
failed, utterly failed, in every prophecy,
promise and expectation" The present
tariff law became operative Angus q.
1894. so that the experience To which
Major Mckinley refers covers only twO
years, one month and thirteen days The
panic OF 1893, and the commercial and
industrial paralysis which followed up
until the date that the Wilson bill be-
came a law were under the operations
of the Mckinley protective law
But schedules are less important than
principles in the consideration of ques-
tons which Major Mckinley insists on
forcing forward in the pending contest.
The important matter is that he persists
in pedging himself TO the mischieyous
doctrine of taxing the many for the BEN
eft of the few, which is the very essence
cf injustice AS Burke once said. refer
ring 10 a peer who was eXacting tribute
from the people, His grace's landed pos
sessions are irresistibly inviting to an
agrarian experiment. Protection means
taxing the many for the ben III Of the
few. Populism means taxing the few
for the benefit of the many They are
alike subversive OF justice. detrimental
10 public interests and destructive OF
industrial progress. Protection came
first and for years its beneliciaries re-
veled in the spells exac;ed from the
earnings of the people by legislation.
Their unearned wealth excited the envy
OF the victims Of the vicious system and
led TO a yearning for a share OF what
seemed to be spois. This 1grarian i'm
pulse developed the Populist party. the
main purpose Of which is TO compel a d.
vision, not of lands, but Of profits. One
OF these systems is as bad as the other.
They are equally unjust, unequitabla
and reprehensible
But Major Mckinley not only persist,
in the advocacy of such an unjust policy.
but increases in the feryency Of his
spe=ch day by day. thus changing The
probability of his election into a doub.
The declaration of the Republican parry
on the currency question prevents even
the conservative believers in silver coin
age from voting for him. Therefore.
his supporters are necessarily limited 20
those who favor the gold standard in
currency. A very considerable portion
of these are as strongly opposed to the
fallacy Of protection as the arc 10 The
heresies OF POpulism. 1t follows THAI
Major Mckinley is alternating crtlin
forces which he might have commanded
and is thereby diminishing the cla ices
OF his election No man who believes
in the equalization Of taxes will yole for
a candidate who declares for policy tina,
burdens one class for The advantage OF
another The steel trust is as offensive
to justice as the silver mine comblna-
ton. Il is quite as obnoxious 20 moral
sentiment to fleece the farmers for the
enrichment Of the manufacturers as ~
is 10 reverse the operation. The per-
pe,uity Of this Government depends up-
on the preservation OF the principle OF
equality before the law in apportioning
burdens as well as distributing benefits.
and Major Mckinley is rapidly alena-
ting from his standard those who sub
scribe TO that rational idea.