The advocate., 1896-12-23
AN ERROR OF THE NEW YORK "JOUR-
NAL"

New York city newspapers 90 nO6
try to inform themselves on any mac
ter In which Popullsts are concerned.
They are In the main as unfair and In
tolerant toward POpulists as their
predecessors of half a century ego
were with respect to sbOlittoniStS ana
temperance people. Here is late
sample, taken from the New York
Journal:
Mr.. PETER used to favor high tariff, but
since he discovered that the Kansas Legisls'
ture proposes to send o tariff refoFmsr to the
United States Senate he has changed his
views. OF course, there are persons who are
disposed to laugh OF Mr.. PETER and 1nsinuate
unpleasant things, but at the same time IL
must be admitted that this thing OF rapid
mind changing on the part OF our public
men is by no means an innovation. Senator
Hill has worn out several financial minds, and
Hoke Smith changed his views on this impor-
tant question with all she ease, grace and dis
patch of 9 Fregoli. The distinguished gentle
man who is to succeed Mr.. Cleveland next
March Is able to point to souvenir collection
Of financial positions, and his changes were
Of the Jekyll and Hyde-like variety. In view
Of these admitted facts, why find fault with
PETER because he desires to exchange his
tariff vieWsP This Is especially uncRlled for
when there are 80 many other flaws In Peher
The Journal said not q word when
its own party Senators, to the number
Of thirty. eight, abandoned their party
creed on the tariff question In 1904 and
voted for passage Of the bill that iS
now the law Of the land. This Wilson
German bill, as 1t is called, is high
protection measure, and every Demo
Crst Senator except Hill Of New York
voted for 1t, and Mr.. Hills objection
was not to the tariff schedules, but to
the income tax provisions. And the
New York Journal made no objection.
But now let as see when Mr.. PETER
changed his views, and how much.
When the bill to repeal the purchasing
clause of the Sherman law was before
the Senate In 1893, Senator PETER, on
the Slst day of October, in the course
Of q speech against the bill, said:
Mr.. President, represent q constituency
that is not craven, and they would despiss
their representative II he were such. Kansas
was born In the dawn Of the last revolution; (;
she stands In the vanguard Of this. Her beau
tiful prairies are populated by an industrious
and heroic people. = Kansas will take
care OF herself, sir. II our trade is Of
no consequence 20 our Eastern nelghbOrS, we
have good easement to the south Of US. We
can shorten the distance to foreign markets
and cheaper the cost Of transportation by
shipping our surplus products through
ports on the Gulf Of Mexico. We now have
vast areas OF fertile lands under cultivation,
with Q rapidly increasing population; and
year by year we are increasing the amount Of
our contributions to the commerce Of the
world. We shall always be able 20
take care Of ourselves, and now that we have
notice served upon rs that the interests of the
money centers Of the East are more important
than the commerce Of the West and South, we
need not further trouble ourselves about pro-
tectiVe tariffs or tariffs for revenue. II rich
men have determined that this government
was established for their benefit, let them
bear the burdens of National taxation. Let
tariff duties be levied on luxuries, let the rest
ofthe needed revenues for government uses bs
raised by taxes on large landed estates and on
incomes above the line Of fair living
Again, on the 18th day Of April, 1894,
discussing the Wilson tariff bin In the
Senate, Mr.. PETER said:
The Populist is seeking juster method Of
laying and collecting taxes. He knows that
under the present as under every past system