Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-10-28
THE ISSUE THEY FEAR.
DEMOCRATS PERSISTENTLY IG-
MORE TARIFF QUESTION.
Horced Silver to the Front in Order to
Evade the Responsibility of the Tariff
B1under of Four Years Ago-AnOthcr
Experiment Proposed.

The remarkable feature Of the cam
paign so far, the only feature, in fact,
at all worthy of remark, is the strange
persistency shown by Democratic news
papers and public speakers in ignoring
the tariff issue, upon which these same
newspapers and public speakers had SO
much to say four short years ago, and
the strange panic of fear into which the
bare mention of that issue by Repub-
lican newspaper or public speaker Will
throw them
The people of the United States have
never been noted for short memories
in political matters. That is one among
the many misfortunes of the Democra-
cy The people remember, how four
years ago, they were promised pros
perity to follow the adoption of the pol
icy of free trade. The people even re-
member the enthusiastic and victorious
Democratic nominee for the presidency,
made in one of the districts of the state
of Nebraska. 1t is true, Mr.. Bryan had
not then attained his present position of
national prominence, and his most enthu-
siastic local admirer never dreamed that
four short years would see him in the
lead Of new Democracy-wh
means, in this case, Democracy which
seeks success by getting as far as posi-
BILE from all that was best in the old
faiths Of the party-but then neither did
his most enthusiastic admirer fOresee
that the free trade remedy would not
only fail. but that the courage of Bryan
and the Democracy would fail to apply
it after they had been returned to power
for that very purpose.
Compared to their present condition,
the Workingmen of America were fairly
prosperous four years ago. They were
promised better times by the Democ-
racy, and this promise was, at least,
plausible. Every man, whatever his con-
dition. would better it if he could The
bare threat of tariff reform, sO-called,
upon the lines laid down in the Demo
cratic platform of 1892 plunged the coun-
try into condition of industrial distress
such as it had not known since the war,
and the Democratic effort to make the
prescribed remedy fit existent ills Wis
one of the most pitiable failures in the
history of modern craftsmanship. 1t was
failure SO pitiable that, had 1t not
been for it's grave consequences, only
commiseration would have been excited.
1t is a serious matter to tritle with the
welfare and the industrial prosperity of
100000 of people. Every man who
works for his living-and few men do
not. in one form or anOther-must join
in the condemnation of Democratic econ
omy quackery. 1t is not a pleasant duty,
but it is not for that reason less urgent.
Mr.. Bryan and the Democracy, seek
ing how to evade the responsibility for
the tariff blunder of four years ago, see
ing condemnation already pronounced at
the bar of public opinion. naturally also
seek to cloud the most vital issue with
another which they themselves have
forced upon the country. They would
cure the ills they have created by an
other industrial experiment, whose re-
suits can, at best, be but Il matter of
conjecture. The American people, if you
please will try no more experiments sug
gested from that source. Neither will
the American people nor the Republican
party ignore the tariff issue, however
much that may be desired by the De
mocracy. The American people know they
must have at least four years of pros
perity in which to recover from the eff
fects Of Democratic rule, and they know
the only way to secure the necessary res
pite. After a period of protection let
Democracy call against. Joseph Her
add