Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-09-15

hr. No one questioned the goodness
Of our currency. But now within
tie last few years it has been discov-
cred that the Demonstration Of silver
Is the cause Of all our disasterI Il is
impossible and absurd. II We could
have good times from 1874 to 1882,
and we had good times, and the very
best Of times in 1882, under the same
monetary system we now have, and
with approximately the same Per cap
ita circulation, how In the name Of
common sense can the "crime Of '733''
be the sole cause of our national mis-
cry! It's incomPrehensibie! They
may make a recent immigrant believe
that. but, the man or woman who has
lived here for 20 years or man will ae-
cept these theories rather skepticaIy.
The change in our monetary system
took place in 1873. Now what other
change of national policy has taken
place in the meantime. I answer:
the substitution of q free trade policy
for one protection, and here I ask
may not this have something to do
with the condition of the patient2
May not this be the pneumonia while
the other is the toothache7 I am not
surprised that srdent free traders
viewing their non-success of their
policy are aetributing it to the other
causes and seeking an excuse for the
miscarriage of their pet doctrine.
But, gentlemen that won't do! You
must face the music! Either your
free trade tariff for revenue only has
been success or failure! So much
can be ascertained its partial appi-
cation. And that it turned out the
most monumental failure of all po-
Itical theories the American people
ever succumbed to, cannot be success
fully contradicted. It depleted our
treasury; caused the borrowing of
262 millions of dollars; changed us
from an exporting to an importing
country; in other words from seller
to a buyer; it closed our work shops
and factories and gave work to the
Englishman, the German, the French
and even the japanese; and when
that occurred the American farmer
lost his best custumer and his best
market. I defy anyone to deny these
facts. And Mr.. Editor that is just
what we Republicans predicted four
years ago If Mr. Cleveland and q
Democratic Congress were elected.
In 81 speeches that made in that
campaign I warned my auditors Of
tn. impending danger. And while
We got Cleveland and Democratic
Congress, We did not get full dose Of
their free trade panacea. Il We had, the
patient would have been a corpse, as
it is he may recover, but he won't re-
cover by poulticing his Jaw. That
may relieve the toothache, but it
won't cure the pneumonia; and IN
less that is attended to the patient
cannot recover. After carefully
studying the situation I am firmly of
the opinion that the mistaken tariff
policy adopted by our people four
years ago has lead up to our present
national misfortune.
The characterization of silver and
the agitation for it's reconciliation
are perhaps contributing causes, but
the main cause is the abandonment
Of our Republican protective policy
When I speak of agitating remoueti-
zatlon I speak principally of those
whose ideas of reconciliation are ir
the direction of fat money, many, il
not majority Of the free silver lead
ers are out-spokenly ia favor Of fla
| mouey. The PopuIist platform de
| clares for it. To me the idea is re-
puguaut. Fiatism and repudiatiol
are twin sisters. History record:
/ their birth, and time has proven thei
| prostitution The free silver move
ment Of to-day Is undoubtedly th,
prelude to fiatlsm; its a steppin:
stone to paper money, and with tha
accomplished the limit, or rather tn
unlimited issue Of paper money VII
soon follow And right here lies tn
danger: the danger that is upeettiin'
values and making everyone appre
henslye. To return to the free coiu
age Of silver according to Blame
ideas could mean no possible harr
| but to a9itate the re-establshment q
I q system with dishouor and repudia
| tmn lurking liz the back ground Is In
deed brought with more than ordiir
| ary danger. Every adherent Of th
( old Greenback theory IS still Twin
/ can be- found IN this new movement
j Why Because the Same politic1
/ and economical fallacies that we,
the ground work. his theories then q,
Il the foundation for the present. q
sees IN Ut Ieast the partial fulflImer