The broad ax., 1896-06-20


| loyal Tribune, "rhe fighting stat
editor OF The Chronicle turns away
from the living question of free silver
which Is giving his party 80 much
trouble, TO discuss and and fault with
the financial policy OF the republicans
and their allies, the war democrats. a
third Of q century ago, during the re-
bellion"
But first the republicans Of Indiana
turned away from the living question
Of free silver to boast OF the wise inan-
cial policy OF their party third Of q
century ago, during the rebellion, and
ever since. Had they and other fepub-
licans exercised little modesty and
not boastea that the policy OF their
party IN regard to finance had always
been the yisest possible and far exalted
above criticism, had they not turned
away from living issues to write their
party history In the spirit and language
Of the arrant braggart, The Chronicle
would not have had occasion 10 expsse
the falseness OF thsir claims.
The Tribune now goes back Of Lin
solh, with whom the Indiana republic
cans stopped, and says that before the
secession war the democrats had Grip
pied the revenues Of the government
by cutting down tariff duties almost
to the free trade level" The democrats
had reduced duties In 1876 and again In
1857. and the people never gave any |
party a chance tn increase them again |
until the republican party came into
power on the slavery issue al the end
OF contest in which the tariff question
was not involved at all.
Everybody who knows anything
about the political history Of those
years knows that when the people
elected Lincoln In 1890 they voted to
stop the extension OF slavery and not
to restore a protective tariff, from
which most Of them believed the coun-
try to be happily rid. The tariff Of
1857 was satisfactory 70 the people and
time was when such republican leaders
as Garfield, Allison and even Blaine ad-
mitted that the country was never more
than under the democratic
tariffs Of 1876 and 1857. The revenue
under the latter rose from s41, SOC, 600 in
1858 to S49. 500 900 in 1859 and SIS, 2oO,-
900 in 1860. But for the rebellion the
tariff Of 1857 would have produced
plenty Of revenue.
After the republicans came into
power In 1861 one Of their first acts was
TO substitute protective fo- q revenue
tariff. They took advantage OF the
power which the people had given them
to be exercised in preventing the ex-
tension OF slavery and enacted an old
whig protective tariff which
the people had repeatedly rejected and I
did not want.
This perhdious act was about the
hrst legislative expression OF republi-
can economic policy. The war demo- !
Gratis voted against 1t, but tolerated 1t {
from patriotic motives. From like mo- {
lives they did not make stubborn re- c
'lstance to the greenback policy, which @
was wholly republican. The republi- B
ANS alone were responsible for repudi- r
ating the promise to give coin bonds a
or greenbacks which was contained I'm o
he first and second greenback acts. .
5y that reputation the pay Of our c
soldiers in the field, which was none t
90 high at best. was In effect reduced b
uily 70 per cent The copperheads. q
ad as they were, cannot be accused Of a
hat wrong. ir
The Tribune betrays consciousness Il
hat the greenback policy of its party u
uring the war was indefensible when W
carefully abstains from any allusion 81
this act of reputation committed in
iarch, 1853. And it admits that the m
reenbacks were deprecated by exces- pl
we issues when it says that mo more II
reenbacks were issued than were bl
eeded to pay the soldiers and do the til
nsiness Of the country" and immedi- to
ELY adds: But there would not have OF
zen as many greenbacks put In circu-
ton II the war had not been protract- at
as 1t was by the disloyal attitude Of re
many northern democrats" Al
The truth is that the war financ,s, Of
'licy OF the republican party will NOT bi
ar examination. The less II is mado gu
subject Of boasting the more comfort ba
ne viii 1t be to the republicans q, pc
day. str