Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-17

President McKinley's message was
ready for Congress on the first day OF
the session. This promptitude was I'M
usual but when one reads what he has
to saw. his readiness to say 1t on the
first occasion afforded does not seem
surprising. Nevertheless it will be diff
ficult to find in any message from the
executive to the legislative department
n more complete and unanswerahle
argument for the legislation sought
than that upon which President Nc
Kinley's plea for immediate tariff re-
lief, is based and yet it consists In
facts obtained from the accounts OF
the treasury department. stated clearly
and without coloring. 1t is the arraign-
ment, which the previous administra-
ton has furnished. CT the tariff policy
upon which that administration went
into power. No parallel to such con-
dition is afforded in American history
and we doubt if any one administra-
ton of a country's affairs ever COM
facts controvertirg it's position and
Condemning it's policy as the Cleveland
administration has turned over to it's
successor. Moreover, there never be-
fore in the history of this country was
presented to Congress a demand more
clearly established than this for imme-
date tariff relief. 1t is SO conclusive
that the most radical among the organs
of free trade cannot and do net, gem
orally speaking, attempt to DISPUTE the
reed of a tariff which shall produce a
greater revenue. while many of them
have little opposition to offer to the
proposed protective features. Until
they believe the people have to quite
a degree forgotten these conditions they
will scarcely have the hardihood to put
forth their familiar. eXtravagant claims
for free trade. such as were heard On
every side about four ard half years
ago. That policy has been utterly con-
demned in even partial practice. 1t
has resulted, as President Mckinley
POINTS out in a deficiency of over $685.
COO, 900 in the three years and eight
months ending March LIST, 1897, while
the annual interest charge has been
increased eleven and half million
collars from 1892 to 1897. What a rec
ord. And yet it is written in black and
white in the books of the national
treasury and is not susceptible of be-
ing twisted, however skilful may be
the manipulations to that end. There
is no surplus in the treasury, notwith-
stardiag only a few months ago
President Cleveland undertook to read
the country homiiy on the risk Of
having money accumulate on its hands,
enc of the most farcical things con-
nected with an administration so alb
surd in some other respects. The
spendthrift condition which Mr.. Nc
Kinley finds on assuming the office of
chief executive is the only one to which
he refers and he does so in a way that
is so ineligible and straightforward as
to be mastery notwithstanding he has
the indisputable facts right at hand.
He allows nothing to cloud the issue pre-
scented to Congress, not the slightest ex-
cuse whereby Congress might shirk its
manifest duty. And those who have at
tempted to belittle the tariff issue by
exaltins the need of legislation affect
ing our monetary system are answered
ii is worth while to repeat his words
until they shall be fixed in the men,
cry:
1T may be urged that even if the
revenues of the government had been
sufficient to meet all its ordinary e.s-
penses during the past three years, the
gold reserve would still have been in
sufficient to meet the demands upon it,
and bonds would necessarily have been
issued for it's rcpleton. Be this as it
may, it is clearly manifest, without
denying or affirming the correctness of
such conclusion, that the debt would
have been decreased in at least the
amount of the deficiency, and business
confidence UNNECESSARILY strengthened
throughout the country" \ r.