The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-04-21
A Crushing RefutatiOn.

y
that the mugwump hobby of currency |
reform should be the paramount object |
of republican administration of the gov
eminent, and the Bryanites have rushed
in to make such use as they are able OF
this baseless charge. There could be
no more complete refutation OF the
claims of the political Pilates and Herods
who have suddenly been made friends
in common purpose to lie wilfully and
maliciously about an indisputable fact
of political history, than that which
has been made by the New York Sun,
if we except the SUMS crushing expo
sure of that other Mugwump falsehood,
that Mckinley owes his election to the
$4,000 votes cast for Palmer and Buck
ner by the sound-money Democrats.
The Sun says: Occupied with the
false assertion that currency reform
was leading thought and specific
promise of the struggle against re-
pudiation, there is the equally unjusti-
fable charge that the notion of protec-
ton had been suppressed from it, and
that the new protective tariff bill
stands for bad faith with the Demo-
Gratis, who periodically turned to Nc
Kinley's standard from Bryan's." The
Sun further recites the fact that the
Republican campaign continued from
the middle of June to November, that
its orators were counted by thousands
and talked at high pressure from end to
end. "The first and most distinguished
of them," it continues, to raise his
voice was the Hon. William Mckinley
of Ohio; and from that moment I'M
til the night before election he re-
NAMED the most conspicuous and au-
thoritative advocate of Republican sue
cess. Probably any healthy recollec-
ton familiar with the arguments ut
tered with authority in behalf of the
Mckinley canvass, knows the absurdity
of the pretence that currency reform
cut any figure in it,"
By way of freshening the impressions
made during the canvass, and of sex
posing the gross and disturbing decep-
ton that is now attempted" the Sun
has examined the remarkable series of
speeches made at Canton, and taken
from them "the most salient refer.
ences to the subjects of the tariff,
monetary standard and currency re-
FORM" and submits the result /" with a
view to instruction on the currency re-
form rumpus." The Suns extracts
are made chiefly from the speeches of
Major Mckinley, the "most conspicu-
GUS and authoritative exponent of
Republican principles and purposes, to
which are added one or two utterances
of note delivered by Mr.. Reed and 9TH
ers. The number of people and their
representative character and the num-
Der of speeches made by Mr.. McKin-
ley, from half dozen to over a score
a day, are also considered. The review
occupies several columns in the Sun.
AS any one having "any healthy
recollection of the arguments uttered
with authority in behalf of the Repub-
lican cause would know, the Sun makes
out an overwhelmingly clear case
against the conspirators allied for the
common and familiar purpose of max.
ing and uttering lie against Repub.
licanism.
The Sun concludes its remarkable
exhibit of the real facts of the case
with this trenchant summary:
The case is clear. Protection was the idea
first relied upon by Major Mckinley to elect
him, and although as the.campaign developed
the issue of honest money acquired greater
and finally supreme Importance, he kept
protection at the front as cardinal Repub-
lican principle and powerful agency fol
success. Five times only did Mckinley
omit the protection argument from the more
than two hundred political speeches deliv
cred by him at Canton Not once did he di
rectly or indirectly refer to the currency re-
form talked of now by the restless, ire
sponsible, malicious, or scheming critics en-
gagged in this new crusade. No support foi
it was found in any portion of the late Re
publican campaign; no warrant can be
found for it in the politics OF the present
1t appeared in the platform of the Nationa
Democrats only, whose candidates, excel
lent citizens, and possibly of practical use
fulness toward accomplishing repudiation't
defeat received 132,507 votes.
AS a defender of the Republican
cause, of which it was 80 powerful anG
efficient an ally in the late canvass
the Sun is exceeding the most ortho
dox of Republican papers in the pecu
liar force and cogency, and the entire
conclusiveness, of its demonstrations Of
the fact of the total depravity, the ut
ter cussedness, of the concerted, unpat
riotic and Infamous assault of Mug
wumps, Bryanites and Populists upor
the developing plans and policy of the
Republican administration,