The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-28

y
cient to meet its inevitable eXpendi-
lures 1t was then that capital with
drew from investment. 1t was then
that production was checked, that
wages were reduced, that profits and
earnings fell off, that labor was thrown
out of employment and that the people
began to lend an ear to the theorists
who told them that there was some
thing the matter with their dollars. 1t
was not in human nature for those
who had enacted this mistaken law to
admit it to be the origin of the trou-
bles which at once came upon the
country, and they cast about for other
causes one of these they found in
the greenback, and they fell to abusing
that useful feature of the currency
with especial bitterness. 1t may be
that the greenback is not an ideal form
in which to express a public debt, or
to supply the people with a substitute
for money, and it certainly is true that
no substitute for money should be legal
tender But it was not the greenback
that caused the demand for gold. nor
was it the greenback that shut down
mills and reduced the opportunities of
labor and the earnings of investment.
1t was the Wilson tariff law which did
these things, and there would have
been just as much gold to raise and
just as much trouble raising it had the
burden fallen on the banks instead of
would have been an enormous treasury
deficit. The trouble came with the
revenue law, and the remedy is to be
provided in the same way. No legisla-
tiOn is now necessary for the MAIN
tenance of the gold standard, and when
we have replenished the treasury, re-
stored the public credit and set the
country's Industries again on their feet
there will be time enough to look after
legal tenders and to revise our no doubt
disordered currency system.
There can be no pretense that the
American people do not desire to re-
turn to the protective policy. They
gave a much heavier majority in 1894
against the Wilson bill than in 1896
against all the combined vagaries of
Organism. The question is not whether
they can adapt themselves to system
of production which must be based on
lower standard of wages than has
heretofore prevailed. They do not want
to adapt themselves to such a system.
The question is not whether revenues
can be provided sufficient to meet the
governments necessities by patching
up the Wilson bill with new internal
taxes. The people do not want the Will
son bill patched up. They want 1t re-
pealed, and in it's place their plain de-
mand, to which the election of the sue
cessive Republican maiorities in the
house of representatives sufficiently tes-
titles, is for the enactment of an intel
ligent and consistent tarif based III
every schedule upon the principle OF
preventing the foreign producer of
| goods which compete with American
goods from Wholesaling his wares in
| the American market at prices which
| compel the American maker OF such
! wares either to so out of business or
| to reduce the wages he pays to ms Ia
| bOr
IF there is no other respect in which
| the country is to be cOngra tulated up
| on the result of Mr.. CleVeland's admin
| istration, it may be admitted that
| since the present secretary OF state
| assumed the direction of our foreign
| affairs, the position OF our country
| abroad has improved. 1t has been dem
| onstrated again that the consistent
| upholding of American relations with
| foreign governments, and that the just
| influence of our country can be pre-
served without offense to our neigh
| bors / have had no fair opportunity
! to examine the text of the arbitration
! treaty, or consider the possibilities that
| may arise under it's various provisions,
| but with the principle involved it seems
! as though all civilized men must be
| sympathetic. A war With England
| would be unspeakably wrong, and it
| ought to be rendered impossible, indeed,
as a matter of fact, there is nothing in
our situation to call for war with any
| body. The cause of liberty is always
noble. 1t always deserves to succeed. /
! look to see the time when the people
| of every American country Will govern
| themselves without theoretical or other
interference from any European SOW
eregnty and the attitude of our people
| is bound to be one of friendly interest
whenever the American subjects of a
foreign power decide that the time has
come for them to establish a free and
| Independent American state. The at
| titude of our government, however, can
| not always express the sympathes OF
the people. 1t has it's treaties to OBJ
! serve and it's code of public law to re-
, SpeCt. Acts of interVentiOn moreover
involve responsibilities, and these must
| be assumed with caution. We neither
| wish to govern Cuba nor to fight Spain
! and no act of government should be
performed that leads us in the direc-
tion of either Of these enterprises.
1t is a long while, Mr. Chairman
since such a celebration as this was
possible. 1t is a long while since a Re
publican governor of New York, Repub.
lican lieutenant Republi,
can speaker of the assembly, a full line
of Republican state officers, a Republi,
can United States senator and so grea
! a body of Republican officials from the
counties and municipalities of the state
, could assemble at a public banquet
Four years ago the thought of to-
nights festival would have seemed
absurd. Let us take care that foul
years hence it shall have no such seem
in. Let us prove ourselves competen
and honest and truly representative o
the hopes and impulses Of the people.
Governor Black followed Mr. Platt
His response presented the usual ele
ment of briefness. He said:
GOVERNOR. BLACKS REMARKS.
Fellow Citizens-In many respects
this gathering Is one of the most re
, markable in the history of the state
1t is in celebration of an event which
under any circumstances, would com
. mand attention for the election of
senator from the state Of New Yorl
has significance, which is not contine,
to the people of our own common
wealth, its history, it's enormous popu
/ lation and every element that consti
tutes its power its acts must fix tn
attention of those who understand ant
study the controlling forces in Ameri
can affairs. The general interest i'm thi
! occasion is increased because now, eVel
! more than in ordinary times the polio
: of the entire country may depend upO
5 those who hold in the, senate of tn
United States, the credentials of NeN
= York. The troubles which have Cd
7 pressed us in the few years just passed
and which Tor many years heretOfOr
: had no parallel among us, must find a
4 end or test our strength as it has sci
dom been tested before in times o
} peace, The hope of returning prosperit
: is not yet fulfilled And the people q
1 this country believing firmly now, a
they did three months ago, that pros
perity viii only return when guided b
the integrity and purpose of the Re
! publican party, viii find no relief fror
! their nraSaDt aDnrp 10 GipnS NOR ba