The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-09-01

These FIVE are the Times of Bellows
Falls, the Phnair and Reformer OF
Brattleboro, and the WATCHMAN and
Argus of Montpelier.
SOME of the chronic grumblers of the
Democratic press Of the country are say
ing that dollar wheat in market, means
only sixty-three cent wheat on the
farms Granted that this is true, sixty
three cent wheat on the farms means
that the farmers of this country will
realize three hundred millions of dol
lars from the wheat crop this year,
much larger sum than has been, or
will be taken out of the Klondyke dis
trlct for years to come.
THE Atlanta Journal breaks into
vituperative and abusive language be-
cause President Mckinley visited the
grave of John Brown during his stay at
Bluff Point. This Southern sheet APP
plies to the hero of Harper's Ferry such
epithets as desperate villain" and
"de PRAYED law-breaker," and this
early forty years after his death. John
Browns soul seems still to be marching
on in Georgia, even il, amid the tur-
moil of politics and the strife for su-
premacy in the North, his name and
heroic deeds, although still revered,
are partially forgotten.
FREE silver and free trade are rap
idly losing their charms with people of
intelligence, and the Democratic lead
ers who recognize that their occupa-
ton will soon be gone unless they find
some new slogan are looking for other
issues. Recent developments indicate
that the men who have kept themselves
in the public eye and in public Office
through the operations of the Demo-
cratic party in past years, are now
quietly discussing the single tax, the
initiative and referendum, and other
like features in the hope that they may
be able to present new and attractive
schemes with which to catch the I'M
thinking voter in the next national
election.
1T is somewhat amusing of late to
note to what polite stage the corre-
spondence between the authorities of
this government and those Of Japan,
concerning Hawaii has reached. Ex-
pressions of distinguished consideration
are sent back and forth, and it is con-
coded by the authorities OF Japan that
fair treatment to the Japanese on the
island is acknowledged to be the proper
thing. Nothing less has ever been in
tended. But for all this polite CORE
spondence Japan will find that what
ever objections she may urge, the
American people favor annexation as
the natural result of all our dealings
with the Hawaiian Islands. Japan sug-
gestively admits that her new battle
ships are the fastest in the world.
They may be formidable ships of war,
but they will not keep the American
flag from flying at Honolulu, nor will
they ever bring it down after it goes up
with the approval of President McKin-
ley and his administration.
THE recent expectations from the
port of New York Of large quantity
of American tin plate that has been
sold in foreign markets is more elo-
quent and forceful answer to the argu-
ments of free traders than whole COL
umns of newspaper or oratorical state.
ments. Six years ago the Democrats
began to insist that no amount of pro-
duction would enable American manu-
facturers to successfully produce tin
plate, yet since 1891 these manu- tactur-
ers have practically supplied the mar
kets of the United States, and they are
now reaching out for those of the
world. A carload was shipped last
week to Italy and carload to England.
Tnere can be no better illustration of
the value of protective tariff. Pro-
lection gave us this industry, which, in
very few years, has become exceed
ingly important. The bugbear which
was used to elect Grover Cleveland,
and give us the tariff under which we
have groaned and travelled for four
years, was the poor mans dinner pail,
as enhanced in price by the duty on the
tin plate, until the fallacy of the argu.
ment was shown, as it was in the man
ufacture of steel rails, in which the ex-
perience of this country has been al
most exactly the same as in tin plate.
There never was an earthly reason why
Americans should not make their own
tin plate except that Welsh makers had
a monopoly of the business, and with
their low wages no one could compete
with them. A protective tariff shut