Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-06-17


Record . Good One.
Special Washington correspondence:
1.-THE present demands for immediate
legislation are the most strenuous
which the public has presented for
many years. do not remember 10
have ever before witnessed anything
like this great fmpatience on the part
of people and newspapers generally"
This from a man prominent in national
politics. ''Some Of the demands made"
he continued, "are not altogether rea-
sonable. There never was In the his
tory OF the country a case in which a
new administration had accomplished
one, or In which a tariff bill was as
well under way or likely to be so early
completed. That Congress should have
been called together, framed, and pass
ed the tariff bill through the House
and got 1t well under consideration In
the Senate. that bimetallic commits
sion should have been sent abroad to
pave the way for carrying out the
pledge Of the platform, definite steps
taken with reference to Cuba which
will bear equally definite fruit within
a few weeks, and plans matured for
the proper and thorough consideration
OF the currency questiOn-all during
the first three months Of the admins
tratiOn, is without precedent In the
history Of the country. No such rapid
progress ever was made by new ad-
ministration, and when you consider
that this administration has been espe-
cially hampered by the fact that all the
ed by an adverse administration, and
that under the civil service law they
cannot be replaced with men OF the
Administrations own selection, the
speed with which this work has been
accomplished Is something remarkable.
Yet the country is in that state repre-
scented by an individual suffering from
nervous prostration, and people are I'M
patient of days delay, more impa-
tient than they have ever been known
to be. And it is an Impotence witch
would be unrea sonable il II were not
for the conditions under which they
are suffering. conditions brought about
by Democratic misrule, low tariff, enor-
nous importations, silent . factories,
lack Of employmentfi a depleted treas
ury and generally depressed 'coHdi-
ton" SI'c1affs t"
Protection Gaining Ground.
The growth of protection sentiment
tn xx.hfnh "A haan frannpnt-
ly evidenced during the consideration
Of the tariff bill is again indicated by
the utterances of that sterling Demo-
cratic paper, the New Orleans Plea
yune on the recent visit of the rice
growers to this city in behalf of in
creased profession. Commenting upon
the demand for an increase in the duty
on rice, it says: The industry has suf-
fered severely under the Wilson law, as
the low rates Of duty do not protect
domestic rice producers from the for
eign rice raised by the pauper labor of
the Orient. The industry can thrive
under nothing less than the protection
accorded by the Dingley bill; hence it
is much to be hoped that the House
schedule may be adopted" Here is
protection sentiment, with a genuine
protection ring, and coming from a
genuine Democratic newspaper.
A few more such speeches in the
Senate as that with which Senator
Vest opened the tariff debate, would
probably convince even the members
Of his own side of the advantages of
protection. He quoted n series of
statements showing the expectations
of manufactured articles in the fiscal
year 1896, claiming that the increase
in expectations was due to the Wilson
bill. A comparison, however, of his
figures with those under protective
tariff, show that in nearly every case
the percentage of gain in expectations
was greater under protection than un-
der the Wilson law. If Mr.. Vests ar
guments are a sample of those to be
presented in support of the Democrat
ic free trade theory, the public will
give them little weight.
1t Is intimated here that the anxiety
of the Democrats and Populists to
force action under President Mckinley
in regard to the Cuban question Is due
to hope that his action might lead to
a war with Spain. The demand for
additional funds which would natural
ly follow the Inauguration of war
would give them en- opportunity to
press their proposition for an increase
in the currency Of the country.
Senator Hanna, the chairman Of the
Republican National Committee. has
authorized an explicit denial Of the re-
Gently published statement that funds
were contributed to the campaign last
fall upon any agreement looking to the
passage of the railway pooling bill.
The Cuban Situation.
The demand for instant action upon
the Cuban question has materially de-
creased since people began to under
stand that IL is unreasonable to expect
that the President could formulate and
put into operation definite policy in
50 short time as he has had for that
work.. 1t is probable that some defin-
tie developments as to policy will soon
be announced, and that they will be
satisfactory to the people of this coun-
try.
President Lincoln's first Congress did
not meet until July 4, 1861, four months
after his Inauguration, and many
months after the secession OF States
had begun and after Fort Sumter had
been fired upon. Yet people are impa-
tient now because the Congress under
President McKinley's administration