The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-10-28
Flattering Reception rendered d.
luth's War Congressman at
the Arm0ry
TWO THOUSAND CHEER HIM
He Delivers a Magnificent Address
Fully Setting Out All
Issues.

Itself 9 Upon the oo 5nEe %saa
change, could never change, until this
nation, without reference to the policy
pursued by the other great commercial
nations, should adopt the free and un-
limited coinage Of silver at the ratio Of
16 to l. On the other hand, the Republi-
cans confidently appealing for the popu-
lar and historical justification of their
claims to the matchless achievements of
80 years Of Republican rule" and refusing:
threatened to bolt and desert, boldly
planted themselves upon the long ac-
cepted and we'll understood doctrines of
their party. They pointed to the proved
u1ents arrayed against them. They declar-
ed that the disastrous conditions then ex-
listing were largely the effect Of
evil policies already adopted and
worse one threatened, and would disap-
pear when the government was restored
to competent hands and to that policy Of
commercial and industrial development
and to that plane of commercial and ma
tional honor, in and upon which 1t had
made its splendid and marvellous growth
to wealth and greatness and power. They
renewed and emphasized their allegiance
to the policy of protection as the bulWark
of American industrial independence and
the foundation Of American development
selves to no particular schedules and ON
the contrary declaring that the rates
should be governed by the conditions OF
time and Of production, unqualitiedly
promised to return to that policy in which
the ruling and uncompromdsing principle
is the protection and development of
American labor and industry. They de-
clared that the country demanded right
settlement and then wanted rest, and they
promised to give it both. They declared
that the Republican party was unreserv-
eddy for sound money; that it had caused
the resumption of specie payments and
since then every dollar of our money had
been as good as gold; that they were I'm
culated to debase our currency or i'm
pair the credtt- of our country, and that
therefore they. were opposed to the free
coinage of silver except by
International Agreement :.
with the leading nations Of the world.
which they pledged themselves to
promote, and that until such agreement
could be obtained, the existing gold stand
ard must be preserved. That the govern
ment of Spain, having lost control Of
Cuba, and being unable to protect prop
erty and life, or to comply with its treaty
obligations, the government Of the United
States should actively use its influence
give independence to the island. Let us
see how these promises have been kept
and these predictions fulfilled.
On the 4th of March, 1897, William Nc
Kinley was inaugurated president of the
United States. Eleven days thereafter,
It was called specially for the purpose: of
revising the customs laws of the coun-
try. Sixteen days later, what Is now
known as the Dingley bill, passed the
house and went to the senate. All the Re-
publican members Of the ways and means
committee Of the preceding house. had
been reelected and they had for three
months been having hearings on the
various schedules and framing and per-
fecting the bill which they expected to
present and did present to the new con-
gress. The determining characteristics of
the bill and the principle underlying it
had already been determined by the vote
of the people by their endorsement of the
ton Of him who was looked upon by the
whole country as the peculiar representa-
tive and personal embodiment of the pro-
tective idea. OF course there were some
questions of detail which might give
rise to discussion, but the time given
to it by the house was ample for such
discussion, if confined to its legitimate
channels and devoted strictly to the mat
ter under consideration. Instead Of this,
however, almost all the time given the
bill in the house was wasted by
the Democrats in idle fault-fnding
and irrelevant discussion and talk
about theories which had been con-
demned and about matters having no
connection whatever with the subject I'M
der consideration. When the bill reached
the senate, the same thing was continued
for days, weeks, months, so that the bill
which should have become a law not
later than the list Of May, was not passed
and approved until the Path day of July.
What the loss to the country was, and
the effect upon the revenues for the sue
ceeding fiscal year by this unnecessarily
prOtracted debate, can be only approx
mately estimated land even that ap-
proxlmate estimate Is astounding when
the figures come to be examined. Not
delay. delay which gave rise to inn
mense anticipatory 1mportations which
aHected the revenue and prevented re-
turn to normal conditions, the returns OF
the treasury department before the war
bgan and since 1t has been practically end
ed, demonstrate beyond question that the
| law completely answers the two ~pur-
poses for which it was enacted. First,
that 1t. would produce ample revenue to
| meet the peace Expenditures of the gov
eminent, and second, that the great in
dustries and business Of the country would
be rapidly recuperated and placed again
| in a condition of j., = 49,: -
Healthy Progress and DEVELOPMENT.
I hold in my hand here a table COM
| piled from the statistics of the treasury
department showing the monthly revenues
in the months Of February, March, April,
May, June and July in the years 1895,
this table will prove beyond any question
the immense anticipatory" importations
which were made during the four or five
months preceding the going into opera
ton Of the Dingley law. It Will be rernem-
bered that that law. was passed on. the
| hA