The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1899-03-18
from Soaring its just share. of the bur.

dens of government.
AS a reckless squanderer OF the SUBJ
stance of the people, the republican
party. in the past two years, has gone
far beyond the most profiigate of pre-
ceding administrations. Its expendi-
lures have ecllpsed the most extrava-
CANT performances heretofore known
IN the history of this country. Even
in war time, With expenditures out of
all reason, and with the masses of the
people paying far more taxes than
should be exacted of them, this re-
publican party has stubbornly and
willfully refused to lay light income
tax to raise revenue to meet its waste
fullness, and to equalize, to some ex-
tent, the burdens place d upon the peo-
pie. 1t cannot shelter itself behind
the decision of the supreme court
against the income tax Of the Wilson
law, for in that very decision the court
making it, practically comedies the
constitutional power to impose an in
come tax to raise means to carry on
war.
The party of Mckinley and Hsnpa,
owing its elevation to power to the
wealth of the land, has studiously
avoided every species of taxation not
sure to visit most heavily and uniusily
those least able to pay taxes. In these
two years of republicanism, trusts have
multiplied and waxed strong as never
before in the history of the human
race. In these two years has arisen
and pressed upon the attention,
not only of the thoughtful and
observant, but even of the heed.
less, the issue, whether the re.
public shall throttle the trusts, or
the trusts shall be permitted to un.
dermine and ultimately destroy the re.
public.
In its two years. reign the republican
party has been one of expediency
rather than principle. 1t has shifted
with every breeze, it has no policy but
expediency, as its leaders scent ex.
pediency from time to time. 1t las
done nothing toward the redemption
of its pledges, except to pass the tariff
law, to which, without reason, it has
attributed satisfactory results wrought
by other agencies. 1t has fattened the
trusts and monopolies and made leaner
the plain people. 1t has made bond
ed debt without necessity, and without
excuse has prepared the way for ad-
ding to it soon and largely. 1t has en-
tered upon a foreign policy without
sincerity and reckless of the conse-
quence. IL has begun the crusade OF
the tyrant at the expense of the patriot.
1t has sown far and wide the seeds OF
Generalization, and the harvest Of
'evil cannot be far off. Favoritism
rather than merit has marked its APP
pointments to office, and some Of Its
scandals are stencil in the public
nostrils.
Judging the future of the republican
party by the two years Of its career
last past, it is some comfort, though a
sorry one to indulge the hope that
the coming two years hardly can be
worse, aud for lack of substance upon
which to prey, may be better. 1t is
more comfort to cherish the belief
that four years of Mckinley and
Hanna will be more than enough, and
that an aroused and outraged people
will be fully convinced by 1900 that q
change cannot be for worse, but must
be for better, and being SO convinced
by the hard logic Of bitter experience,
will make the change. =
If upfair and excessive taxation,
unparalleled extravasance, broken
pledges, growing and multiplying
trusts, s,itriumphant monoplies, hardship
for the poor and benefactions for the
rich, at their expense-if these and
many other things of ill-omen which
republicanism has exploited in the
first two years of the reign of McKin.
ley and those with whom he has sur.
rounded himself be not enough to-
nauseate the public and determine it
to make change at the next oppor-
tunity, we shall be warranted in doubt
ing whether lessons learned in the
school Of experience are as valuable
as eshave been taught to believe
them to be.