Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-23
THANK GOD; NOT. MnKINLEY.

expect to escape all the evils and dam
gers that will surely ensue il Mckinley
be re-nominated and reelected Presi-
dent of your country. You think. good
easy mani that all the Affections win
fall exclusively upon Democrats, silver
ties and others who may be so unwise
and reckless as to oppose Mckinley and
the oligarchy he serves. But you
are sadly mistaken. Even If you
are an office-seeker, your doom
will be disappointment; for Nc
I<inley and Hanna are not GO
ing to turn out their present faithful
henchmen for you! Don't hope it. And
II vacancies occur through death, resig-
nation. &C, there is in every case
man-some servile and favored mental
not you!-awafting 1t. and ready to
step into the shoes of the dead-ma
or other retiring patriot. Be sure OF
that.
AS for the rest, Observation-Disclosures,
like the rain, falls on all alike. Repub-
lican and Democrat, goldite and silver
lite, If they be of the people, If the
currency is unduly contracted, all Re-
publicans not in the money-t trust suffer
from the scarcity just as If they were
Democrats; and so, If the gold-stand-
ard increase the burden OF debts and
taxes. while it decreases the wages and
| prices of labor and production, the plea
that 81 am a Republican," is just as
Intellectual for relief as that "I am
Democrat" Out Of the 100000 or
more Republicans who vote "the
ticket" how many will receive office
because they are Republicans? Proba-
bly, not one out of a thousand, counting
the big and little places,-city, county,
State and Federal! How many of them
are receiving a share in the bonds and
contracts issued to subjugate the Fill
pinos? Few that share in the benefits
of these, but all have to pay for them,
just as if they were all no better than
Democrats! How many of the 100000
are millionaires, bankers, stockholders,
bondholders, stockholders in trusts
&C.? A handful! AS matter of fact
the whole scheme OF Republican legis-
| lation and administration Is for the
special benefit of few capitalists and
to the detriment of the millions, nom
capitalists, who sustain 1t.
| The silver-demonetizing act of Feb
ruary 12. 1873 was passed by Republic
can Congress, while General Grant was
President, and when Blaine, Conkling,
Logan and q large number of other
able Republicans Gall now dead, or with
a rare survivor here and there) were
in public life. Grant was followed by
Hayes (Republcan). Hayes by Garfield
Republican,, Garfield by Arthur Gre
publican), Arthur by Cleveland Gold
ite). Cleveland by Harrison (Re-
publican). Harrison by Cleveland again
(Goldite). and Cleveland by Mckinley
(Republican),-all oddities and in favor
of the act Of 1873.
Yet, with that act and a continuous
line of supporting Presidents and adj
ministrations for n quarter of q CEN
fury. there was a continuous period of
increasing hard times until year before
last, when little partial prosperity
was revived, but chiefly for the money
classes. Such prosperity as it was,
however. occurring under an admins
tration favorable to the act of 1878, the
gold standard and the Reputation of
the silver dollar. 1t was eagerly seized
upon as proof positive of the wisdom
of the act OF 1878 and OF the benign
effects of Republcanism! Yet there
had been six administrations previous
to McKlnley's since 1878, all goldite
and. strange to say, all bringing greater
depression and calamity. And con-
slider. If the goldite succession of anti
silver administrations from 1873 to this
moment has been unbroken, how could
any change OF any kind come in the
interval except under a goldite admin
istration?
Our experience under silver demone-
tization and goldite domination, from
1873 to 1S96.-a period of ever-growing
harder times,-is conclusive testimony
that our recent temporary prosperity
has come from other causes than the
election of another goldte and his ad-
ministration. War, pestilence and
famine, with good crops at home and
falling crops abroad, have furnished US
with demands on our labor and produc-
the act of 1878 and party politics; and
if the thanks of Republicans and DEM
ocrats are due anywhere for our bet
tered condition III some respects. they
| oro duo RI fbot God who from tho evils