The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-10-30
Communicated.
litor of The Republican.


is potent factor in the machine thai
moves the world to-day.
Not in the annals of past ages car
there be found record of pros perity
world wide, on so stupenduous a scale
and the principles involved in the i'm
pregnable foundation on which it is
built must be sacrificed before it can
again be reduced to the lean and beg.
carly condition existing between 1898
and 1897, when hundreds of thousands
of people in the cities were solely de.
pendent on the charity of the public
in their maintenance of soup houses.
where free distribution of bread and
soup was daily made to those too
poor to buy, for space of four or five
months during each of the winters of
1894 and '95.
What are those principles? feel a
delicacy, my Republican friends, in
asking this question, believing that
you are too well informed to need an
answer, but for the benefit of some
who have not taken time to consider,
l will answer. 1t is the protective tar
if, and the most sound and safe finan-
cial system in all the world, and the
two principles and the present wide
spread prosperity are so intricately
associated that a weakening of either
OF the two chief principles, tariff and
finance, will again dangerously affect,
or precipitate the grand structure,
prosperity, into the old slough of idle
ness, poverty and distress, where the
Democratic party so delights to see
business struggle and founder.
You are familiar with the fact that
the Democratic party is always hunt
ing issues, of which they seem to pos
sess but few, and seldom ever use
more than one at time, and long
and frequent usage have so defaced
their title pages that they are now
but barely legible. Nevertheless they
have found one, and the name dimlv
written on the title page is tariff re-
form. Yes, tariff reform is the present
issue. Now gentlemen, you who were
old enough to vote in 1892, remember
that tariff reform was the great issue
in the Democratic campaign of that
year, which resulted in the election
of Mr.. Cleveland and a Democratic
Congress, and true to their promise
they reformed the tariff by substitute
ing the Wilson tariff law for the Nc
Kinley tariff. What was the result?
Statistics show that besides the one
hundred million dollars, gold reserve
IN the treasury, there existed a sur
plus of over one hundred and ninety
millions of dollars. You remember,
too, that system of retrenchment
was adopted, which struck deeper in
to the pensions of the veterans than
in any other direction, but embraced
many other minor branches in the
different departments of the Govern
ment.
Now, gentlemen, the grim facts in
the case are of too recent date to need
rehearsal in full and I'll only recall
few of them for review. March 4th.
1893, gold reserve, one hundred mil
lion; surplus, over one hundred and
ninty millions of dollars. March 4th,
1897, at the expiration of President
Cleveland's term, this had all vanish
ed under the Wilson tariff law, in
spite of the retrenchments, and in
stead of surplus in the treasury de-
rived from revenues over and above
Government expenditures, a deficit to
the amount of $685., ZOO, 900 existed, for
which bonds had been issued to mon
ey monopolies, and up to the election
in 1896 a period of depression which
followed the election of Mr.. Cleveland
reigned, entailing all of the evil re-
suits that forced idleness to the mil
lions OF laborers, mechanics, miners,
railroad men, steel, iron and glass
workers, besides a nemerous host of
men and women in all other yocations,
never has failed and never will fail to
bring upon this or any other nation,
who wantonly sacrifice principle for
prejudice. Now, my Republican
friends, also prosperous Democrats,
you are bound to attribute the pros
perity existing to the protective tar
if and general policy of the RepubH-
can party. Which will you have, a
continuation of the present prosper
ity, or return to the disastrous con-
dition existing between '93 and '97.
You have the matter in your own
possession. There are two prescrip-
tions, one, if taken, will continue to
build up and preserve the life that IL
has restored, as it were from the dead
in our country which, under the
wholesome treatment has become the
most glorious and prosperous country
on the globe. The other will kill and
soon spread disaster like a funeral
pail. over the most prosperous condi-
ton that ever existed in our land.