The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-08-26
FRIDAY, AUGUST e2, 1902.
: THE COUNTRY PROSPEROUS.

genuine and lasting? Is it on a firm
basis? This Boosting comes chiefly
from the republican press and stump
speakers. Is not it q scheme 10 fool the
people and an attempt to make them
believe that, because the prices of farm
products are high the whole country is
prosperous? This is nothing but a plan
of the republican party to fool the peo-
pie, and it will be kept up until after
the November elections. then the true
state Of affairs will be flashed Upon the
people with a suddenness that will star
tie the whole nation. This is the day
OF vast corporations and combines of
capital ION paper) for the development
of the industries of the country. The
present idea seems to b. that no enter
prise can be carried on unless there is
a big corporation with a tremendous
capitalization behind 1t. The first thing
lone is to get a charter; then issue
bonds and file a mortgage On-what?
This great prosperity s based on the
ability of these gigantic corporations to
float their bonds and pay big dividends
to the millionaire stockholders. Their
temporary success depends upon the
right and power to grind out Of the con-
sumner at home tremendous profits on
their products by reason Of the adj
nopolistic tariff laws of the country.
Reduce this tariff and you puncture the
balloon which floats this false prosper
ity, and there is Il perfect collapse.
This fact is recognized by tie leaders
of the party which advocates retention
of the high tariff, n they advocate it
for the purpose of staving off the day
when that collapse must come. They
know that we are sailing under false
colors: that the boosted prosperity is
artificial and that a LAY Of reckoning
IS ahead of us; but with them the only
question is how long can they stave off
the crash hat is bound to come whenI
the American people, in their just wrath
and Indignation at the ann in which
they have been befooled by these peo-
pie, shall rise VI and demaEd a repeal
of the laws which for years have given.
these favored ones the opportunity to-
grow rich off the necessities of the
In order to keep up his semblance|
of prosperity which will so greatly bene-I
fit the republican party in the coming|
elections the republican parry has de-
termined to oppose any idea Of revisionl
or reduction of the tariff. They know
that if their party We're to admit event
that such reduction were advisable and
would be undertaken in the near f%uture|
there would be an immediate shinkagel
in the values of stocks and bonds of the
huge corporations of the country that
are based upon h advantages they de-
rive from our present high tariff, that
there would be a financial COLLAPSED
which would amount to a panic in the
money markets of the country. 1t is to|
keep afoat these big corporations and
enable them to declare dividends that
the republican party persists IN declar>I
ing that the tariff shall not be tempered
with until after the president al electionI
in 1904. The leaders Of that party know
that in order to gain another four years.
lease of control of the government 'FRONT.'
March 4, 1905 they must retain the sup
port of this moneyed class and their
aim is to fool the people into believing
that it is to the latters' interest to delay
till that time any revision Of the tariff
and that hen this protective tariff party
will abandon it's past principles ard be-
come advocates of a principle which,
they have opposed from the birth of the
party.
The republicans fear agitation OF the
tariff question. They win 90 all they
can to keep it out OF the present CAM
paign. No less person Than the secre-l
tary of the treasury is authority forl
this statement. The Washington corre1
spondent of the Chicago Record-Heraldl
quotes Secretary Shaw as saying that
there will be no revision Of he tariff
his reason being that agitation of
tariff revision is the worst Of it Them
Mr.. Shaw makes the following stated
ment regarding the supposed prosperity
os the country. He shows that this
PROSPERITY Is dS AOllON liz 4AoSAS oS 81
soap bubble and that the first intima-
ton of the party in power that it in
tends to curtail the protection enjoyed
by the trusts and monopolies through
the present high protective tariff will
cause a collapse of these big concerns.
This, OF course. would be the destruc-
ton of the republican party, n there
fore cannot be contemplated. Secretary
Shaw is quoted as saying:
There is widespread belief that mo-
danger of panic or hard times exists IN
country now. Prosperity is so great
and so general that the people are una
HE To see any end of it. I am not an
alarmist, and 1 am not expecting trout
hIe. but it is true that we have today
ali the conditions for a sharp reverse.
There is a general superstition that BOTH
fhe banks and the people have so much