Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-08-27
STRANGE Thai YOU Think so.

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full, so that our readers can see to what
we are undertaking to reply.
In our former article we expressed sur
prise that as generally level-headed jour
nal as the News Leader has been should
believe that the Democrats could win i'll
the Presidential election of 1904 upon the
Issues of tariff and financial reforms, at
least upon such plans of reform as have
beer proposed by that party.
Our establishment was greatly increased
by the enlarged measure of faith our con-
temporary has piofessed in the correctness
of the views it had formerly exploited.
And we will as decidedly take issue with
it on the soundness of its opinions, for the
very sound treason it has used to bolster
up its unsound convictions-that is, "our
supposition that the people of this country
i
are gifted with ordinary intelligence and
are capable of learning from experience. "
That was why we asked the question:
"Can our brilliant contemporary think for
moment that the people of this country
will put the Democratic party in power to
reform either our financial or tariff sys-
tems?' The people have shown their in
telligence by trusting "the Republican
party for a long season with the regulation
of our financial SYSTEM" and have shown
that they are capable of learning from ex'
perience by driving the Democratic party
from power after it had wrecked the bust
ness interests of the country by the in
PRODUCTION of the tariff for revenue policy
which the News Leader now advocates
The people of the country also proved
their intelligence was genuine by repudla
ting the proposed Democratic policy OF
free and unlimited coinage of silver
Though this policy was declared to he a
truly Jeffersonian Democratic principle
by five millions of Democratic voters, it
is regarded by our Richmond contem
porary as the rankest lunacy or horrible
nightmare. After such experience as this,
is it any wonder we should doubt that our
intelligent contemporary can truly be-
lieve that the people would trust the
Democracy to mould financial policy for
the Government? Nor do we believe they
would be willing to try such financial re
forms as our esteemed contemporary has
suggested,
We remember that the News Leader in
treating of financial reform has suggested
as a remedy the establishment of State
banks as banks of issue. But it showed
its lack of faith in them as safe institutions
by suggesting that they ought to be con-
Quoted under supervision of the Federal
Government. That was proposition to
increase the volume of currency by the
introduction of new kind of National
banks.
1t is fact that this country meyer had
an intelligent and sound currency system
until the Republicans originated and pW
in operation the present one. During its
existence our country has prospered as no
other has ever prospered before;
and the assertion of our contemporary
that the Republican party has perpetual
ed all antiquated system which is totally
inadequate in furnishing enough currency
is not sustained by the record. 1t has
been a progressive system, and since the
free silver craze movement was defeated
the volume of currency, coin and paper
money, has been constantly swelling. The
News Leader confesses that the Republi-
cans are right on the gold standard, and it
would do we'll TO confess that all financial
legislation proposed by the Democratic
party for the last thirty years was I'M
sound.
Experience shows that the News Leader
is as much at fault in its assertions about
the Republican tariff policy as it is about
the financial policy of that party. What
facts can it produce to show that the
present tariff system is Ubiquitous? Who
is it hurting? Every report of business
conditions, as they obtain in every section
of the country, indcates,that the masses of
the people, the farmers and the working
men, are in better condition than they
ever were since the formation of our gov
eminent. The farmers are not complain
ing, the workingmen are not dissatisfied,
we only find partisan press and poll.
ticians who want to get control of the gov
eminent talking about an Ubiquitous tar
if system.
The News Leader asserts that the Re.
publican tariff and financial policies are
Anticipated. They are certainly not too
old to be useful.
1t strikes us that the Democratic DOG
trines of free trade and State banks, on the
score of age, are a veritable Egyptian