The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1904-07-15
WILLIAMS SHARP TALK.
temporary Chairman of ST. Louis conven-
ton Makes Special Point of Exposing
Republican Claims That "Partv
Makes Prosperity"


These duties affect vast number of in
terests which are often conflicting. /
necessary for our welfare, then Of course
congress must consider the question o
changing the law rs a whole oil changing
any given rates Of duty, but we must re
member that whenever even q singI'
scnedule is considered some interests
VIII appear to demand change in al.
most every schedule in the law; and
Mhen It comes to upsetting the schedules
generally the effect upon the country
would be ruinous." Verify, two souls
with but single thought; two speeches
that read like one
And that single thought SO harmoni-
ously expressed is not to force a sin.
gle special interest to take its lips from
the public breast for fear the public
nnding them unnecessary might shake
them all of.
But to go on to the authoritative ut
terance of the republican party In con-
vention assembled. The platform. like
the temporary chairman's speech, deals
chiefly in the boast that the republican
party is responsible for everything good
which has happened It also deals
much in ancient history. 1t did well to
go back 50 years ago. The present re-
publican party needs a running start OF
fully SO years to enable the imagination
OF the American people to jump over its
present obstructiveness and its evasion
OF live issues which lie in its pathway
to success in this year of 1904 The plat
form in speaking OF the access OF the
republican party to power after Mr..
Cleveland's second administration had
expired, uses this language: we then
found the country, after four years Of
democratic rule. in evil plight oppressed
with misfortune and doubtful OF the fu-
ture. Public credit had been lowered.
revenues were declining, the debt was
growing, the administration's attitude
towards Spain was feeble and mortify-
ing, its standard OF values was threat
ened and uncertain. Labor was unem-
ployed. Business was sunk in the de-
preston which succeeded the panic Of
1893. Hope was faint and confidence
was gone" Suppose | paraphrase that
utterance by saying that when Mr..
Cleveland succeeded to the presidency
IN March. 1893. after four years Of re-
publican administration under Mr.. Har-
rison, the democratic party found the
country, AFR a long period of public
misrule and extravaganza, inevil plight,
oppressed with misfortune and doubtful
of the future. Public credit had been
lowered. the revenues were declining"
The outgoing administration was pre-
pairing and had prepared to issue bonds.
A government deficit was confessed.
The panic which had devastated the
world was relentlessly approaching our
shores. Al long saturnalia '0f extrava-
gance, public and private, and OF reck-
less speculation had been already fol-
lowed by depression. Corn was burned
for fuel in Kansas and elsewhere in the
west in 1890 and after. Cotton was at or
below the price or production. The
acute reaction which we call panic was
approaching before Mr..
Cleveland was elected. Business was
sunk in the depression" which preced-
ed the panic Of 1898. Labor was unem-
ployed," or poorly remunerated In fac
tory or field, especially in the latter.
Indeed, business depression, especially
In agriculture and the lack Of adequate
for labor. taken together
with the high prices OF manufactures
under the Mckinley act (high prices
accentuated to public realsza-
ton by the contrasting starvation prices
IL agricultural products which had be-
run to prevail In 1890 and had contin-
ned more or less persistently since), |
.hese constituted the chief Industrial
reasons in the public mind for turning |
Mr.. Harrison and the republicans out
and putting Mr.. Cleveland and the dem
,crats in. To go on with the para
phrase: "Under Harrison's administra-
ion for three years hope was faint and
confidence gone. The plight OF the
was so desperate that. like
lrowning men, they were Catching at
,traws.. Many nostrums were being
,uggested. Agrarianlsm and state So
ialism in the shape OF subtreasury and
,ther schemes were rife from 1890 and
hence on. The "two old PARTIES" as
hev were called, were blamed for it all,
,ut the one in power was blamed most
,ence the out OF power got In. Men adj
,ocafing these nostrums, In the state
= nuhlic desperation then existing,
ounted their audience throughout the
= ffering west and depressed south, no
onpee by numbers but by the acre.
who viii deny the historical truth Of
s,rcia sentence OF the paraphrase?
vhv pretend to have forgotten all this?
wv not be honest with the people. as
mem ought to be? 1t Is true that after
~ aIsetlon Of Mr.. Cleveland the
4 rorgc business depression continued.
I Il true thatit became acute; Ia word
cached the banks--and then the fright
: manic of 1898 came, which was not q
,csI ~ American condition, but one
rhich had existed from where Vienna
s naSa an. - the danube to where Buenos
vreS commands its bay, one whose
I n had been laid long before Il
ssched ~ almost last among the ma
49, Then with the panic upon US
AZ, 80 nostrums Of a national character
~, 81, srreested to cure an evil Of world
1 q 1 vac r,,ar one Of them, as you will All
s's,ss 49, Inc repeal Of the pur-