Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-08-03

regard to whether he was appointed
under a Republican or a Democratic
administration. This is the efficient
way to turn the rascals out and to
keep them out, and 1t has the merit
/ Of sincerity. Moreover the betrayalS
! of trust in the last seven years have
| been insignificant in numbers when
| compared with the extent Of the pub
! lie service Never has the admins
/ tration OF the government been on a
| cleaner and higher level never has
the public work of the nation been
done more honestly and efficiently.
The Gold standard
"Assuredly it is unwise to change
the policies which have worked so
we'll and which are now working so
we'll Prosperity has come at home.
| The national honor and interest have
! been upheld abroad. We have placed
the finances of the nation upon
sound gold basis. We have done this
with the aid of many who were former
| ly our opponents, but who would
|
acquiesce in the heresy OF unsound
finance: and we have done 1t against
the convinced and violent opposition
| of the mass Of our present opponents
who still refuse to recant the unsound
| opinions which for the moment they
| think II inexpedient to assert. We
know what we mean when we speak
1 20
| mean the same thing from year to
year. We do not have to avoid a
| definite and conclusive committal on
| the most important issue which has
recently been before the people, and
which may ut any time In the near
future be before them again. Upon
the principles which underlie this is-
sue the convictions Of half OF our
number do not clash with those Of the
other half So long as the Republican
party is In power the gold standard
is settled. not as a matter Of temporary
political expediency. not because OF
shifting conditions In the production
Of gold In certain mining centers. but
in accordance with what we regard
as the funda mental principles OF
national morality and wisdom. Under
the financial legislation which we have
enacted there Is now ample circula-
ton for every business need; and
every dollar Of this circulation is worth
a dollar In gold We have reduced the
Understanding debt and in still larg-
err measure the interest on that debt
All Of the war taxes imposed during
the Spanish war have been removed
with a view to relieve the people and
to prevent the accumulation Of an IN
necessary surplus. The result Is that
hardly ever before have the expend-
itures and income OF the government
so closely correspondent. In the fiscal
year that has just closed the excess
of income over the ordinary eXpend-
| itures was nine millions Of dollars.
This does not take account OF the fifty
millions expended out OF the accu-
mulated surplus for the purchase OF
the Isthmian canal.
Tarin Schedules
1--WE have enacted a tariff law under
which during the past few years the
| country has attained a height Of ma
! terial well-being never before reached.
| Wages are higher than ever before.
That whenever the need arises there
should be readjustment of the tariff
| schedules Is undOubted; but such
! changes can with safety be made only
| by those whose devotion to the princi-
| pie Of a protective tariff is beyond
| question; for otherwise the changes
would amount not to readjustment but
| TO repeal The readjustmcnt when
made must maintain and not destroy
the protective principle. To the
| farmer. the merchant, the manufact-
! ureT this is vital; but perhaps no other
man is SO much interested as the wage
worker In the maintenance OF our
| present economic system, both as re.
| CARDS the finances and the tariff The
standard of living Of our wage-work:
ers is higher than that OF any other
| country. and ii can not so remain un-
less we have a protective tariff which
| shall always keep as a minimum a
rate OF duty sufficient to cover the
difference between the labor cost here
and abroad. Those who, like our OPP
| ponents. 'denounce protection as
robbery thereby explicitly commit
themselves to the proposition that if
| they were TO revise the tariff no heed
would be paid to the necessity OF
meeting this difference between the
standards OF living for wage-workers
| here and In other countries; and there
fore on this point their antagonism to
! our position is fundamental. Here
| again we ask that their promises and
| ours be judged by what has been
| done In the immediate past
Record on Reciprocity.
"We believe in reciprocity with
foreign nations on the terms outlined
in President McKinley's last speech,
which urged the extension of on, for
eign markets by reciprocal agreements
whenever they could be made without
injury to American industry and Ia
labor. 1t is a singular fact that the
only great reciprocity treaty recently
adopted-that with Cuba-was finally
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