The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-07-06
CONVENTION 0P[NS;
PARKER IN THE LEAD.

t
lowered, revenues were declining. the
debt was growing. the administration
attitude toward Spain was feeble ana
| mortifyfng its standard OF values was
threatened and uncertain. Labor was
| unemployed Business was sunk In the
depression which succeeded the panic OF
1898. Hope was faint and confidence was
gone"
A PARAPHRAsE.
Suppose I paraphrase that utterance by
saying that when Mr.. Cleveland sue
ceeded TO the presidency in March, 1898,
after four years OF Republican admins
| tration under Mr.. Harrison. the Demo
| cratic party found the country. after
| long period OF misrule and extravaganza,
in evil plight, oppressed with misfortune
and doubtful OF the future. Public credit
had been lowered, the revenues were de-
clining."
The outgoing administration was pre-
parina and had prepared 10 issue bonds.
The government deficit was confessed
| The panic which had devastated the
world was relentlessly approaching our
| shores A long saturnalia OF extrava-
gance public and private. and OF reckless
speculation had been already followed 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 OF production. The acute re-
action which we call panic was inevitably
approaching. even before MT Cleveland
| was elected.
"Business was sunk In the depression"
which preceded the panic OF 1893. Labor
was unemployed" or poorly remunerated
factory or field, especially In the latter.
Indeed. business depression, especially in
| agriculture and the last OF adequate
remuneration for labor taken together
with high prices OF manufactures under
the Mckinley act, (high prices especially
accentuated to public realization by the
contrasting starvation prices of agrtcul-
tural products which had begun 70 prevail
In 1890 and had continued more or less
persistently since.) These constituted the
chief Industrial reasons in the public
mind for turning Mr.. Harrison and the
Republicans out and putting Mr.. Cleve-
land and the Democrats in.
A SECOND MISTAKE.
The tariff in vogue in washington day
would be denounced as rampant free
trade" today. The second mistake con-
sists In the assertion that the Republican
party had "recurred" 10 that policy The
platform upon which II went into power
In 1861 contained not one hint or an In
tention 10 raise the tartff duties. From,
1901 down TO the outbreat OF the Civil
War the country was nipe-tenths OF the
Democratic tariff legislation and nine
tenths of that time our people were pros
porous beyond all precedent AZ compared
with other peoples upon the surface OF
the earth contemporaneous with them OF
prior 10 that time.
What the Republican platform calls
Democratic tariff law based on free
trade principles referring to the tarin
OF 1894 the so-caIled Wilsorf-C -Csorman bills
was the farthest removed from fires
trade Of any tariff law that has evel
existed In this country, except the one
which born the name OF Mckinley and
the one which afterwards bore the name
OF Dingiey. But even this was tartn
law which followed adversity instead OF
proceeding Besides all that statistics
show that our imports were not In
creased under that act-hence its Opera
ton did not hurt us by inducing undue
foreign competition. The New York Times
OF June Is exposes this repeated attempt
to falsify history.
Mr.. williams then quoted from tn,
Times at length to show that numerous
business panics occurred under Republi
can tariff.
I'VE have extended widely our foreign
market" and in another place, We con
ouered new markets and created vol
ume OF exports which far surpass imag
nation
The "we' In each sentence is the cor
ner stone Of the humor Of II. The,
might Just as werl say that n man had q
right 10 boast that he had increased the
current OF n river by putting dam In IL
because the current had not stopped bu
gone on over the dam. Plainly our com
merce has grown not because OF but IL
spite OF distractions which have beer
placed In the current of trade.
\ n
nection with the fat-footed refusal oi
the Republican party In the senate &c
approve the reciprocity treaties instituted
and completed by Mr.. Mckinley and sent
to that body by him for approval. ,es-
peciaIly the highly benefcdal reciprocity
treaty with France. and In the teeth OF
the refusal OF the Republican admins
stration to take any initatory sta, look
ing TO the reoonvening OF the Joint high
commission for the purpose OF establish
ing reciprocal trade relations between Qua
northern neighbor Canada, ana our chill
dren there and ourselves.
Could complaisant and reckless af-
rrontery have gone further than Il has
gone in making this statement? There Is
succeeding statement. however which
win vie with a. IL Is where the platform
favors commercial reciprocity wherever
| reciprocal arrangements can be affected
without injury to American agriculture,
American ,abor or any American industry
The word amy Is good In that connec-
ton.
A STOP COG.
What n stop cog Il 70 to the turning OF
the wheel OF commercial reciprocity.
Think OF It's full import Injury" is
good In that connection. too. ~ all do
pends upon what is meant by the word.
II the audience will excuse ms for quoting
myself, will read what an interview con-
tained on that subject. ''If the phrase
means anything. u means this: That the
Republican party u not willing 20 secure
immensely larger markets for the
products of our farms. mines. forests. or
even manufactures abroad. ~ I'm return
for them n shall be compelled 10 admit
into competition with even the least OF
our Industries any articles of foreign
growth or production
Judging by Senator Lodges record In
opposition 90 the French reciprocity
treaty which wac initiated, completed and
sent 20 the senate bys President Mckinley.
II would mean that the Republican party