The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-07-12
An IncurabLe Malady.

The Democrats might as well give up
denying the familiar and imperishable
charge that their tariff bill of 1894
reached back a year INC brought on
the panic of 1893. What can't be cur
Ell must be endured. 1t is very evil
dent that the Republican habit OF
bringing out that wild fiction is incur-
able. 1t comes forth in every election,
and time only adds to the estimate Of
damage laid to the account of the only
Democratic tariff of d times,
generally called the Wilson-GOrman act
but decorated by President Cleveland
with the ''perfidy and dishonor' tag
Quiet submission by the Democrats
would be better than useless conten-
ton, especially since every protest they
make is promptfyt followed by the ad
ditian of a >bt4rfon or two to the aggre-
gate OF losses infiicted on the country.
The ScoEe alreaGy exceeds the loss Oc-
casioned by our domestic upheaval in
the early SOS, and it is still soaring as
II a beef combine or a coal trust were
backing it. Hard though it might be
for the Democrats to hold their peace
and let the hurricane roar" that pol
icy would save a deal of wear and tear
of temper.
Ard what a tremuious legislator
that old canard made of the Derocar
c.! When the partw came in Undsr
Cleveland'S second term it had not
done q bit of lawmaking for thirty-four
years, and it had but two years then
in which to legislatively disport itself.
But such was its strength that its tar
If law took effect a year before 1t was
enacted. and, scorning to operate In
paltry millions, forthwith knocked not
less than eight billions of dollars out
of the unhappy pockets of the amazed
people.
The Chicago platform-the latest one
1 xri4i
the assertion that a Democratic tariff
has always been followed bp bust
ness adversely; and a Republican By
Business prosperity" That might be
true If it were not false, literally and
palpably false. The panic of 1873, fol-
lowing the second Inauguration OF
President Grant, came on under a Re
publican tariff. The panic of 1898 came
on under a Republican tariff, the Nc
Kinley tariff, and that was one of its
causes. Excellent in some respects
that revenue scheme was a deficiency
producer. The great surplus vas eX-
hausted and the Treasury was bank-
rupt. This, combined with the baneful
operations OF the silver purchase law,
a Pedagogical device, mainly contrib
uted TO produce the terrible
of 1898. But there were minor causes
outside of this country, and the d1Sas-
ter was not limited to the United
States.
Those are the facts of history, and
they will stan approved in coming
years. Meanwhile, and for a few more
campaigns, the G.. O. P. will go on at
tributing the panic of 1898 to the tariff
of 1894. and the G.. o. P. will call it a
free trade" measure, although it was
highly protective, containing some
schedules written by Republicans and
having no schedules that even remote
" related to free. trade And further
under hat tariff the panic subSlded
and there was a marked revival in our
manufactures and exports.
We do not assert that it was a salts
factory revenue scheme, but it was in
comparably more honest than the pres
ent tariff. 1t did not perpetrate a fraud
by putting schedules too high" with
the pledge of reciprocity reduction, and
then r~epudiating that pledge. That
outrage was reserved for the stand
patters-the regulators Of reciprocity
and equally the regulators or Blaine,
Mckinley and Observation-Disclosures
Post.