The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-07-16
WILLIAMS SHARP TALK.
Chairman of ST. Louis Conven-
ton Makes Special Point of Exposing
Republican Claims That Party
Makes Prosperity"

AANSS uulLtS dutNL u vast hummer OF III
terests which are often conflicting. II
necessary for our welfare, then of course
congress must consider the question OF
changing the law as a whole or changing
any given rates of duty, but we must re-
member that whenever even a single
schedule is considered some interests
Will appear to demand a change in al
most every schedule in the law; ald
when it comes to upsetting the schedules
generally the effect upon the country
would be rulnous." Verify, two souls
with but a single thought; two speeches
that read like one"
And that single thought SO harmoni-
ously expressed is not to force a sim
gle special interest to take its lips from
the public breast for fear the public
finding them unnecessary might shake
them all off.
But to go on to the authoritative ut
teranee 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. 1t also deals
much in ancient history. 1t did we'll to
go back 90 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 e 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: I'VE 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 vas
growing, the administrations 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, after a long period of public
misru1e and extravaganza, in evil plight,
oppressed with misfortune and doubtful
Of the future. Public credit had been
lowered, the revenues were declining"
The outgoing administration was pre-
and had prepared to issue bonds.
A government deficit was confessed.
The panic which had devastated the
world was relentlessly approaching our
A long saturnalia of 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 of production. The
acute reaction which We call panic was
inevitably approaching, even before Mr..
Cleveland was elected. Business was
sunk in the depression which preced-
the panic of 1893. Labor was unem-
ployed," or poorly remunerated in fac
DRY or field, especially in the latter.
Indeed, business depression, especially
n agriculture and the lack of adequate
enumeration for labor, taken together
with the high prices of manufactures
under the Mckinley act thigh prices
especially accentuated to public realiza-
ion by the contrasting starvation prices
If agricultural products which had be-
gun to prevail in 1890 and had contin-
ned more or less persistently since),
constituted the chief industrial
in the public mind for turning
Mr.. Harrison and the republicans out
and putting Mr.. Cleveland and the dem
Jcrats in. To go on with the para
Under Harrison's administra-
lion for three years hope vas faint and
confidence gone" The plight of the
was SO desperate that, like
lrowning men, they we're Catching at
Many nostrums were being
suggested. Agrarianism and state So
in the shape of subtreasury and
,ther schemes were rife from 1890 and
hence on. The two old parties" as
hey we're called, we're blamed for Il all,
1ut the one in power was blamed most,
renee the out of power got in. Men ad-
yocating these nostrums, in the state
public desperation then existing,
.ounted their audience throughout the
,uffering west and depressed south, no
onger by numbers but by the acre.
Who will deny the historical truth of
/ single sentence of the paraphrase?
Why pretend to have forgotten all this?
Why not be honest with the people, as
men ought to be? 1t is true that after
election of Mr.. Cleveland the
hronic business depression continued.
t ia true that 1t became acute; in a word
cached the banks-and then the fright
r panic of 1893 came, which was not a
ocal or American condition, but one
yhich had existed from where Vienna
on the Danube to where Buenos
Iyres commands It's bay. n whose
,~undations had been laid long before 1t
cached us. almost last among the ma
.ons. Then with the panic upon us
1ore nostrums of a national character
ere suggested to cure an evil Of world
haracter. One OF them, as you will all
emember, was the repeal of the pur-
hasing clause of the Sherman act. This
ostrum was suggested by wise men and
was administered to the patient. 1t
i'd no good, of course. The panic went
n. went on until when? 1t went on
uord IN Auruer