Idaho Springs siftings., 1904-10-08

" IN Congress refused 10 amend II SO
that it could produce enough revenue.
The saying, Millions for defense. hut
| not one cent for tribute in this case
might have been expressed, Millions of
cost TO the country in increasing deficit
I and loss OF credit rather than one cent
OF protection To any industry in which
/ Democratic leaders themselves did not
/ happen to have some personal financial
| interest, like coal and sugar"
| WHEN NERO PLAYED A FID-
DIE WHILE ROME BURNED HE
SHOWED NO MORE UTTER IN
DIFFERENCE TO THE INTERESTS
OF HIS COUNTRY THAN THE
/ LEADERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC
| PARTY IN CONGRESS DID IN
THAT DISrRESSFUL YEAR 1894
| WHEN THEY PLAYED PETTY
| POLITICS. AND ALSO THE MAR
KET FOR SUGAR STOCK. AND
WITH BLIND INDIFFERENCE TO
A FINANCIAL SITUATION THAT
WAS ALREADY DANGEROUS.
PUSHED To ITS PASSAGE A
BILL THAT IN TURN WAS TO
PUSH THE NATION TO THE VERY
VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY.
The stone Instead of the Loaf.
The one single proffer OF relief from
| the Wilson bill deficit during the entire
session of the Fifty-thiri Congress. Dem
ocratic in both branches, was a bill di-
recting the treasury to coin and use the
S55oOo.OoO "seiyniorage" theoretically
acquired by the government in buying
silver at the market price and paying it
out in over-valued silver dollars.
This bill was a case OF Offering to the
financially distressed nation a stone
xxh Lat snr eli
gold reserve crumbling to pieces owing
to the increa sing desire OF persons APP
pretending slump to the silver basis
20 exchange paper and silver money for
gold. and owing to the cncroa aehments OF
the government itself upon the gold re
serve because OF the increasing deficit.
u was obviously case OF trying 10 sup
ply the straw to break the camers be- sk
to furnish this additional load OF silver
for the gold reserve to carry at . parity
with gold
But what did the Democratic Con
gress care IL the seigniorage bill was to
further damage the credit OF the coun-
tryy Never for a moment did the Dem
ocrats care to go back on free trade,
even to prevent a deficit in the treas
ury, and never for a moment did they
care TO go back on free silver even To-
prevent the fatal consequences 10 the
national credit that the increasing detiei;
involved.
The scigniors;e bill. however. was for
tunately vetoed by President Cleveland.
" ho on the silver question at least was
right while his party was wrong, and to
whom credit IS due for refusing to con-
cede anything 10 the free silver senti-
ment during the same period when AL
ton b. Parker and Henry G. Davis were
both actively aiding and abetting free
silver with their money and with their
votes.
perity Ooose.
The Democratic party during those
four years acted as IL it deliberately
sought 10 kill the goose that lays the
golden egg OF prosperity. II was a case
of give the goose hit in the head with
big stick. then in order 10 ward OF
any returning signs of animation, a more
severe hit, this time in the heart; and
then. lest there should be n few sparks
OF vitality left. violent kick with the
foot. and then another. and then another
And there is nothing in the Democratic
platform this year. or In the personal
records OF the Democratic candidates,
Messrs. Parker and Davis. TO suggest
that the Democratic party would not
again attempt the killing of the prosper
ity goose IL il got the chance.
The Democrats want reduction in the
tariff. but unless they should pursue n
niggardly. drastic policy of cutting down
present expenditures in furtherancs OF
the honor and prosperity of the nation,
they would need every bit of the present
revenues from the tariff to make both
ends meet However. even by pursu-
ing a policy of ultra niggardliness in ex-
penditares for the public good. extrav-
aganee in other ways. coupled with their
tariff revision policy, would probably
more than neutraiize such saving and
necessitate large bond issues. Why should
the intelligent voters OF the United
States give the Democratic party the
slightest chance to allow history to re-
peat itself in another doleful chapter OF
Incompetence. scandal. business disaster
and hard times for all classes of people?
Parker and Davis belong to the same
school as Cleveland as regards free trade,
except that Davis has been protection
isf when protection to himself through a
high tariff on coal was involved. But
as regards free silver, neither of them
showed the moral strength that Cleve-
land showed in trying to prevent the
prosperity of the country from being ut
terly crushed-for while Cleveland
fought free silver, and fought II hard,
Parker and Davis both voted for Il.
Parker and the frusta.