Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-09-29
HISTORY DISTORTED
Rooseyelt's Boastful Letter Not
Founded on Facts.
FUTILE ATTEMPT AT DECEPTION.

FUTILE ATTEMPT AT DECEPTION.
Nisstatements Freely Made to Bof-
ster Up His Cause-Economic Laws
Perverted with the Dcsign of Con.
fusing Voters Falsely
Accused.
Misrepresentation was word used
with almost flippant reiteration by Mr..
Roosevelt in his letter of acceptance,
and with impressive unfairness he un.
dertook to show that all the misreprc
sentation was on the Democratic side,
says the New Orleans Times Demo
crat. All that Mr.. Roosevelt said on
the subject Of Misrepresentation may
be applied to much of his boastful let
ter and, with singular appropriateness,
to much that is being published in Re
publican newspapers.
Many of the newspapers now sup
porting Mr.. Roosevelt are houndering
in a perfect sea of historic inaccuracies
and economic blunders in an effort to
bolster up his cause. The plain facts
Of history are distorted to serve the
questionable purpose of the moment,
economic laws are perverted and
twisted into new and convenient mean
ings, and all with the mischievous de-
sign Of befuddling and confusing the
American electorate. As an instance
OF this kind Of Misrepresentation the
following from the Philadelphia North
American, relating to conditions in
1888, the first year Of Grover Cleve-
lands last administration, will give an
adequate idea:
"Reports Of commercial agencies
showed that sales Of textiles fell of
from seventy and one third million in
1892 to forty four million in 1898; Of
iron, 80 per cent; Of furniture, 26 per
cent; of shoes, 10 per cent; of hats,
1914 per cent; of hardware. 10 per cent;
Of wool, in three chief markets, from
100000 pounds to l07,000,OO0
pounds, although the price of wool
went lower than the lowest ever re-
ported In May, just after Mr.. Cleve-
lands Inauguration, the weekly produc-
ton Of pig iron was 1s1 900 tons. In
October it had fallen to $4,000 tons.'
It is difficult to understand the NEIL
tai processes responsible for these re-
markable conclusions. Mr.. Cleveland
was not inaugurated until March 4,
1893. What policy could he have in
augurated in the first year Of his last
administration to bring about these
results? If Mr.. Cleveland had been
the most radical of statesmen and had
been surrounded at Washington by
sympathetic supporters Of the most
violent type he could not by any ad-
illustrative policy, have produced the
fearful financial and industrial havoc
this country knew in 1888.
The fact is the panic was already on
the country when Mr.. Cleveland and
his party took charge of the govern
ment. Students of economic conditions
had detected symptoms of the ap-
preaching crisis before Mr.. Cleveland
was nominated, before the agitation
Of issues involved in that political con-
test began. The panic which climaxed
in the fearful slaughter Of values in
1893 did not develop spasmodically, as
would have been the case If the dis
turbance had been due to some sudden
change in the policy of the govern
ment. 1t was developed gradually as
the result Of Republican misrule.
The Republican party, which was in
power in 1890, instead of arresting ag-
gravated the forces which wrecked
banks, closed factories. lowered the
scale of wages, threw thousands of
men out of employment and brought
on an era of unprecedented disaster
in every avenue Of profitable human
endeavor In the American republic.
The Mckinley tariff of 1890 stimulated
production beyond the capacity Of
American consumers and at time
when there was no profitable outlet in
foreign markets for surplus domestic
products. Whether wise or unwise as
an ultimate policy the immediate and
iAevitable result of the silver purchase
act of 1890 was to create alarm al
home and abroad.
These untoward and aggrayatne
events marked the country's history
before Mr.. Cleveland and his associ
ates took charge of the government. II
was beyond the power Of the govern
ment In 1893 to arrest the destructive
forces which had already stricken the
business energies Of the country and
which had begun as the direct and i'm
mediate result of Republican misman
agement of national affairs and which
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