The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1904-10-07

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 prefer OF relief from
the Wilson bill deficit during the entire
session of the Fifty-thirc3 Congress, Dem
ocratc in both branches, was bill de
recting the treasury to coin and use the
$55,00o,o00 ''seigniorase" theoretically
acquired by the government in buying
silver at the market price and paying il
out in over-vaiued silver dollars.
This bin was a case OF offering to the
financially distressed nation a stone
when loaf was asked Tor, for with the
gold reserve crumbling to pieces owing
to the increasing desire OF persons ap-
pretending a slump to the silver basis
to exchange paper and silver money for
gold. and owing TO the cncroachments of
the government ITSELF upon the gold re.
serve because or the increasing deficit,
il was obviously 4 case OF trying TO sup
ply the straw 10 break the camels back
to furnish this additional load of silver
for the gold reserve to carry at parity
with gold.
But what did the Democratic Con.
cress care il the seigniorage bill was to
further damage the credit of the coun-
try? Never for a moment did the Dem
ocrats care to go back ON free trade,
even to prevent 4 deficit in the treas
ury, and never for n moment did they
care to 90 back on free silver, even to
prevent the fatal consequences to the
national credit that the increasing deficit
involved.
The sciguioruge bill however. was for.
tunately vetoed by President Cleveland.
W no 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 to 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.
vindictive Treatment of the Pros
perity Goose.
The Democratic party during those
four years acted as il it deliberately
sought to kill the goose that lays the
golden egg of prosperity. 1t was case
of give the goose hit in the head with
4 big stick, then in order TO ward of
any returning signs of animation, more
severe hit, this time in the heart: aud
then, lest there should be n few sparks
of vitality left. u violent kick with the
foot, and then enother, and then another.
And there is nothing in the = .nocratic
platform this year, or in tSse personal
records of the Democratic candidates,
MeSsrs. Parker and Davis, to suggest
that the Democratic party would no;
again attempt the killing OF the prosper
i,y goose il it got the chance
The Democrats want reduction in the
tariff. but unless they should pursue n
nisgardly, drastic policy of cutting down
present expenditures in furtherance 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 n policy OF ultra niggardliness in ex-
penditures for the public good, extrav-
agnnce in other ways. coupled with their
tariff revision policy, would probably
more than neutralize such saving and
uecessitnte 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
aud 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 a protection
ist 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 Cleye-
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 1t.