Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-09-21

years the merchant has seen the export
In our previous history. The manufac-
turer could not keep his factory running IL
1t were not for the protective tariff. The
wage worker would do we'll to remember
that IL protection is robbery apd is to
be punished accordingly he will h. the first
to pay the penalty. for either he VIII be
turned adrift entirely or his wages will be
cut down to the starvation point. AS con-
clusively shown by the bulletins Of the
bureau of labor the purchasing power Of
the average wage received by the wage
worker has grown faster than the cost OF
living, anu this in spite OF the continual
shortening or working hours. The accu0
mulated savings OF the wurkingmen of the
country. as shown by the deposits In the
savings banks, have increased lay lear and
bounds. 4 no time In the history this
or any other country has there been aH era
so productive of material benefit alike TO
workingman and employer as during the
seven years that have just passed.
Prosperity of Farmers.
The farmer has benefited quite as much
as the manufacturer, the merchant and the
wage worker, The most welcome and inn
pressiye fact established by the last census
is the wide and even distribution of wealth
among all classes OF our couutrymen. The
chief agencies In producing this distribu-
tion are shown by the census to be the de-
velopnent of manufactures and the appli-
cation of new inventions 10 universal use.
The result has been an increasing intcrde-
pendeuee of agriculture and InanuPactu yes
Agriculture is now, as II always has been.
the basis OF civilization. The COCO 900
farms of the United States, operated by
men who as class are steadfast single
minded and Industrious. form the basis of
all the other achievements of the Ameri.
can people and are more fruitful than all
their other resources The men on those
GOOo,C00 farms receive from the protective
tariff what they most need, and that is the
best OF all possible markets. All other
classes depend upon the farmer, but the
farmer In turn depends upon the market
they furnish him for his produce
Conditions change and the laws must he
modified from time To time to ft new ext
gencies. But the genuine underlying prin.
ciple of protection, as II has been embodied
in All but one of the American tariff laws
FOR the last forty years. has worked out
results so benehcent, so evenly and widely
spread, so advantageous alike to farmers
and capitalists and workngmen to com
merce and trade of every kind that the
American people. If they show their usual
practical business sense. will Insist that
when these laws are modified they shall be
m0dihed with the utmost care and conser
yatism, and by the friends and not the
enemies of the protective system They
cannot afford to trust the modification to
those who treat protection and robbery
as synonymous terms.
Nails Deficit FaiIacy,
Orr opponents contend that the govern
ment is now administered extravagarttly
and that whereas there was "A surplus 81
$50 100000 In 1900 there Is "a deficit az
more than S4o00o,00V' In the year that
has just closed.
This deficit is lima ginary aud Is obtained
by including In the ordinary current ex-
penses the sum of $50.OO0O60 which was
paid for the right of way Of the Panama
Canal out OF the accumulated surplus In the
treasury. Comparing the current or ortiin.
airy expenditures for the two years there
was surplus Of nearly Ss0.00O.OOo for the
year lsbh ana of only little more than
SS,GD,o00 for the year that has Just closed
But this elimination ii the annual surrirs
was brought about designedy by the aboll-
ton Of the war taxes I'm the interval be
tween the two dates. The acts of March .
1901. and April -, 1902 cut down the in.
ternal revenue taxes to al amount estl-
mated at Sl0a .GO0.0G0 n yenr In othar
words, the reduction of taxation has been
considerably greater than the reduction In
the annual surplus. Since the close Of the
war with Spain there has been no substan-
tial change In the rate of anpual expendi-
lures. As compared with tif fiscal year
ending in June, 1901 for EXAMPLE the fiscal
year that has just closed Shove ed relative
ly small Increase In expenditure Excluding
the canal payment already referred TOT,
while the year previous showed u relatively
small decrease.
The expenditures of the milton have been
managed in a spirit Of economy as far re-
mOl ed from waste as from nigcardliness
and in the future every effort will be con
tinued to secure az economy as strict as is
consistent with efficiency. Once more our
opponents have promised what they cannot
or should not perform.
Question of the Philippines,
Our opponents promise independence to
the Philippine Islands. Here again we ara
confronted by the fact that their irrecon-
cilable differences of opinion among them
selves, their proved inability to create a
constructive policy when I'm power and
their readiness, for the sake of momentarv
political eNpediency, TO abandon the prin-
ciples upon which they have insisted "a
essential. consplre to puzzle us as to wheth-
. i An Ve..# NV.eE
to carry ont this promise II they are given
control Of the government. In their Mat
form they declare for Independence arpur.
ently-for their language Is a little Obscure
without qualification as to time and in
deed, qualification as to time is an ali.
surdity, for we have neither right nor power
to bind our successors when it is impnssi-
he to fpretell the conditions which may
confront them, while If there Is any prif-
ciple involved In the matter IL Is Just as
wrong to deny independence for n few
years as to deny IT for an indefinite period
But in later and equally official utter.
ances by our opponents the term self gov
ernment was substituted for Independence
the words used being so chosen that In
their natural construction they described
precisely the policy row being carried on
The language of the platform indicated a
radical change of policy; the latter utter
ances indicated a continuance of the pres
ent policy. But this caused trouble In their
own ranks; and In a still later. although
less formal Etterance, the self government
promise was recanted, and independence
at some future time was promised IL its
place,
They have occupied three entirely differ
ent positions within Fifty days. Which is
the promise they really intend to keep?
They do not know their own minds, and no
one can tell how long they would keep of
the same mind should they by any chance
come to working agreement among them
selves. II such ambiguity affected only the
American people IL would not so greatly
matter, for the American people can take
care Of themselves But the Filipiuos are
I'm no such condition.
Policy One of Progress.
The great issues which are at stake and
upon which | have touched are more than
mere partisan issues, for they Involve much |
that comes home 10 the Individual pride |
Under conditions as they actually are good |
Americans should refuse for the sake of
the welfare Of the nation, to change the
national policy We who are responsible |
for the administration and legislation un. |
der which this country during the last |
seven years has grown so greatly In we'll
being at home and in honorable rppute /
among the nations of the earth abroad do !
not stand inertly upon this record, do not !
use this record as an excuse for failure of /
effort to meet new conditions. On the con
tTary, we treat the record Of what we have |
done in the past as Indictment to do even |
better In the future. We believe that the |
progress that we have made may be taken |
as il measure Of the progress we shall con
tinue to make II the people again intrust !
the government of the nation to our hands. !
We do not stand still. We press steadily /
forward toward the goal Of moral ana ma |
terial weli-being for our own people. OF Just /
and fearless dealing toward all other PEG !
pies, In the Interest not merely Of this /
country but Of MANKIND. There is not . I
policy. foreign or domestic, which we Lrr I
now carrying out which It would not be !
dangerous TO reverse or abandon. IL cur (
opponents should come IN and should not ,
reverse our policies then they would he /