The Republican journal., 1910-09-01
CAMPAIGN LETTER.

i CAMPAIGN LETTER.
New YORK, August 29th. The year
1910, in its political aspects, is similar in
many ways to that 81 1890, just twenty
years ago. Then, as now, the people
seemed to be undergoing state of great
unrest, and yet there was no reason for
it then any more than there is now. The
country was extremely prosperous in
1890; there was full employment every
where, and we enjoyed the highest wages
up to that period. In response to gen.
eral demand the tariff was revised and
new law called the Mckinley tariff went
into effect about the first of October.
There was no reason whatever why
prices should be raised, but the people
took the Mckinley law as an excuse and
raised the prices on everything that went
into common everyday use, and the cam
paign of that year was practically car
ried on by the Democrats with the cry of
Mckinley high prices, and the Demo-
Gratis elected majority in the House of
Representatives in the fifty-second Con-
gress.
In spite of Democratic claims to the
contrary, the Mckinley law at once
proved successful in every way and the
years 1891 and 1892 We're among the most
prosperous in our history; in fact, a large
portion of President Harrison's annual
message of 1892 was given up to state
ment of the splendid industrial results
of the year, hut the state of unrest was
still on, and in November, 1892, the peo-
ple elected a Democratic President, and
with him a Democratic Senate and House
of REPRESENTATIVES Then came the awful
wears of 1898, 1894 and 1895, accompanied
as they were by financial panic, industrial
depression and general ruin throughout
the country. which was stopped only by
the election of Mckinley in 1896, and
with him a Republican Senate and House
of Representatives
It is true that the Payne tariff law
will have been in operation much longer
preceding the Congressional election of
This year than was the Mckinley law
twenty years ago, and yet, in spite of
the splendid results that have followed
The PAYNE law in the way of revenue and
industrial activity. still the people are
restless, and the high prices of the year
attributable in no way to the tariff give
the Democrats chance to keep the peo-
p)e stirred up with the contention that
change would mean better conditions all
around.
1t is not believed, however, that the
experiences of 1890 will be repeated.
While it is true that we have periodic
seasons of unrest and occasional desires
for political change, yet the lesson
which we learned during the years fol-
lowing the Democratic victory of twenty
wears ago should be warning to the
people that it would be very unsafe in
deed to elect Democratic House of Rep
resentatives this fall. If that should
happen we would still have Republican
Senate and Republican President, as
we did during the ffty-second Congress,
but the Democrats would play politics,
as they did then, and Democratic VIC
tory this fall might be followed by still
wider Democratic victory two years from
now, and with it the financial havoc and
industrial stagnation that always accom-
panies Democratic administration.
1t would be we'll, then, for the voters
of the country to consider most seriously
the historical aspect of the case and to
see if they wish to repeat. the expert
ences of that period. The younger gen.
GRAFTON should be told of that period and
the danger that would undoubtedly fol-
low repetition of those conditions.
From financial and industrial stand
point, we never we're better off than at
present, and as soon as midsummer dull
ness in some lines of activity is over, we
shall, no doubt, enter most prosperous
period in every line of business through
out the country. Even now, many fac
tories are running day and night, while
the railroads are taxed to their utmost to
transport the freight that is offered. The
situation was never better, and even the
high prices of the past few months are
beginning to tumble, while there will be
no thought of reducing wages SO long as
the Republican party remains in power.
If the Democrats, however, should be
successful this fall, and again two years
from now, there would, no doubt, be the
greatest financial panic and the. largest
industrial slump that ever came to us,
with a subsequent closing of the mills
and large reduction in wages for those