The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-06-02
SOME DEMOCRATIC HYPOCRISY
Continued from Page II

time COtIO1 was E@3IEEE al A1AIt i've
and six cents per pound; corn.
wheat and other things were low.
All OF the great staple crops we're
low In price People living in towns
and cities could buy more with dol
lar than ever before-or since. But
1t soon became apparent that the dol
lars had vanished. For a brief Pc
Rod the town man had allowed "hu-
man nature" to get the best CT him
Flour al $500 per hundred, pork at
four and FIVE cents per pound, beef
at FIVE TO seven cents and eggs at
eight and ten cents per dozen, pota-
toes at twenty-five and thirty-five
cents per bushel, good butter at ten
and twelve cents per pound, are apt
TO put a smile upon the face OF
everybody except the farmers who
grow such things. Times had been
prosperous for some years. Some
people had money and others had a
fairly sure income, especially Office
holders. The good merchant looks
angry when a poor farmer walks into
his store and tries to buy a pair of
| two dollar shoes for one dollar and
| fifty cents, or a dollar and half hat
| for one dollar. But the average
merchant, though raised on a farm,
will smile and chuckle when he can
buy a dozen nice fresh eggs for fam
lily use at eight cents, or when he can
carry home pound of beautiful gol-
den butter that only costs him ten
cents. But when prices are low, as
they were twelve, fifteen and twenty
years ago, when every day was a
| black Friday" when Cleveland and
| his Democratic assistants were at the
helm, the other fellows, the mer-
chants, manufacturers, bankers, me-
chanics, and all other people, will,
sooner or later, have to face very
unpleasant music, or, perhaps, dance
without music. And that was just
what happened. When Cleveland got
in, things ran fairly smooth for a
time. The Democratic statesmen and
the men behind the guns were terri
bly, new and nobody would have
been susprised if few mistakes had
been made. During the first stage
of Clevelands administration the
Democrats did not have a majority
in either branch of Congress, and, if
I mistake not, failed to get a ma
jority during the first administra-
ton. Practically none of the much
talked reforms materialized. "Give
fo;1 wi u
yelled, and the American voters, hav-
ing become somewhat treasured in
that the Democrats had not ruined
the country, because they could not
when so many Republican Senators
and Congressman held them down,
Give us a chance" and they got it.
The Country rolled up a majority and
for a time the Democrats had, |
think, majority of about six in the
Senate and about fifty in the House.
Then Democracy trembled in it's
shoes. The President and a majority
of fifty-six on joint ballot was a mag
nificent political prize, even for this
country. The so-called Democracy
had been clamoring for tariff reform
for years and made a pretense of
| giving something of the sort. But,
acting contrary to rules laid down by
the greatest men the party had in it's
ranks, men like Vance, Hampton,
| WattersOn, and others, a species of
tampering with the financial system
OF the country was inaugurated. A
leading Democrat once said that the
Democratic party can always be de-
pended upon to act the fool at exact
ly the right time" or words to that
effect. And it was even so. After
a long struggle, opposed by the Re-
publican minority and by few Wes-
tern Democrats, and possibly a few
from other sections, silver was de-
monetiZed, though the administra-
ton, especially the legislative mem
bers, had been elected on a bi-me-
talic platform. At once this was fol-
lowed by panic that caused banks
to tumble, railroads to seek receiver
ships and factories to close. For
many months this continued. Every
day was 'Black Friday" The bust
ness failures throughout the United
States jumped from an average of
less than two hundred per week to
three, four, five and even six hun
dred per week with vastly increased
liabilities. For time it looked as if
probably eight-tenths of the many
thousands of concerns would fail.
This continued for a long time Fin
ally there was a let-up-after a Re-
publican President, Congress and
Senate was elected. Business and
prices again climbed to a reasonable
level. The people of the United
States will hardly risk another Dem
ocratic administration. In fact, the
Democratic party is dead and is only
waiting for late burial to save fu-
neral expenses. But, of course, it
died hard.
During the days of Clevelandism
there were vast bond issues. Many
of the best posted men in that day,
and even now, claim that most, if
not all of these bonds, were unwar-
ranted by the real needs of the bust
ness interests.
| One of the first steps taken by the
Republican administration following
CleVeland's fasco was to restore sill
yer In part as circulating medium,
not only by actual coinage, which,
however, is limited, but by substi-
tuting silver certificates for circula-