The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-09-28

no man OF com DlRallOn OF men !
! greater than the law Of the land. ant
| that he that transgrcSscs, be he ricl
| or poor, shall be made to pay tn
! penalty OF his transgresSions.
The history of the Democratic party
| on the other hand. is an unbroke Ell
record Of incoherent Inconsistencies
The Democratic party has demonstrat
ed a capacity only for mischief ant
| mistake. 1t has been so pcrsiStcntlN
and insiStently wrong on all of the
great social and economic questions
Of modern times that every thinking
| citizen instinctivcly looks upon it:
promises and professions with doubt
and misGiving.
In 1892 we were told by the Demo
| cratic party that the one great, over.
| whelming, paramount issue before the
! american people was the question Of
the tariff. Protection was denounced
! as robbery of the many for the bene-
fit of the few. War, fierce and unre-
lcnting, was declared on the protect
ed industries of the country, and it
was to be war to the death. I'M
port duties were to be abolished
cuStOm-hOuSCS were to be scattered to
the four winds of the heavens, our
home market was to be opened TO all
the world, and every citizen, without
regard to creed, color, or previous
condition of Scrvitudc, was to he &C
corded the proud and priceless privil-
cec of buying where he could buy
the cheapest and selling where he
could sell the dearest. The golden
era was to be ushercd in. Our cup OF
national happiness was TO be filled to
overlooking with the untold blessings
that were sure to gush forth in never
ending abundance from a tariff for
revenue only.-A ye,-Wc were told thai
the protective system of the Repub-
llcan party was a delusiOn and q
snare, miserable mOCkery, a
travcsty on truth, and God alone
knows what not. They told us that
we were taxed from the cradle to the
grave and that even death brought
no SurCeaSe from sorrow, for the
wicked Republican party had placed a
tariff on tombstoncs. | almost shud-
der, even at this late day, as l recall
the narrowing and greWsOme picture
that was painted by the Democratic
spellbinder of 1892.
Well, the American people, like
Ulysses Of old, finally succumbed to
the song Of the siren. Grover Cleve-
land was elected President and
with him came into power q
Congress Democratic in both
branches, And then came the
Wilson bill, that bright and
shining example of Democratic
constructive craftsmanship was
enacted into law-and you know
the rest. 1t is not necessary @fOr me
today to lift the veil that hangs over
that darkest period Of our national
industrial life The farmers, the mer-
chants, and the mechanics of the
generation have not forgotten, and
! they never will forget their one sad
| experience with a tariff for revenue
, only.
1t was then that the farmers wheat
! brought 40 cents a bushcl, his corn
! ~ cents, his oats nothing, and his
| potatoes considerably less than moth,
| ing. 1t was then that the merchant
turned prcmaturely gray and tho
deep burrows Of care and trouble ap
pcarcd on his brow. 1t was then, too
that labor walked the streets nigh
and day searching in vain fer-wofk
The mills and factories Throughout
the length and breadth of the lane
closed their doors, and across theiI
silent and SmOkelcSS chimneys wa!
written the cpitaph:
Died Of an overdose Of Democracy
For four long and weary years
years that were lean and barren, year
= OF sorrow and Of suffering, Of poyert,
and OF pain, We struggled on and OF
under this weight Of woe, hopin
against hope, but relief came onl
when the Republican party was &c
stored to power and the Dingley re
publican protective tariff bill was OF
acted into law, for when that gre1
! constructive statesman Of the Fifty
l. hllh Congress touched the buried il