The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-07-30

to rise above partnership and serve the
people than is now offered the Demo-
cratic party to so modify the present
tariff law as to give both capital and
labor decent chance in the country in
which that Democratic party boasts that
it is the servant of the people.
Some of our friends say it is useless
to ask such thing. They tell US that
in anger you will rebuke US for making
such suggestion. If we were trifing,
if we were not in dead earnest, if we
were writing this letter merely as
critics of your administration then we
might be met in the spirit. But when
we are standing in the presence of
capital jeopardized, in the presence of
idle men and women who pray for work
and who cannot get it because of the
tariff law which your party has passed
and you have signed with pleasure, then
we will not hesitate to say that under
such circumstances as these the Presi-
dent of the United States falls far be-
low the standard of his high office
when, as the servant of the people, he
meets their appeal in either anger or
indifference. We say now and here
that the Manufacturers Association of
Montgomery county, Pa, does ask that
this law be modified now by the party
in power which made the serious mis-
sake of forcing it upon US for even a
short time. That party under your
leadership can do this. In this hour of
the peoples trial that party and its
leaders should do no less. They are the
servants of the people.
We have more to say: We need re-
lief from some impending legislation
which, according to the public press,
you know propose to have enacted be-
fore the present Congress adjourns
1t is difficult to describe to you the eff
feet which this impending legislation
has upon that part of the country which
we represent and for which we now
speak. No word better describes it
than fright. 1t is right that you should
know this. 1t is right that you should
know that men are asking-is capital to
be tabooed? Are successful business
men to be declass of citizens, sabotage
is lawful, malefactors? Is the law to
say to one class of citizens, sabotage is
lawful, and to another class, property
is plumber? The feeling is abroad that
malice and class hatred are being toyed
with by our representatives at Wash
ington! Men are frightened as never
before in the history of this nation.
They tremble for their country. They
fear the cause of the depression is
more dangerous than the effect. Men
bear to you the tldings, so it is said,
that there is no depression; men are
not out of work; the country suffers
from nothing but calamity howlers.
Our answer is this: In the Schuylkill
Valley there is depression, the streets
of the Schuylkill Valley towns are lined
with men who have no work, who were
one year ago we'll Employed; the
floors of the Schuylkill Valley ware
houses are piled with goods for which
there is no demands. We speak only
of the Schuylkill Valley, but for that
we do speak. When any man rises in
your presence to tell you, as President
! of your country, that these men in the
Schuylkill Valley can work if they will,
| that the work is here and that they are
crying out merely to discredit your
administrations that all this talk about
depression is due to an infamed mag
ination, then we rise to say that that
man, whoever he may be. is guilty of
mockery that is exquisitely cruel
1t is said that all We need is conf
dence. True! That is just what we
now come to you for. Confidence,
Speak the word. Tell US that any bill
brought before you which discriminates
between capital and labor will meet
with your disapproval and your veto
until such time as the country has had
opportunity to recover from the shock
of laws already passed and full time to
weigh new laws now pending. Tell US
that you do not share the feelings of
those who would heckle the so-called
vested interests and destroy the
property of the other man by legislative
enactment, Tell US that you do not be-
lieve that hospitals and colleges and
charitable institutions which are ac-
cepting support from funds provided
by those who made that money in big
business" are accepting unholy help.
Tell US that you believe the pension of
fered by the American millionaire to
old and honorable educators may be
money honestly gathered by decent
methods. Tell US that legal vandalism
is as horrible to you as any other form
of anarchy. Tell US these things. Say
them out loud where the people can
hear you. Say them straight and clear
and without equivocation or reserva-