Milford chronicle., 1929-11-22
THE NINETIES LIVE AGAIN

There are few development in
American politics for which paral-
lels cannot be found in the earlier
history of the country. This is strik-
ingly true of the present situation as
manifested in the division of politi-
cal forces in the United States Sen
ate.
Just a generation ago-in the ear
ly nineties-political lines were dis
turbed by the rise of agrarian dis
content in the very area where po-
litical insurgency now hourishes,
Crop failures and money stringency
eliminated in an uprising against
the party in power in the trans
Mississippi region, which before had
been strongly Republican. President
Harrison was in power and general
ly speaking the country was more
prosperous than ever before, as
proved by all the usual indices of
commercial stability and progress.
The western farmers, however, were
in trouble. The Farmers Alliance,
dominated by radical leaders, bloom
ed in Populism. The target of the
radicals of that day was 'the indus
trial East" The prairie air was fill
ed with the phrases heard today
from the successors of PETER, Allen
and Jerry Simpson on Capitol Hill
the tariff barons," the "robber
manufacturer" and the like. In 1892
this revolt had reached such proper
tions that certain of the Western
states were carried by the Popu-
lists, and President Harrison was
defeated for reelection.
Immediately there was opportun-
ity for demonstration of the theory
that smashing the industrial East"
and along with it manufacturing in
dustry everywhere, would help the
farmer. The industrial East, West,
North and South was indeed smash
ed by the Wilson low tariff bill. But
to their surprise the organized foes
of manufacturing industry discover
ed that the flooding of the country
with foreign cheap-labor goods, the
closing of American factories, the
establishment of soup kitchens and
bread lines in factory towns (see
newspaper files of that period) did
not help the farmer at all. BY wip-
ing out the farmers customers is
wiped out the farmer along with
him. A direct result of this former
"war on the industrial East" was
that corn was selling at as low a
price as ten cents bushel, and no
takers, and other farm products in
proportion. Newspaper dispatches
stated that corn was being burned
for fuel in Nebraska.
The outcry against the "robber
tariff" was changed by radical lead
ers to demand for fiat money. 1t
was denied that low tariff was re-
sponsible for the depression or that
its revision upward would help the
farmer. Among those who Joined the
free silver movement of 1896 was
one of the leaders of the present in
surgent movement in the Senate
Senator Borah.
The result was that after learning
a costly lesson in the school OF ex-
perience the voters of the country
turned in 1896 to a leader whose
name had been anathema in the
corn and wheat belt in 1892, be-
cause regarded as the chief apostle
If protection. The Mckinley bill and
were the target of in
;urgency in 1890 and 1892 Mckinley
himself went down to defeat in his
)wn congressional district. Under |
President Mckinley a high nrotec-
i've tariff law was enatced. Under |
hat law, without fiat money, deben-
ure or other duack nostrum. the |
prosperity of both manufactures and |
agricultural was restored. In the |
lext fifteen years farm lands doub-