Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1898 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

TURNCOAT There has been a great change of heart on the part of the Republican party since 1888. Now the Republicans want nothing but gold as the money of ultimate redemption, and monetary “reform” with them means a contraction of the currency. What the Republicans demand at present Is the establishment of the great king trust of the world. The trust which shall “corner” money. The trust which shall have one great central bank with 10,000 branches. That is the only kind of “reform” which the Republican patriots desire. But ten years ago the position of the Republican party was quite different. Then it claimed to be In favor of bimetallism and In 1888 the national platform on which Harrison was elected President had the following plank: The Republican party is in favor of the use of both gold and silver as money and condemns the policy of the Democratic administration in its efforts to demonetise silver. This declaration was unequivocal and the satire In It upon present conditions Is stinging and severe. But In 1892, Harrison being once more a candidate for President, the Republican party adopted the following plank on the money question: The American people from tradition and interest favor bimetallism and the Republican party demands the use of both gold and silver as standard money, with such restrictions and under such provisions, to be determined by legislation, as will secure the maintenance of the parity of the two metals, so that the purchasing and debt-paying power of a dollar, whether of silver, gold or paper, shall be at all times equal. The same convention Indorsed the Sherman law “as a long, but prudent, step toward the free coinage of silver.” Truly times change and men change with them.

Fight the Trusts. Now that the Republicans have gained entire control of the law-making machinery of the Government, the reign of trusts will continue with added splendor. For the next two years there will be a grand rush on the part of What McKinley calls “our best business Interests” to get Into combines Which will kill competition and lower the wages of the worangman. When the news of Republican success was received In New York all the trust stocks went up with a bound, and this fact demonstrates what the money power thinks is going to be the result Of unrestrained Republican power. To the transportation trust, the Standard Oil trust, the sugar trust and the other trusts controlling two thousand million dollars of capital will be added next winter the. money trust—the king of all the combines. Already the administration newspapers are demanding the passage, in extra session, of the ’’reform” currency bill. When that measure becomes a law there will be one great central bank and 10,000 branches. Competition In the money market will be slain. Business will be entirely at the mercy of the enormous and merciless money power. What can the people do* under such circumstances? They can fight the slavery of the trusts as the opponents of human slavery fought that institution. They can Insist that such laws as now exist against the trusts shall be enforced, and if these laws are not enforced they can call attention to the venality of those in power and denounce the rascals who thrive by robbery. There is a tremendous struggle Impending. Democrats should gird themselves for the conflict. The fight will be bitter, the qdds are tremendous, but ip the long run the right must and will prevail. Democrats and the War. It Is quite evident that the war question was large enough to dwarf all othqr questions before the American people during the late political campaign. It will not do for Democrat* to trust the theory that the Influence of the war on politics has spent Its force. Indeed, It looks as though the war with Spain and Its results would be In the front for several years to come. Democrats lost an opportunity by not Claiming the credit they deserved for inaugurating the Spanish war and for hiding |p winning the great victory over the foreign foe. As a matter of history, no Republican can truthfully deny that the Democrats in Congress forced McKinley from his peace-at-any-ppice policy and compelled him to take a manly and patriotic attitude. As a matter of history, it la also evidenced that the Democrats faded to grasp the advantage of their position, and hence lost their chance for victory. No greater mistake could be made than for the Democratic party to allow itself to be placed In the false position of opposition to the war and an obstructionist In the matters growing out of that war. Democrats were patriotic and loyal. They should claim the recognition they deserve and refuse to be slde-trackdd by the Republicans.— Chicago Democrat.

Steel Hail Robbery. There la no health in commerce when It is strangled by combines. Where competition exists there is health. It is an old and true saying that competition is the life of trade. But there can be no competition when trusts rule. Lately a great pool has been formed by the steel rail manufacturers of the United States. What is the result? An advance of $2 a ton on steel rails is about to be made, Men who make steel rails have been able to sell their product both at home and abroad for $lB a ton, What will they do now with the pool In good working order? They will continue to sell steel rails to Europe for $lB a ton, but American consumers will be forced to pay S2O a ton for the same material. Indeed, the added $2 will not long satisfy the managers of the pool, and they can demand sls more if they wish. And they will not long be satisfied with an advance of $2. Bobbers want everything of value on the premises and steel rail robbers are no exception to the rule. These steel rail makers are Hanna’s friends; they helped elect McKinley. Griggs is their man, or rather mannikin. Look out for a squeeze in steel rails. Deficient Revenue. Republicans are forced to face the unpleasant fact that in spite of the Dingley tariff there is an enormous deficiency of revenue. Each month the same old story of a lack of income is told by the treasury reports. Efforts are being made to cover up the facts, but however shrewd these attempts

may be the discreditable condition of affairs becomes apparent In August there was a deficiency of $14,478,010; September followed with a deficiency of $14,445,851, and now October brings up the line with a deficiency of $14,352,225, which would have been more than a million higher if the interest payments for the month had been ipade by the treasury In the ordinary way. Thus during the past three months the Government has been running behind at the rate of nearly $175,000,000 a year. It is a serious question for the administration to face, and the problem of securing sufficient revenue seems to be too hard for the Republicans to solve. In the four monthqjof the present fiscal year the expenditures for the army and navy have reached a total of $134,979,947, against $37,351,889 for the corresponding period last year, an increase of $97,628,057. A rough estimate of the cost of the war, including the preparations for hostilities, brings the total to $156,000,000 at the end of October, an amount which, according to present prospects, will be largely added to in the remaining months of the calendar year, raising the aggregate in 1898 to the near vicinity of $200,000,000. Expansion is a great thing, but it comes high.

Monetary “Reform.” Now that the elections are ovtir, the people may expect the administration press to open its batteries in favor of "sound” money. During the campaign this question was discreetly shelved by the Republicans and the glorious .results of the war with Spain discussed to the fullest limit. But since the votes have, all been cast and the chances of losing ballots no longer exist, the old cry for the gold standard will be resumed. What do the Republicans want? They want, to make money dear and everything else, Including man’s labor, cheap. They want to establish a “corner” in money. That banking and currency measure now pending in Congress will be advocated. It is styled: “A bill to provide for strengthening the public credit, for the relief of the United States Treasury, and for the amendment of the laws relating to national banking associations.” The title Is a misnomer. It ought to be: “A bill to destroy the greenbacks, fasten the gold standard permanently upon the American people, Increase the bonded debt and to create a colossal banking trust and give It absolute control of the circulating medium of the country.” I President McKinley, who voted in the House frequently for the free coinage of silver, favors this bill. Mark Hannaj favors it and it has the approval of tbei money power. If it shall become a law,, competition In me banking business! would end. The great trust of trusts will be established. The will be destroyed, no more silver will be coined, and with one great bank there will be 10,000 branches managed by subordinates and not by independent bankers.

Rich Congressnien. In the State of New York, especially, In the districts near the metropolis, it' costs a great deal of money to conduct a Congressional campaign. Rich men alone can afford to become candidates, and thus the representatives of the people become simply the representatives of the money-holding classes. According to the sworn statements of some of the New York candidates for, the lower house their election expenditures were as follows: Underhill of West Chester $6,610 Stewart of Amsterdam 6,971 Ketcham of Dover P1ain5......... 7,500 Littauer of Gloversville 3,000' Those are large sums to pay for the< simple honor of becoming a member of Congress. Is there anything else id holding such a position besides thej honor of It? These men in two years will be paid' by the Government SIO,OOO each for their services. In order to secure an' election, some of them spent nearly 80, per cent, of that amount without counting what it cost them to secure nomination. Perhaps it Is too severe a judgment to say that the opportunities of a Congressman to make money were the inducements which caused these men to pay so much for their seats. But one fact remains evident, and that is the poor men can’t be elected, and, therefore, the poorer classes are practically unrepresented by the Congressmen chosen from the districts in question. ,

Aljfer and Miles. Alger conspired against General Mlles and sent fat-witted, gross-bodied Shafter down to Santiago to muddle matters and to sacrifice lives. But, after all, Miles had to be called upon to help Alger’s big pet out of his scrape.! McKinley called out over 250,000 soldiers and used only about one-fourth of that number, holding the remainder in pest camps and breaking their health without serving the country in any good purpose. General Mlles says in his report: “But a small portion of the available forces of the United States—approximately 52,000 men—has been on, foreign soil.” And General Corbin) makes the following statement: “Ag-| gregate regulars and volunteers, 11,108) officers and 263,609 men; total, 274.717.’” Compare the figures and observe the 1 useless expense and suffering caused bj’ Alger and McKinley. What was the cause of all this muddling of military matters? Politics. McKinley wanted to play politics. Alger wanted to make money and political capital, and one of the results is this, noted by the New York World: Died of wounds. 343 Died of disease 2,566 Such a showing does not serve as a very brilliant vindication of Alger’s, policy toward General Miles.—Chicago Democrat. Expansion and Protection. The gentlemen of the Massachusetts Home Market Club are wise enough to, see that the President’s policy of expansion is directly hostile to the practice of the theory of “protection.” The two are antagonistic; they cannot exist together. “If this country is committed to a policy of expansion,” says Col. Albert Clarke, secretary of the Home Market Club, “the political advantages which the Republican party gained two years ago will be endangered, - if not lost.” The job which the Republican administration has taken up is one that nobody can carry through. One end of it will have to be dropped.—Boston Post.