Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1899 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

DEMOCRATIC DUTY. ®bjf by day ’it ’ls becoming -evident 'that the rank and file of the Republican party are prepared, complacently and blindly, to follow their leaders in the support of trusts. .Here te one of their recent .utterances: . “Those who oppose trust®.are eimply in the way Of “the car of progress.’ Trusts are the natural outgrowth ■of our.advanced efvilization. They lessen the cost of production and put the necessaries of life within reach of the poor. The trusts are big, but this is the -era of big things. The day of small things has passed. The men who are 'Whining because.itbey are about .to be -driven out of business by the -trusts win intake more money and .have an • easier time working ‘ for these trusts than ever before?’ When men drift into the condition at imlnd-to voice such sentiments or.to aptprove of them they ripe f° r •£•*- •dom. They already have passed the .prerequisite of pusillanimous aervility .and there only .remains to be branded .on their backs the ownership mark of some trust to make them full-fledged .and contented serfs. The claims made by the Republicans 'ln favor of trusts are brazen Jy.latee. It .is hardly -.possible to name a-single article that has fallen under trust-control -the price of which has not been ’’marked up” from 25 to 200 per cent. That some of the trusts will be forced temporarily to advance wages as part -of .the general scheme to crush out com .petition is almost inevitable. competition shall have been -effectually 'Strangled, and the trusts have full-oon-trol of the Industries, the .prediction that they will voluntarily .pay “gener■ous -waged” to their employes is «u----premely absurd. The trusts are always ready to upend mxmey lavishly in crushing out competition. It may be set down as certain that they do mot .do this with the desire .and intention of enjoying a monopoly •of paying ‘generous wages” or of oeU•ing merchandise to the poor at lew ipriees. When the trust -system is more f uMy cwtnMished, and the compact between the trusts shall be in good working •order, there need be no hope of high rates-of wages. An the contrary, it-eaa be predicted with a fair degree of certainty that the rate of wages generally paid will very nearly represent the very lowest amount, scientifically ascertained, upon whieh a man can keep alive and work from twelve to fifteen hours a With McKinley’s protective tariff shutting oat foreign competition, and the treats cutting off domestic competition, the question Is not whether the people wifi have to pray for mercy. The only open question is: Whatman the people do to save themselves? The Republican party promised the people “big things,** and they have given them in the shape of trusts. After taking a good look at these “big things” the chances are the people will turn to the Democratic party and ask for some old-fashioned “Jeffersonian simplicity.” Leaders of Democracy, get together and redeem the nation from the pawnbrokers of Wall street.—Chicago Democrat. A Waraine from Wall street. The present speculative Wall street boom, which affords occasion for a great showing of prosperity, on paper, has not conferred any benefits upon farmers, laborers and small business men. One reading the metropolitan dailies would be led to believe that the bulling of monopoly stocks and the organisation of huge industrial trusts is a great boon to the tiller of the soil, bat investigation fails to show this to be the truth. Now, the best authorities predict a Wall street collapse, and what wfU the plutocratic newspapers Jmse their prosperity claims upon then? Gbe United States Investor warns the people to get ready for the next panic, which. It aays, is inevitable at any moment now. The New York Financier, whieh stands close to all of the big moneyed interests, says that the government is depositing in the banks, without interest, public funds to the extent of ninety millions, and that the banks, in order to make this profitable, are urging on the moat wonderful speculative era ever known, in the formation of trusts, with inflated capital, and that there is no question that the panic is near. Whether or not these financial authorities know their business well enough to accurately foretell panics a non-financler cannot say. But if it is not a panic, it will be at least a disappearance of the outward trappings of prosperity that have for some months been on exhibition In Wall street, leaving us nothing but our actual case of gold standard hard times to contemplate; In which case we shall not really be any worse off, but it may hurt some people’s feelings and other people’s political chances. - Carlisle in 1878. I shall not enter into an examination of the causes which have combined to depreciate the relative value of silver and to appreciate the value of gold since 1873, but I am one of those who believe that they are transient and temporary in their nature, and that

es precious metals is none too large, and I see no reason to apprehend that it will ever become so. Mankind will be fortunate, Indeed, if the annual production of gold and silver coin shall keep pace with the annual increase of population, commerce . and industry. Accordiug to my view of the subject, the conspiracy which seems to have been formed here and in Europe to destroy by legislation and otherwise from three-sevenths to one-half the metallic money of the world is the most gigantic crime of this or any other age. The consummation of such a scheme would ultimately entail more misery upon the human race than all the wars, pestilence and famine that ever occurred in .the history of the world. The absolute and instantaneous destruction of half •the movable property of the world, including horses, ships, railroads and all .other appliances for carrying on commerce, while it would be felt more sensibly at the moment, would not produce anything like the prolonged distress and disorganization of society that must Inevitably result from the permanent annihilation of one-half of the metallic money of the world.—John C. Carlisle, Feb. 21, 1878. Alger Oppose* Beef Investigation, flame months ago, at the time when the beef scandals first sent a shock throughout the country, General Miles, who nominally commands the armies of the United States, directed Inspector General Breckinridge to visit the various posts and camps in this country and in the West Indies to Investigate the facts as to the kind of beef furnished to the army during and since the Spanish war; also Colonel Garlington, under orders, made a tour of the Western packing cities to obtain information about the methods of refrigerating and packing beef for army use. These officers have been very diligent and thorough in the service on which they were detailed. It is understood that they have a mass of testimony more than to sustain the charges made by General Miles regarding the beef scandal issued as rations. Year’* Momenton* Change*. A year ago the United States were the world’s greatest republic and freest country and occupying a position that was Independent of the .other countries, but bound to them by the friendly ties of trade interchange. To-day we are a member of the family of nations and a participant in the broils and quarrels of the other members. And too we have become meanwhile the most grasping of the powers for foreign territorial conquest, Including a purpose to join in the spoliation of China. The future historian will be obliged to quote Senator Hoar: “The downfall of the American republic commenced with the administration of William McKinle^.”— Kansas City Times. . Pitiful Echo of a Scandal. There is a painful echo of the canned beef scandal in the reports from the national insane hospital at Washington. It appears that 147 soldiers of the Cuban war have been sent there on account of derangement arising during their service, and Dr. Godding, the superintendent, in describing their condition, says: "They were suspicious of their food, especially meats, but ate when told to do so.” Considering the revelations that have been made it is not surprising that they were suspicious of their meats.—lndianapolis Sentinel. Still Paying off Hi* Debt*. The way the President has cleaved unto the saw-millionaire at the head of the War Department, refusing to be separated from him at the demand of Democrats and anti-Algerine Republicans, has had few parallels in the examples of unquenchable friendship with which history furnishes us. The President has had enough sworn proof of Alger’s utter Incompetency and criminal mismanagement to convince a deaf, dumb and blind skeptic. But he owes to Alger political debts and will not let him go.—St Louis Republic. Bribery in Senator!*! Election*. When a man once accepts his first bribe to support a man he would otherwise oppose he becomes a rapacious scoundrel, seeking opportunities to sell hi* vote tor any purpose. Having flung away the scruples that most men have in their early public life, he is under no restraint except the fear of exposure. So out of the present system of senatorial elections grows the utter rottenness of some public men, who will do what they can to tempt others.—Washington Times. Republican* Are Learning. Can there be any question that it Is the duty of the Republican party to abolish the protection which has fully accomplished all its legitimate purposes and which Is now used only as a shelter for an audacious scheme of public robbery? The only way to put bounds upon the tyrannical rapacity of trusts is to abolish the-tariff protection under which they have combined to fleece consumers.—St Paul Pioneer Press. ■ . ■ ■ Still Looking for Trouble. With wars, rumors of wars and Algerism turning his hair gray. President McKinley appears to be still hunting trouble. He has announced to bis cabinet that he will soon issue a civil Philadelphia Press. I