Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1896 — The “Crime” of Free-Trade. [ARTICLE]

The “Crime” of Free-Trade.

In defiance of every principle of justice, and of thonest polities and honest manhood, Gov. Matthews has refused to -call a special session of the Legislature, to enact a new apportionment law. As a result of this refusal the Republican «tate committee has instituted proceedings at Indianapolis, to have the courts set aside as unconstitutional, all existingapportionment Jaws since 1855. Candidates for delegate at-large to the republican national convention are Col. R. W. Thompson of Terre Haute, Gen. Lew Wallace of Crawfordsville, Joseph B. Cheadle of Frankfort, C. W. Fairbanks of Indianapolis, Hiram Brownlee of Marion, Frank M. Millikinof New Castle and C. D. Law of Fort Wayne. There now twelve avowed candidates for governor awaiting the decision of the Republican state convention, besides several dark horses. The candidates thus fer declared are the following: Frank B. Posey, Evansville; R. T. Gardner, Washington; James Biley, Vincennes; Will Cumback, Greensburg; James T. J Houston, Rockville; John L. Griffiths, Indianapolis; Major Charles T. Doxey, Anderson; Theodore Shockney, Union City; J. J. Todd, Bhiffton; Charles F. Griffin, Hammbnd; C. E. Everett, Fort Wayne. They nre all good men.

A veteran Republieaustatesman speaking in Washington early in d?893,' made this remadcabale prediction: I look forward with the gravest apprehensions to the next three years in this country, ilf the Keinocratie policies as enounced in -the irecent campaign are carried out, there must be a more or less complete prostration of business. The people .now prosperous will become poor, and the general distress that will be produced by breaking down the tem will lead io an appalling increase -of crime of all kinds. I believe that Mr. 1 Cleveland’s second term, if he follows the policies marked out in the platform on which be was elected, will have terrible consequences. We shall be lucky if we escape great riots and local insurrections. Murders and suicides will be reported in startling numbers, and robbery; and theft will be rampant

Three years of Mr. Cleveland’s term have passed, lacking three weeks, and we are able to see how true a prophet this statesman was. In the last year of the Harrison admistration the number of murders in the United States was less than 6,800. In 1894 the number had risen to 9,800, and last year it reached the unprecedented total of 10,500. In 1892 the number of suicides recorded in the United States was 3,860. Self destructions have steadily increased every year since, and the number them during 1895 was 5,759. Thus it appears that homicides have increased by over 50 per cent, during this administration, and suicides nearly to the same extent The record of crimes against property, such as embezzling defaulting, forgery, and other forms of thieving, show that the increase during the three past years has been not less startling. The summary of defalcations by years from 1889 to 1895, show that the average of such stealings for the four .years during which Harrison was president was about 5i1,500 000 a

year and that it has been increased for the past three years, while. Cleveland has (been; President to an average of about - $18,500,000. a year. In other words thieving, defaleationa, embezzlements and kindred offences have. increased fully 65 percent mnce.Mr. Cleveland began h's second term. It is not too much to says that the vast aggregate of human misery, desperation and dime experienced in this country, as shown by its court records, has been greater during the second term of Grover Cleveland than was ever before known in the history of the United States.