Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1904 — POLITICAL COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

POLITICAL COMMENT.

' A Thins: to Sweat By. As the campaign period of the current year approaches, there, are fastgathering signs that it is going to be marked by an unwonted and vigorous assault upon the citadel of protection; • unwonted,” because it is now more than a decade since the opponents qf the party tn power have made an intelligent and concerted effort to oust it in a battle pitched upon “tariff reform” lines; “vigorous,” because these same opponents, having now thrown away the weapons and abandoned the tactics that have twice brought them overwhelming defeat, are In a measure desperate and determined, apparently, to turn back and rally again under the only slogan that has ever contributed to their political success in a stretch of forty-four years—and only twice, at that. They fail utterly, however, to recognize the vast difference between the political, financial, industrial and general commercial conditions that marked the periods just preceding the campaigns of 1884 and 1892 and those which now prevail. If repeated Republican victories throughout nearly half a century have proved anything, they have demonstrated the puissant wisdom of the party's founders in making protection its chief

corner-stone. As often as that policy has been discredited by popular vote, just so often has the country's prosperity shrunk and vanished: just so often have industry and trade languished under the blight of the change: Just so <Bften have the profits of business Been diminished and the earnings of the workingman been shrivelled. If experience has taught the people any one lesson more thoroughly and lastingly than another, It has surely taught them the folly of attempting to Improve good times by destroying the chief factor in the creating of them. Protection has become practically a principle of our government here in the United States. It has advanced and arisen somewhat beyond ami above the plane of a mere policy. It is an establishment. an institution. To assail it Is in reality to essay to weaken our system of government. Surely the "mugwump" biust recall keenly his past follies. This Is not a lime to carry aid and sympathy to the enemy. It Is a time to "spenk wMI of tb.e bridge that has brought us safely over"—not a time to question its strt ; bllity or to try to test Its strength or its efficiency. Both have been tried often enough already, and never found wanting.—New York Commercial.

Hna Been Bounced. These t'ubtins nro not so slow when it conu s to making n bargain or boating n foreigner. Their Congress is tlln-usaing n new tariff law which is expected to more than offset the amount that will bo lost through lowering the duties on American Imports 2«t per cent, ns they arc bound to do by the reciprocity treaty, which went Into effect December 27th. This new tariff will iMcrenac duties to an amount more than e<|tiivnient to the 2<> per cent preference given the United States, so our own exporters will jiay as much.’lf not n little higher, duties than before, while the Cubans will get the 21 • per cent reductions on their products sent to lids country. We presume this is wltfft was meant when “our plain duty” to Cuba was referred to. It Is very plain that the United States lias been buncord —except tlie Sugar Trust. —Michigan Farmer. Same Old Irrepressible Conflict.’’ Before the Democratk * N'nth.unl Convention of IStkl that party was nt nn extremely low ebb. ft hasl |»ern overwhelmingly defeated In n large majority of the States. Business, was

stagnant and labor largely idle. Under these circumstances the Democratic party, “thoroughly discredited in Its policies and its administration, went Into a fusion with the Populists and put a new leader at the front. This standard-bearer, W. ,T. Bryan, polledthe largest vote ever given a Democratic candidate for the Presidency, but also brought but the largest vote on the other side. In the popular vote the Republican lead was greatly increased. Again the combination was tried in 1900, but, though the Democratic vote was again over 6,000,000, the gap against it was widened. The. more than a million Populists who helped the Democratic party in 1896 and 1900 still left it in a minority of from 600,000 to 800,000. A large number of Democrats now want to drop Bryan as a leader and go into a process which they call “revision.” The party revised itself into Populism, aud now it is proposed by some of its leading advisers that it be revised back to where it was before the fusion of 1896. 'As that was a time when the party was discredited and its fortunes were desperate, the idea is without practical force. The Democratic party was divided against itself eight years ago and is in the same condition now. Revision of such

jarring elements is impossible. Bryan declines to be revised. He is certainly not the weathercock in the case. He has been in his party course, as well as in his political fallacies. Since the hard times following the misfortune of 1892 the Democrats have agreed to disagree, and they are farther now than ever from a common basis of action. The battle among tliertfselves, which has been going on for eight years, must bs fought to a finish. Not one of the leaders appears to realize that the party is inherently weak and deserves to be beaten, revised or unrevised.—St. Louis GlobeDemocrat.

No Foalins with the Tariff. The unsettled conditions from which the country has just commenced to recover do not admit of introducing any new uncertainties until the sky has materially cleared. Had tlie boom continued there might have been some grounds for tlie opponents of the tariff to argue that it was bringing too much prosperity, but now'that ,tlie boom has had a check the danger that would follow the introduction of a further disarrangement of trade conditions could invite nothing but disaster.

The Republicans have always stood for a tariff that would enable American industry to thrive. There Is no occasion now to pull nway any protective wall, and even if the threadbare argument that a tariff Is not needed to protect goods that can be made for the export trad:* had any weight at any time It inis always been offset by the fact that If n tariff Is not needed particularly on any specific line of manufacturing. ft does no hurt to that industry. Even the Democrats lu Congress s<«e that this la no time to howl <-n In nifty or to jeo|Mirdlze she Interests of the country’, mid they would hardly lie extremists if they could effect anything by it. The most of their noise will be for the benefit of the galleries. —Pittsburg Times.,

Too Bnd 1 It’s too bad that tin* poor old free, tyadti* must have Ids old stand-by. fivetrade England, get to talking protec*dve tariff at thia stage of’ th? game. •—Moravian Falls (N. C.) Yellow Jacket. . i_ • . Got thv Worst of It. Cuba’s Idea of reciprocity seems to Im to give the United States the worst of It at cvcryi turn In the road.—-St. I aiula Globc-Dcnioerat.