Show REPUBLICANS AND FREE TRADE Some of the misleading and rantank erous Republican sheets in this region are manufacturing stories about the prices that were promised by Democrats Demo-crats in 1892 to farmers stockraisers and others under free trade and then quoting the prices of products and stock in the present market with the implication that those Democrats were liars In the first place the Democrats did I not advocate free trade when they came before the country in the campaign of 1892 They advocated tariff reform and j showed that free trade was a present impracticability if not impossibility I In the second place no Democrat ever I made specific statements as to the definite j defi-nite prices that products would bring when a change of tariff policy was inaugurated in-augurated Some of them did predict i that when the tariff duties were levied for revenue purposes instead of for class protection the result would be lower prices of manufactured articles in common use without a diminution in the prices of agricultural products That is a very different thing l In the third place Democrats never I promised or predicted a beneficial change in any of these particulars while the country labored under the same tariff provisions and conditions as prevailed in 1892 They did not promise prom-ise a crop before the seed was planted I nor the light of day where the night remained re-mained j t Now will those sneaking contempti j < ble prevaricating Republican sheets j tell their readers whether we are now i t under a free trade policy If prices I of products and stock are low today is r I that because of free trade Has there j I been any change in the tariff laws I Are we not now under the highest protective pro-tective regime that ever ruled in the United States And if the tariff has Ian I-an thing to do with this depression must it not be of necessity the Republican Repub-lican tariff laws which have been growing grow-ing more and more oppressive for the last thirty years It will not do to dodge and ask why I the tariff laws have not been changed That is not the question The patent facts are that we are not under free j trade that we are not expecting to be under free trade that free trade has i not been contemplated that if there I has been any fear of free trade it was fabricated without reason or excuse ex-cuse in a spirit of foul falsehood by Republican agitators and that if the I tariff regulates prices today it is the McKinley abomination that does the regulating for it has not yet been changed in a single particular i The Republicans have a terribly hard task before them to make a showing in the approaching political struggle They are banking on the hard times and the fall in prices but they will find I that that sort of financiering will fail I And they will learn too that though figures do not lie lying with figuresa I Republican specialty will not prevail with the posted voters of the coming i State v > J r 1 j t I t > t J ii i i t 1 1i |