Show OlE IDED PROSPERITY The Republican party is never tired of boasting about unexampled prosperity pros-perity and wonderful increase of wealth in this country while that party was in control of public affairs And if we look at the progress made in manufacturing circles to the enrichment enrich-ment of the employers and capitalists and the Accumulation of wealth by the bankersand speculators there appeals to be ome foundation for the brag But when we view the condition of the wr ti t agricultural classes and the laboring population we see that progress has been moving In the opposite direction Official statistics show that while the capital invested in manufacturing increased in-creased 121 per cent improved farmland farm-land advanced in value but 26 per cent and the value of all farm products but 11 per cent in 1890 as compared with 1880 Upon the whole the advance in agriculture has hardly kept pace with the increase in population showing a marked contrast with manufacturing We agree with acute observers of the trend of public affairs in the opinion that the great cause of this excessive and unnatural stimulation of manufacturing manufac-turing was tariff protection which forced forc-ed an output out of all proportion to the home market If the census figures are to be believed at all their statistics show a state of things which can find a permanent cure only in industrial freedom As sagely said by an eastern critic on this question our people have been trying to lift themselves into a fictitious manufacturing prosperity by the straps of their own hightariff boots The efforts which have been put forth to remedy the existing condition of affairs af-fairs so that the consumers of the country may have a chance to obtain their share of national prosperity have I been rendered measurably abortive because be-cause of the sectionalism that has entered i ent-ered into the disposition of the tariff question If it is true as charged that bribery or attempted bribery has been used in this connection what does it show Why that the protected industries in-dustries have fattened so largely on the high tariff system that they are able and ready to pay immense sums of I money to retain the tariffs by which they have made themselves rich while the masses of the consumers have been impoverished f High tariffs may have have enriched a certain class They were intended for that purpose They have been retained and increased in their interest That class is now using every means that can be exerted with safety to prevent legislation in the interest of the masses instead of the classes The influences brought to bear on Senators and Representatives Rep-resentatives come from that source And it is unfortunate for the country that political ambitions and the fear that legislation for the whole nation will come in contact with the special interest of a Congressmans powerful constituents render impossible the full and drastic reforms which patriotic people peo-ple so ardently desire We can expect at least but a moderate moder-ate measure of reform But when the excellent effects that follow it are perceived per-ceived by the people other and more complete reforms will be demanded and the fallacy called protection will be thoroughly exposed and expunged from our financial system |