Frauds and falsehoods of the Republican party ...

Front matter

Class

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PRESENT!-:!) BY

Preface

This volume is intended for farmers, mechanics, laborers and all citizens who have at heart the welfare of the country. The object has been to produce as many arguments, backed by facts and figures, as can be contained in a volume of this size. The tariff, and other questions of the greatest importance, have been discussed, and the merits of the Eepublican and Democratic parties compared. It is the opinion of the author that the time has now arrived when the people of this great nation should carefully investigate the political situation, that they may be certain whether the ship of state has not been drifting, or is liable to drift, away from the old landmarks that were designated by the founders of the republic. The plan pursued in this volume has, therefore, been to give a brief history of the political management of the country during the past twenty-five years, in regard to the most important questions acted upon. Its title plainly shows that it is anti-Republican. Republicans should not, for that reason, refuse to read it ; for it would require years to enable the average voter to obtain such a knowledge of facts and figures as are here to be found. No person should refuse to read a book for the reason that it gLoes not conform to his or her particular notions of things. The man who would become posted in regard to the politics of the nation should carefully investigate the principles and policies of all parties; for there can be little hope for a man who will only read one side, and there can be nc hope for a political organization which is controlled by such men.

vi PBEFACE.

The first chapter is confined principally to Cleveland's administration and the tariif question.

The second and third chapters treat of Harrison's administration, the tariff, ship subsidies, reciprocity treaties, etc. The fourth chapter treats of the financial mismanagement of the nation, aside from the tariff question, during the past twenty-five years.

The fifth chapter is confined to the silver question.

The reader will also find at the close of the last chapter the great speech of Henry M. Teller, of Colorado, made in the United States Senate upon the silver question. May 14th and 15th, 1890. This speech is inserted, not only for the valuable information it contains upon the silver question, but on account of the great amount of information it contains concerning other matters of interest to the people. He claims that the general state of depression, and the downward tendency of prices in this country during the past twenty-five years, is due entirely to the lack of a sufficient volume of money in circulation ; while we claim that it is .due, not only to a lack of a sufficient circulating money medium, but to our unfair, inequitable and unjust tariff laws, which destroy the natural channels of trade and |)revent us from finding proper markets for our surplus productions.

We think that Mr. Teller could not retain his seat in the Senate from Colorado were it not for his advocacy of principles so Democratic in their character as are contained in this speech.

At the close the reader will find the great tariff message of Grover Cleveland to the Congress of the United States, December 7, 1887.

CHAPTER I. Cleveland's Administration, The Tariff, and Other Questions

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Republican party not entitled to credit for building subsidized railroads — Colored people^ not returned to slavery under Democratic rule — Cleveland recommended that colored people be reimbursed for loss through that rotten Freedman's Savings Bank — Republican naval operations for twenty-two years — Republican reconstruction was destruction — Cleveland the best friend soldiers ever had — Republicans never appoint Democratic soldiers to office — Cleveland signed more private pension bills than any other president — His vetoes of private pension bills proper — A flood of fraudulent pension bills — Adjutant General Drum's attempt to return the Confederate flags frustrated by Cleveland — The appointment of rebel brigadiers by Cleveland proper — Grant could appoint the guemllas Avithout censure — The great sin of being a Democrat — Republican party devoid of all principle on the taiiff question — History of th^e tariff — Past views expressed on the tariff" by Blaine, Sherman, Garfield, Arthur, Allison, Logan and others, showing them worse free-traders than they claim Democrats now are — In 1883 a Republican commission recommeded a 15 per cent, greater reduction than proposed by the Mills bill — Republican tariff platform of 1884 — Cry of free-trade — Proposition to remove revenue tax from whisky and tobacco — "What sort of a reform is this — The Chinese question and Republican and Ben Harrison's record in relation thereto — Falsity of Englishmen rejoicing over prospects of passage of the Mills bill — The tariff" an English and Chinese system, not American — It originated in piracy — China always maintained the highest tariff, and England, for centuries — The result poverty and misery — Quotation from [^Mrs. Martineau's histoiy, showing result of high tariff in England — This modem Republican party the British party — Is a descendant of the old Federal party which would have patterned our government after that of old England — In what manner they would have done so — Wanted a president for life, and a bank patterned after the Bank of England, which should control the currency — Now Republican party apes English ways by destroying silver as m.oney, and insists upon gold and national bank notes as the only money, as it is in England — Tariff tax resorted to by despots — High tfiii ■ CONTENTS.

pAdfi. tariff, I'oyai gift and subsidies created an English aristocracy and myriads of paupers — Grants and subsidies to the wealthy in this country during twenty-four years greater than during a century in England, prior to 1846 — Irish voter deceived by Republican — England ruined Ireland by a high tariff — That England has free- trade is false — England collects more tariff tax per capita than we do — Democratic party is, and always has been, the anti-British party — Jefferson its founder — "We owe true American government to Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Jackson ■— Our honor revindicated in the war of 1812, but New England proved traitor — In 1846, England changed her tariff laws by removing tariff from raw materials — We successfully competed with England in the trade of the world while we had a low tariff — What Blaine says about it in his book — Since adoption of our high tariff England monopolizes trade of the worlds- Our trade in meantime in manufactm'cd commodities has vanished — Strikes, riots, and labor troubles brought about — Trade with Mexico, "West India Islands and South American States is surrendered to England and other nations — ■ Englishmen buy and build ships where they please, but Americans prevented from building ships by high tariff, and prevented from buying them elsewhere — Tariff' does not insure high wages — Instances showing this tariff not the cause of higher wages here than in England — This illustrated — What Adam Smith said in 1778 — Where the tariff the highest, wages generally the lowest — Illustration — High tariff never resulted in better wages — Millmen will employ the cheapest labor — The tariff is a tax — Illustration — More than three-fourths of it goes into the pockets of the mill-barons — Illustration — Nine-tenths of the tariff tax paid by the poorer class of people — Illustration — A tariff" tax not equal for it is levied on the amount consumed instead of on the proportionate wealth of each citizen — Poor man pays more than millionaire — Illustration — More than $20,000,000,000 of tariff tax paid by our people during past twenty-five years — Eapacious capitalists received this without price — Amount of mortgages in seven states exceeds $3,000,000,000, the full extent of the high tariff swindle — Tariff tax could not be collected if not an indirect tax — Kansas crops and mortgages — Causes of the straightened circumstances in that state — Articles upon which tariff" tax the highest — Bm-den of tariff tax rests the heaviest upon our industrial classes — Illustrations — Eesult of thirty years of high tariff — Creates monopolies-^ It destroys commercial intercourse with nations — Does not protect agaist paupers — They hire pauper labor and charge the consumer what they please — People working in New England and Pennsylvania at starvation wages — Wages lower m protected districts than elsewhere— Tables and illustrations — No danger ot flood of foreign goods under reasonable tariff — Illustrations — More

tariff history — We exported iron and other commodities to England before we had any tariff — Whig party violated pledge to compromise tariff of 1832 — Our golden period — Our commerce between 1846

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and 1860 — Now gone — Mills bill — Cheap goods needed — Cheap materials "wiii help our factories and consumer^ alike — Illustration — The swindle known as the ' ' drawback " — It favors foreigners at the expense of our own consumers — It is said tariff only intended to protect infant industries — Thoj willnerer stand alone — Wool and the sheep kings — Our manufacturers make shoddj — Cheap materials cannot cheapen labor — K"o free-trade in Cleveland's message — John Sherman's attempt to annihilate the message — Paying a premium to call and pay bonds a fraud — Unfairness of Republican reasoning — Senator Fry's school-boy talk — Republican financial policy — Elected Ben Harrison — What had he done — "Who pushed him to the ft'ont — Treacher killed Whig party, and may the Republican party 15

CHAPTER II. - Subsidies axd Othee Questions

Shylock prevented Democratic relief — During Harrison's administration surplus squandered — Taxation increased — Surplus wasted does not relieve taxpayers — Money must be earned over again — Republican doctrine, anything to get money out of the treasury — In 1888 Democratic candidate received majority of votes — Did not vote for increased taxes — Ingalls supported McKinley bill because Republican measure — When people subjected to oligarchy not much liberty — English people prospered better after they obtained some of their natural liberties — Democratic party that of progress and of American ideas — Illustrations — Republicans going backto the doctrines of.Hamilton — What Hamilton wanted — Opposing ideas of Jefferson and Hamilton — In 1800 Jefferson triumphed over Hamilton and liberty overpower — Battles between Federalism and Jeffersonism being fought over again — Republicans bearing cloak of patriotism excite national hatred to accomplish their ends — The McKinley bill — What it does — Will retard our progress and absorb the capital of the masses — The enormous swindle in the drawback scheme by the McKinley bill — Helps people in foreign lands at expense of our tariff taxpayers — X tariff tax could not exist if made universal — Certain classes of industries must combine to fleece others and be backed by strong arm of government — Did not concern themselves about the prices of articles — True — Tax increase upon every necessary article — Tin plate — Pig tin not produced in this country in paying quantities — Opposite assertions are false — Object to compel people to abandon tin for more worthless and more expensive article — The poor consume tin — Tax doubled on tin for benefit of a few millionaires— $20,000,000 to be paid annually by people as tax on tin — Illustrations showing extent of this fraud — Tax on lamp chimneys — Table showing increase of tax by McKinley bill — Has not

X ' CONTENTS.

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increased the wages of laborers — Labor must surrender a part of wages to pay increased tariff tax — Disposes of bis labor in a free market while mill-owner has price of his commodities increased bj law — ■ Most laborers do not work in mines nor mills, but need protection against high tariff — Bitterness between labor and capital — Strikes and lock-outs increase — "We have had every kind of tariff — Our factory workers paid not much better than in Europe — Testimony of witnesses to this — The farmers — Republican mock protection to them — Farming interests depressed — Farmer been voting for high taxes on what he must purchase — Reason of depression of farming industries

— Their market shut off — Profits of farmers' investments compared with those of manufacturers — The effects of the war tariff and the tariff" of 1846 upon the wealth of farmers compared — The comparative wealth per capita — Exchange with Canada — Cheap raw material would benefit both consumer and manufacturer — Both parties really protection parties — Only differ as to manner and mode — False representations of Representative Payne, of New York, as to effects of free-trade between 1784 and 1790 — Republicans blow hot and then cold — Wonderful argument of Mr. Bliss, of New York, in favor of Mc- Kinley bill — Same in relation to our internal commerce — He forgot that free-trade always existed between the states— TVould not work very well otherwise — Of farm products we have an increasing surplus

— What must we do if we have no outlet ? — Table showing benefit of Mills bill, with remarks of Stewart, of Georgia — Farmers and laborers the real business men of the country — Others are gamblers and speculators — High tariff makes millionaires of millmen, but not of farmers — Commerce not to be tolerated by Republicans — Injurious effects of tax on tin to farmers — Blaine's reciprocity scheme — It is a fraud — No outlet for om* farm products in South America — South American developments — They compete with us in European markets — Reciprocity and ship subsidies intended for benefit of manufacturers — Illustrations — Tariff pictures — Demand for higher protection is a demand for higher prices — Maine men always working for subsidies — England's carrying trade not due to ship subsidies — We had no subsidies when we contested the supremacy of the ocean successfully with England — Our carrying trade between 1845 and 1855 exceeded that of England — Cause of its decline — We have tried subsidies, but they were a failure, as well as the railroad to Mexico, under high tariff — Table illustrating — Reciprocity not consistent with war tariff — Reciprocity treaties should be made with countries to whom we sell bur surplus farm products — Such treaties not intended to loosen the grasp of the manufacturers on our consumers — It is a blind and a fraud — John Sherman a barbarian — In 1852 we sent fleet to Japan to compel them to trade — Americans cannot build and navigate ships, and why — Testimony of Girard Brown as to cause of depressed state of farming industry — Facts and figures — Freedom of outlet required — Foreign

CONTENTS. xi

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capital invited and controls many of our greatest factories — They think a high tariff a good thing for them, therefore they come here — Andrew Carnegie and how his fortune is made — Capital not concerned about the masses — Increase of wealth of Massachusetts compared with several Western states — Andrew Jackson and Justice Miller — We have no natural impediments to progress — The tariff on sugar — Republicans stultify themselves here — A bounty no protection — Degrades the industry — Miserable excuses for this — Removing the tax from sugar and doubling it upon many other articles a fraud ; it was sectional legislation — The trusts hit by Republicans with a straw club — Table showing tax for benefit of trusts prior to passage of Mills bill — McKinley bill 20 per cent, greater 74

CHAPTER III. Haeeison's Adminstkation, the Election Bill, and othee Questions

The election bill — Its iniquities — Its object — Kind of men usually appointed as ofiicers imder Federal election bills — Is it possible that the people cannot longer choose the managers of their elections ? — Such a bill not constitutional — Arrogancy, impudence and austerity of New England manufacturers and capitalists — Idiocrasy of Representative Greenhalge — Xew England the stronghold of the old British Federal party — They truthfully charged with political crimes — What they did with their slaves — They prevented its abolition — Conduct of New England during the war of 1812 — Republican name a synonym of fraud— How the force bill was launched into existence — What Republicans said of themselves in former days of corruption — What Representative O'Neall, of Indiana, says of Republican gerrymandering — It is a grand fraud — Presidential election in 1888 carried by fraud — Statements showing this conclusively— New England gerrymandering — The educational bill and Republican promises — What the negro will learn when he becomes educated — John J. Ingalls' war record — Colored men not recognized in the North — Only fit to run the South — McKinley bill injurious to the colored people — Exciting animosity between colored people and their white neighbors injurious to them — The new Reed rules — Their infamous character — Nothing beneficial resulting from Harrison's administration — Republican un- Americanism 148

CHAPTER IV. Republican Mismanagement of the Financial Officees of the

goveenment. 'can policy the contraction of the currency — They want the coun- ^""he verge of financial panic — Determined to destroy silver and ^ the government notes from circulation — Demonetized silver xii CONTENTS.

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in midst of the panic of 1873 — They said it was a mistake, but would not correct it — Bland bill passed over the veto of President Hayes — Funded currency purchased for 50 cts. on the dollar into interest-bearing bonds — Advantages given to bondholders — Perfidy of John Sherman — Soldiers swindled by John Sherman's funding scheme — Sherman's refusal to pay out silver to pay interest on .bonds — Sherman's complaint of vaults being overloaded with silver — His violation of the laws of Congress — IS'o such thing as government gold obligations — Neither gold nor silver is money without legal tender quality — Law and the contract in relation to government bonds — The masses not treated same as bondholders — They never helped the government, but Republican party rewarded them — Government credit needs no strengthening — Its credit always good — Funding bonds beyond call — Pet idea of John Sherman — Premium on bonds due to the demands for national bank basis — Bankers do not want the bonds paid — National banks want no currency except national bank notes, and no coin except gold — Mr. Arthur knew their desires — How they are favored — Their capital is doubled and the government loans them its credit- Letter of John Sherman, stating what he would do for them — $80,- 000,000 of gold exchanged for silver — Miserable excuses for contracting the currency — Extent of contraction — Times good when plenty of money in circulation — After contraction ruin followed — Proof of the amount of contraction between 1865 and 1872 — Figures won't lie — Republican party always intended to destroy silver and withdraw the government notes from circulation — Proof of this — Republicans prevent reform — Not money enough in circulation — Country depressed for that reason — Money piled away in great money centers does people no good — Plenty of money circulation makes good times, a scarcity of money, hard times — This demonstrated — People have no clearing houses — What John A.

Logan said — Charges Republicans Avith fraud — John Sherman and Carl Schurz say that the more money we have the less we have — People have too much confidence in corrupt leaders — Purchasing power of money — Who benefited by it — Prosperous times after the discovery of gold in California and Australia — Millions more of coined money the cause — Not one-tenth coin enough to do world's business now — The currency outstanding at the close of the war — Proof — Our present circulating medium per capita — Illustration showing need of more money circulation — People need more money now than twenty-five years ago, for population has doubled — Money circulation should keep pace with increase of population and demands of business — This opposed by the moneyed power — Secretary McCulloch's fraudulent moralizing — People never complain o depression when money plenty — People became depressed when tb money was taken from circulation — Failures increased enormou Losses in 1873 in the billions — Increase of paupers from 1866 to Crazy Carl Schurz — A sample of his logic — Bob Ingers

CONTENTS. xiii

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anxious to pleaso Republicans — His delusive assertions concerning wealth and poverty — The great creditor class understand finance — They love to see people duped — Hard times not caused by any mysterious freak of nature — The less money in circulation the more it is worth — When scarce everybody goes in debt — English bonded indebtedness — "We need no bonded indebtedness for the benefit of an aristocracy — Government notes wero always redeemable paper — We never had any irredeemable paper money — Notes and bonds founded on faith and credit of government — Our notes misrepresented — Men in high position will lie to the public — Government notes were more honest money than gold — Honest money — Xo money of the world — Banks necessary, but should not have the power to control money of the country — Old TJnited States Bank taught Jackson and the people its power, to their sorrow — Control over the currency should not be delegated to banks — The national banks — If abolished, no danger of the wild-cat banks returning — National banks can easily be dispensed with ,.. 217

CHAPTER Y.

The Silver Question.

Moneyed power wants none but gold coin — "Want to be able to comer the government in an emergency — Free silver coinage would baffle them — Free coinage would tend to supply increasing demand for money — Wall street never ceases clamoring for a contraction of money circulation — The reason — Schemes to render silver unpopular — The trade dollar deception — John Sherman's cart-wheel dollar — Sherman's and Harrison's silver storage bill — Is a bill to prevent the coinage of silver and in the interest of bullion speculators — It is a worse subtreasury bill than asked for by the alliance — McKinlcy's argument on silver shown up — Silver coinage a safeguard against panics — Silver certificate, based on coin dollar for dollar, don't suit sharks — National banks the result of bonds — And banks want the bonds made perpetual — Silver certificate better than the banknote — Reasons why — The banks want to furnish all the currency — No wonder, as it is a present to them — Silver the oldest coin known — England laid the foundation of her power with it — It paid the debt of the revolution, that of 1812, and the war with Mexico in 1848 — We would not become a dumping gi'ound for -ilver of other countries — Statements proving this — Silver in France — Three-fourths of earth's surface silver standard territory — England wants cheap silver bullion for her Indian trade — Gold standard in England, and silver standard in India — Silly argument of McKinley and John Sherman on silver — The ways by which silver can be gotten into circulation showing John Sherman a fraud — Object of resumption — Moneyed power does not desire any government xiT CONTENTS.

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Clltt'eiicy — Sih'er coin will purchase the gold coin — Instances of exchanges — Silver more inflexible as a standard — Proof of this — Speeches in opposition to free coinage — Speech of Air. Williams — Eights of creditors — Europe has silver coin to sell — Speech of Mr. Harter — Effect of free coinage on contracts — Credit makes currency — Bland bill will debase currency — Our coinage history — Class legislation — The real remedy — Effect on labor — Speech of Mr. Taylor — Katios of gold to silver — How silver affects India — Speech of Mr. Hopkins — A fixed standard needed — Population and circulation in U. S. — Eflects of inflation — Yiews of Andrew Jackson — Speech, of Mr. Covert — Instances of unsound finance 258

CHAPTER Yl.

BlOGEAPHT OF GeOVEE CLEVELAND.

His ancestry — School days — A law student — His industry and application — llis associates — Admitted to the bar — Assistant district attorney — Nominated for district attorney — Elected sheriff — Elected mayor — Speech on accepting nomination for mayor — Message to the Council — His reforms — Public approval — Protest against imprisonment of American citizens abroad — Elected Governor — His magnificent majority — Yetoes — Appointments — Fulfillment of pledges — Yiews upon corporations — His record as Governor — Speech to Albany High School — Nominated for President — The campaign — "Tell the truth" — His election — Resignation of Governorship — Inaugural address — Death of Yice President Hendricks — First message — Civil service reform — Public lands — Address at Harvard anniversary — Address at dodi.cation of Garfield monument — Address at Clinton centennial — Address at Constitution centennial — Campaign of 1888 — Public interest in Mr. Cleveland — Personal qualities — Reminiscences 381

CHAPTER YII.

BlOGEAPHT OF AdLAI E. SXEVEIfSON.

Ancestry — Early life — Education — Admitted to the bar — His first case — Master of chancery — State's attorney — Record in Congress — Speeches in the House — First Assistant Post Alaster General — His work for the World's Fair — His home life — Workingmen's tribute to him 465

CHAPTER VIII.

The Chicago CoxvE^'TION^.

Organization — Chairman Owen's speech — Second day's proceedings — Speech of Senator Palmer — Chairman Wilson's speech — Platform — Speech of Mr. Abbett nominating Grover Cleveland — The vote — Nomination of Adlai E. Stevenson 483

CHAPTER IX.

Democeatic Peixciples.

Principles of Jefferson — Principles of Jackson — Principles of Tilden... 524

CHAPTER X.

Beief Histoey of Political Paeties.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists — Republicans and Whigs —Whigs and

Democrats — Democrats and Republicans — Minor parties 530

Special — Appendix — Cleveland's message 541

THE FRAUDS MD FALSEHOODS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.