The Conservative
MB. SPEECH.
THE CoNSEnvATiVE publishes in part
the speech of Hon. Louis R. Ehrich , of
Colorado Springs , chairman of the anti-
imperialist convention. While not
agreeing with" Mr. Ehrioh in his conclu
sions , wo commend his speech as
thoughtful and thoroughly patriotic.
THE CONSERVATIVE is particularly
pleased with Mr. Ehrich 's kind words
of commendation for one of tho'greatest
presidents our country has ever had
Qrover Cleveland. To Mr. Cleveland
more than to'any other one man belongs
the credit for present prosperity and the
honor of maintaining the financial in
tegrity of the country.
In the campaign' this year , THE CON
SERVATIVE believes the highest interests
of the country can be best subserved by
adhering to the" financial policy1. inaugu
rated by Mr. ' Cleveland , and aiding in
the election of the man who is now
seeking to carry out that policy , though
he did bitterly oppose" Mr. Cleveland
when he was so bravely contending for
the financial honor of the nation.
In so far as the Philippines are con
cerned , THE CONSERVATIVE agrees with
Mr. Ehrich that a mistake was made in
not amending the treaty with Spain ,
making the same provision for the
Filipinos that was made for the Cubans.
This would have been done but for the
untimely interference of } Mr. Bryan
who by reason of his influence with
democratic senators , brought about the
ratification of the treaty as it was writ
ten , and made futile all attempts to
amend it. As both Mr. Bryan and Mr.
McKiuley favored ratification , and as it
is beyond the power of either to undo
that which.was then done , THE CON
SERVATIVE cannot see any choice be
tween the two , so far as this question is
concerned. Mr. Ehrich spoke in part as
follows :
The Trusts.
"The ' temporary chairman of the
Kansas City convention , Governor
Thomas declares that : 'The crisis in
our'commercial affairs is that of indus
trial despotism against the liberty of the
nation. * * * Either trusts or the
government must disappear. ' Senator
Wolcott , the temporary chairman of the
Philadelphia convention , says with ad
mirable frankness : 'Whenever a repub
lican administration is in power , there
is constant talk of trusts. The reason
isn't far to seek. Aggregations and
combinations of capital find their only
encouragement in prosperous days and
widening commerce. ' It is certainly
true .that capital does begin to combine
and to control the prices of monopolized
products as"soon as the republican party
is in power , * and , as Senator Wolcott
says , the reason isn't far to seek. The
republican party is the mother "of pro
tection , and protection is the mother of
trusts. The grandmother gives to her
progeny the benefit and the protection
of legalized favors , and in return , the
grateful offspring are the principal con
tributors to the campaign funds of their
pliant progenitress. Speaking for my
self , I ini ready to affirm that , under
just legislative conditions , I welcome
trusts , not only as an agent in the more
economical production of commodities ,
but also as an evolntionized effort to
bring about a closer and less wasteful
balance between production and con
sumption. Let the trusts stand open to
the free , untrainmeled competition of
the world , and they will speedily be
divested of evil economic influences !
They become dangerous only when they
are artificially created and unduly fos
tered by a tariff wall which shields them
from the competitive conditions of other
markets , and which , by the instinct of
self-advantage , brings them into part
nership with a political party.
Wolcott's Attack on Cleveland.
"The sublimity of unblushing effront
ery , however , reveals itself in another
part of Senator Wolcott's address. As a
preparation for the fulsome eulogy of
President McKinley , Mr. Wolcott goes
out of his way to attack and malign the
first American of our time , Grover
Cleveland. Speaking of the terrible
financial disasters which came in 1893 ,
of the countless failures which followed ,
of the depletion of the treasury gold
reserve , of the sufferings of labor , he
says , referring to Mr. Cleveland : 'The
appalling result of his policy is still
fresh in the memory of millions who
suffer from it. ' Can cowardly injustice
and political misrepresentation further
go ? Is it not a fact known of all men ,
that the disastrous panic of 1893 and the
misery that followed were directly and
unmistakably traceable to that shame
ful bit of republican legislation known
as the Sherman law'of 1890 ? And what
part did Mr. McKinley , of whom Mr.
Wolcott says , 'He has shown an unerring
mastery of the economic problems which
confront us * what part did he take in
the enactment of this Sherman law ? As
chairman of the ways and means com
mittee of the house , he was its most
earnest and most zealous champion.
"He said :
" 'Mr. Speaker , no man should hesi
tate between the two millions a month
that we have now , and the four and a
half millions a month that we shall have
under the proposed law. I would have
this bill different if I could , but it rep
resents the purpose and the idea , not
fullyit is true , which I have , touching the
silver legislation which is required. '
"And what , pray , was the full idea of
the silver legislation which Mr. McKin
ley thought was required ? Seventeen
days thereafter he says : 'I am for the
largest use of silver in the currency of
the country. I would not dishonor it.
* * * I want the double standard. '
Let it be remembered that at this time
Mr. McKinley was over forty-seven
years of age , when an 'unerring master
of economic problems' might be expected
to have his financial theories fully ma
tured. In the year following , only two
years before the panic of 1893 , ho snarls
at Mr. Cleveland in a piiblic speech and
says :
" 'During all of his years ab the head
of the government he was dishonoring
one of our precious metals , one of our
own great products , dtsoreditiutr silver
and enhancing the price of gold. '
"And now the servile fawners of this
co-author and champion of the financial
crime of 1890 have the audacity to
calumniate Mr. Cleveland for the results
of their own vicious legislation ! Let it
be said in this presence that the principal
cause of the prosperity which our nation
is now enjoying and which is the exult
ing boast of the republican party , comes
from the unflinching resolution , the
heroic persistence , and the indomitable
manhood of Grover Cleveland in bring
ing about the repeal of that very law
which Mr. McKinley was so zealous to
enact.
"We are prosperous not only because
the gold standard has been maintained ,
but also because our harvests have been
bounteous and the demands for our
products increasingly large. This pros
perity must certainly be a surprise to
Chairman Wolcott. It is only two
years ago that he said in the senate :
" 'For myself I still cherish , and I
shall cherisii as long as I live , the con
viction that prosperity can never come
to this country until it comes by a res
toration of both silver and gold as a
standard. '
"Are we not evidently face to face
with another 'unerring master of eco
nomic problems ? '
Cuban and Philippine Situation Con
trasted.
"Let us take a brief retrospect : When
congress was considering the proclama
tion of war , no question was raised but
that the Cubans 'of right ought to be
free and independent. ' There was some
question , however , as to whether we
could rightly say that they 'are' free
and independent. The Cuban insur
gents were not in possession of a single
oity. The situation had not changed
from the year 1875 , when General Grant
wrote : 'The insurrection has not pos
sessed itself of a single seaport , whence
it may send forth its flag , nor has it any
means of communication with foreign
powers , except through the military
lines of its adversaries. ' They were
still , as Secretary Olney described them
in 1896 , 'a nomadic association , ' which
I take to be a polite term for guerrillas.
They had , as Consul-General Lee said ,
nothing but the skeleton of a govern
ment. Their capital was transportable
on the seat of a Mexican saddle. Yet
we decided by solemn legislation that
'the Cubans are , and of right ought to
