One year ago now, the last great speech ...

REPUDIATED AND FORGOTTEN

One year ago now, the last great speech of President McKinley, on reciprocity, was before the American people. He had been stricken down by an assassin, and lay at the point of death and the people, especially that portion constituting his political followers, heralded the utterances of that speech as prophetic of the coming more liberal and progressive tariff policy of this nation. Here are some of the utterances which were declared to have been spoken with the foresight of the seer:

"We must not repose in fancied security that we can forever sell everything and buy little or nothing. If such a thing were possible it would not be best for us or for those with whom we deal. ***Reciprocity is the natural outgrowth of our wonderful in industrial development under the domestic policy now firmly established.*** The period of exclusiveness is past. The expansion of our trade and commerce is the pressing problem.*** If perchance some of our tariffs are no longer needed for revenue or to encourage and protect our industries at home, why should they not be employed to extend and promote our markets abroad?"

But how have these alleged prophetic utterances been treated by the dead president's political friends? Not one of these ideas have been adopted and carried into practice. On the other band they have been brushed aside with contempt and every time any one of them has shown its head in the halls of congress it has been done to death by its supposed friends. The new, liberal, progressive policy of the dead leader has been repudiated and forgotten.

It is reported that Senator Quay, of Pennsylvania, and Senator Platt, of New York, are strongly in favor of calling a special meeting of the Pennsylvania legislature, and that Governor Stone has the project under advisement, for the purpose of passing a compulsory arbitration law or some other measure to compel the coal operators to settle the great coal strike. It would seem to be about time that the interests of the public in this war were considered.

Governor Pingree claimed to have pardoned Generals White and Marsh for the reason that the Henderson-Ames people were not also prosecuted or their part in the great republican military steal. He also used severe language against Judge Wiest. But could he revise his opinions now, he would have an apology to make to justice and to Judge Wiest.