Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-08-31
1LERsBuRG, HOLMES COUNTY, o. THURSDAY AUsr 81 1871

MILLERsBURG, HoLME
The Party Issues.
SPEECH OF
HON. JAMES MONROE,
AT ELYRIA, O.,
| sA. URDAY, AUGUST 10th, 1871.
| The two great political parties Of
our State have now laid their plat.
forms and nominated their candi
dates. The important interests oi
the commonwealth will be commit
ted to the care of one or the Other
of these parties at the coming cleo
tion, and one or the other of these
parties the good sense of the peo-
pie, with very inconsiderable excep-
tions, will lead them to support. AS
we shall, no doubt, vote with one OF
these parties, the practical question
is, which shall it be? What is the
significance of a vote for the Re
publican party rather than the Dem
ocratic? or for the Democratic rather
than the Republican? What do the
words Republican and "Demo-
cratic" mean for us? And, especial
ly, what does Democratic" mean
this year? Which of the two par
ties do patriotism, justice, humanity
require us to sustain. In other
words, what are the practical issues
between them?
If we were to treat as issues all the
topics discussed by the party press
es, our task would be interminable.
That human patience may be equal
to the work of inquiry, we must be-
gin by distinguishing between what
are not and what are the issues of
the day.
WHAT ARE NOT ISSUES.
There is large number of topics
which have been the subject of
much newspaper chatting, which can
be passed by without loss to any
one. These are sometimes person
al, sometimes in the form of a quiz,
and always irrevelant. The people
will not be persuaded to regard them
as of any Importance, nor do think
they can be so regarded by those
who talk most about them. We
have examples of these topics in
such questions as the following:
Whether President Grant does
not smoke too much-whether he is
not too fond of a good horse
whether he is not too much at Long
Branch-whether he has not ap-
pointed a second cousin OF his wife
postmaster in Tennessee-whcther
he paid the express charges on a
dog that was sent him from Cleve-
land-whether Secretary Boutwell,
or Secretary Delano or their fami-
lies do not sometimes ride in a dog
cart which belongs to the United
States, and which has been provided
by the Government for the work of
their Departments. All such dis
cussions we shall take pleasure in
forgetting, as sensible men, when
we stand face to face with the grave
issues of the time.
There are, however, three or four
subjects, which are not party issues,
but which have been so often dis
cussed as such by the Democratic
papers that some persons may think
they really are issues. These may
claim our attention for a few mo-
ments.
l. One of these is the question of
making grants of land to railroad
companies. This is not a party is
sue. Both parties in this State
have condemned such grants in the
most emphatic manner,and 1 rejoice
to say, we are not likely to have any
more of them. Indeed, this has
never been political question. The
votes of members of Congress upon
it have been determined rather by
local interest and opinions than by
party preferences. Ever since Sen
ator Douglas, the great leader of the
Northern Democracy, introduced in
to the United States Senate in 1850,
and carried through, bill granting
more than two and a half millions
of acres of land to the Illinois Cen
tral Railroad, prominent men in both
parties, have advocated and oppos-
ed measures of this kind. 1t will
be said that Republicans, of late,
have been in the majority in both
houses of Congress, and, hence, are
responsible for the large grants of
land which have been recently made;
but it is equally true that the De-
mocracy were strong enough, had
they voted in body with those Re
publicans who were opposed to such
subsidies, to have defeated them, or,
at least, to have secured such amend
ments to the legislation upon this
subject as to have rendered it harm
less. But both parties were divided
upon this question, and it was not
regarded in Congress as a party is
sue.
2. Again, the annexation of San |
Domingo is not party issue. 1t is |
true, that Republican President has
favored the aneXation of this Re
public to our own, for reasons, which |
he has given to the country. have
no doubt he honestly thinks that
this measure, if consumated, would |
secure great advantages to the Uni
ted States. But now that the sub
ject has been discussed, he has left
it for the people to decide, and to |
my personal knowledge, has never
attempted to make it a party issue.
The leading Republicans at Wash
ington are some opposed to annex.
alton, and some in favor of it; and,
so far as 1 know, no mans standing
as a Republican has been affected |
by his attitude toward this question. |
In Ohio, the Democratic party, in
their recent platform, after express
ing their warm approval of the ac-
quisition of foreign territory, de |
clare themselves strongly opposed