National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-05
OF TIE FUTURE.

V I LIZ L J O-NO VI L II II - 4 " AeA<'
Senator Sherman, in recent speech at
Columbus, Ohio, tells US what he looks
upon as the great questions of the future
with which the Republican party must
deal, and to which address itself They
are, first, a reduction of expenditure, ma
tional and local, especially local; second, a
return TO specie payments; third, simpli1-
cation of national taxes, by which he means
a classification of the articles lisble to duty;
fourth, the labor and transportation ques-
tons, which have not yet been $50 devel-
"oped by discussion as to justify defini-
''tiOn Of the position Of the Republican
party upon them" and, fifth, the tenn
perance business. His views upon the
latter question are eminently sound, and we
commend them to the consideration of those
who insist upon bringing the subject into
national politics. Mr.. Sherman says
From the composition OF the Republican
party, it no doubt embraces a great por-
ton of the temperance men Of the coun-
"try, but it also embraces a multitude of
"olher men who may differ as to the prin-
VI lllDGE VI W llll lllG GN lis vi
"intcmperance. Must we abandon all our
"politicll principles and drive from US those
who agree with US in politics, merely to
"do as party what we can now do as citi-
"zens? As citizens we can vote for TEN
"perance men-we can use our mora, social
and political influence to make and en-
''fOrcc wise temperance laws. We can in |
evoke the aid, not Of Republicans, but Of
Democrats for that work. We can organ [,
lie societies, lecture, speak, pray, exhorL |
and get others 70 do likewise. 1t is sheer |
"folly in my humble judgment, for those
"whO would destroy intemperance to in
woke the agency Of 4 political party to
''seCure the passage OF prohibitOry law. |
1t is far better TO leave such a question to /
"the cgnstantly-improVing morals and edu-
"Catioa Of the whole people of Ohio as
represented in our General Assembly. 1t .
"is purely a local question, to be decided
"by local law, and affecting alone the peo-
"ple Of Ohio Political parties represent
national questions and national interests.
20 We are able to deal with our local ques-
''tions without mingiing them with our
national politics
The great merit of Mr.. Sherman's plat
form for the present and future is that ii is |
simple and easily understood The great
objection to it is that il falls short of the re-
quirements Of the hour; that it is not as
broad and comprehensive as it ought to be. |
No one will deny that reduction of ex-
penditures, national and local, is desirable; |
that return to specie payments, as soon as
possible would be the greatest blessing !
that the country could receive; that a sim. |
pliicatiOn of our tariff laws would be an |
advantage; that integrity in office, temper
ance, and so forth, would be very excellent !
things. But when this whole bundle of
principles or ideas is put together, what is |
there in it that does not suit Democrat |
Just as well as Republican, What is there
in it distinctively, positively Republican?
Mr.. Sherman is q Conservative statesman;
he has single set of ideas, and he is too
timidC to travel beyond them. He tells us
the Republican party has no policy upon
the transportation or the labor question: It
is about time that it had. Those questions
have been agitating the country for nearly
four years in one way or another, and there
can be no doubt that, if the party had
grappled with them with the cour-
age and the determination that 1t
exhibited in the anti-slsvery battle, they
would have been solved long ago. and the
party would be all but inYincible to-day.
FoOling with the tariff is all very well In
its way, but no matter what the party may
do upon the subject 10 matter how it may
simplify and perfect it. the country viii
never appreciate the work OF give it the
least thanks for its lsbors, It may please q
thousand roIling-mill proprietors and ten
thousand importers; but tariff never was
popular in any age or country, mover will