The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-07-13
From the Columbus Ionrnnl.l

of no ordinary difficulty before it. The
| irreconcilable differences on the curren
cy question left it only the two alterna
tives-if it spoke at all 1t must aban
don the East by declaring for the Rag
Baby, or it must abandon the West by
declaring for resumption. No doubt the
situation was we'll considered before de
Gliding that the West must be abandoned
With Tilden and Hard Money the Dem
ocracy might hope to carry its full
strength in all the Eastern States, and
also in the Cotton States of the South.
The exchanges Of the Cotton States are
with Europe chiefly, and tho dullest ia.
tellect is able to comprehend the advan-
tages of having an international curren-
cy as the basis for these exchanges. The
Cotton States are for coin. without dis
tinction Of party. The mercantile States
of the East have like reasons for the like
views on the currency question. The
party made the most Of bad situation,
by abandoning the West
Its next business was to secure what.
ever outside advantages the situation
offered. The most obvious Of these was,
to capture the vote of the undecided Ger
man element. which had announced its
terms in unmistakable language IL
would have no other Democrat than Til
den, il would have no other platform
than specie resumption, with the ordina-
ry claptrap of reform which is loaded up
into every platform Of all parties, from
National Conventions down TO the re-
motest and smallest Of municipal caucus
es. The Convention abjectly surrendered
to these demands; and since there is no
use in stopping halfway in such business,
it threw in voluntarily the demagogic
buncombe about the protection of Ger
man citizens abroad, and the liberty Of
individual conduct, unvexed by sumptu-
airy laws" For the sake of the German
vote, the Convention, while denouncing
the protection Of our own citizens at
home as centralism, committed the folly
of making it part of its National plat
form that the German should be protect
ed in the privilege of drinking his beer
on Sunday matter of strictly munich
pal jurisdiction, with which not even the
State. in its police regulations, has any
right to interfere. "ln for a penny, in
for pound" No doubt, if the Conven-
tion had been convinced that it was nee.
essary in order 20 secure the German
vote, il would have declared in favor Of a
National regulation by Act OF Congress,
that beer should be sold at three cents a
should be untaxed forever. Promises
are easy-it is the performance that is
difficult But that is farther along-af-
ter the election. We ask our German
fellow citizens to consider only the ques-
ton, What authority has the Presi-
dent of the United States over the
"sumptuary laws" of the States or mu-
nicipalities2 Will they allow their in
telligence to be insulted by the brazen
faced impudence OF such petty dema-
goguery as this2 The National Govern
ment has as much right to regulate the
waiter girls as il has to legislate on the
"sumptuary laws" Of the States and mu-
inequalities.
Alter a microscopic examination, the
Convention seems to have been unable TO
discover but one other incidental advan-
tage to be gained The Irish vote was
considered too secure TO need courting
1t was ignored, completely. The love
for the foreign element was expended on
the German. The German element had
made its demands, and the Convention
hastened TO assure our dear German fel-
low citizens that the Democracy loved
the foreign born a little better, IL any
thing, than our own native citizens.
With a reservation, however, in favor Of
the prejudices of any section having ex-
treme views as TO any foreign nationality.
No section is opposed to German immi.
grafton. We all welcome them as the
best OF our accessions from the Old
World-thrifty, industrious, law abiding,
and in every way valuable to the Com
monwealth. There was nothing to lose,
anywhere, in welcoming German immi-
gration-there was nothing to lose IN ig
noring the Irish, for they would vote the
ticket anyhow. But there was a foreign
element which was obnoxious to a sec
ton OF the country so the Convention
went for" the Heather Chinee. The
Heather Chinee can't vote. He don't
want to vote. lie wants nothing else
than TO be allowed to work industriously
at lower wages than anybody else. The
Heather Chinee is fair game for political
buncombe. So the st. Louis Convention
came out strong on the non-voting Mon
golian. He had no vote, and cOnse-
quently no friends; so IL hit him. IL the
Germans had been obnoxious to any sec
ton, and had had no vote, the Conven-
ton would have hit him as vigorously as
the Mongolian. But the German votes,
| and everybody is his friend. The st.
/ Louis Convention wants votes badly. and
I il offers the Germans Sunday beer, which
| il can no more give him than the devil
could give all the kingdoms OF this earth.
| But it can promise Nation legislation
prohibiting Mongolian immigration-and
i it does. As matter Of principle, il may
prohibit all other immigration, as well
If Chinese labor may be excluded because
it conflicts with the rights Of American
labor, German labor may be excluded OF
the same ground If German labor i
not excluded, it is not because it doe
not conflict with American labor, but be
cause no votes are to be obtained by eX
cluding it. German thrift overmatche
American thrift; German labor thrive
where American unthrilt would starve
But the German vote is potent, while tn