Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-10-26
1lncaster fntelhge11cer.
How Good Men will Lie.

E--------------------
How Good Men will Lie.
There is one senator in Congress who
is noted for his good sense and the per-
sistent way in which he lets it guide
him that is Senator Eaton, who made
a speech on the tariff the other night in
New York, which we publish elsewhere.
He has given much attention to this sub
ject and is the author Of the bill which
has found so much favor in both politi-
cal parties and which has been especial
II petitioned for by manufacturers. Its
object is to take the tariff question out
Of politics by appointing commission
which shall inquire into the needs of the
country and report to Congress the re-
suits OF its examination. There was,
until few weeks ago, a general belief
that the question of the tariff was not
party one, and that still is the honest
conviction of every sensible man be-
cause there can lie no real question, as
Senator Eaton says, that a country with
so great debt as ours must raise 4 rev.
enua by 4 tariff on importations, ard
there is no question among the large ma
jOrity of the people that in raising this
revenue the imposts should be SO laid as
q. to protect in reasonable degree the
manufacturing industries Of the country.
So that there is no political question
in the tariff, neither party being willing
to commit itself to the defense Of the
doctrine of free trade, which is impossi-
ble of execution at this time and under
the nations present circumstances how
ever abstractiy right theorists may prove
it to lie.
But in the present political agitation
Republican demagogues have not been
able 10 keep their hands off the tariff is
she, since ii was SO very inviting ques-
tion upon which 10 misrepresent the
Democratic party. Gov. Foster, of Ohio.
let the secret Of this scheme ont when he
declared on the day after the election,
flushed with victory aud wine. that . the
tariff and business issues were got up by
Eastern parties for the purpose Of Il
scare" 1t worked So well in Ohio and
Indiana that the governor was delighted
with il and could not refrain from eN-
pressin. himself So under the warming
influences Of the moment, rs he stood in
the Neil house III Columbus, Ohio, after
dinner. having among his auditors one OF
the editors of the Philadelphia Times. who
was in Ohio taking notes -of the cleo
tion. OF course he did not fail t; tele-
graph /" his paper this authoritative
statement as TO how Ohio was carried by
Il deliberate Misrepresentation of The
views OF the Democratic party OH the
tariff and the declaration that the elec-
tion of Hancock meant the closing of
the mills and furnaces. The significance
of Gov. Testers statement is in the adj
mission that it was a scare " Of East
ern manufacture and without any real
basis. 1t was simply lie and a lie is {,
statement which those who make it know
to he false We have had very remark
able experience ourselves in personal dis
cussicn with very reputable gentlemen
who are Republicans and church mem.
berS to boot, who have calmly admitted
that their talk TO the people about the
tariff and about business was all = gam.
mon." but they defended its use be.
cause it was ''sHch q good cam.
paign argument We say this
was very remarkable, though it is
not wonderful in view Of the very
general ,,Se of the argument made by the
Republican party. 1t simply shows that
the party is rotten from top to bottom.
and that the respectable citizens who be-
long to i; are very worthily led by Mr..
Garfield. who has achieved !; rep.
uta,ion for being i good citizen
in the private walks of life but
who is willing t" go 20 any depth of
meanness or stretch of crime for his
party. And that is the way perhaps the
most of its members feel. That is the
reason we find good citizens and good
Christians not only voting for Garfield
but compiacently using arguments they
know and admit tc be false to persuade
their neighh0rs to vote for him.
Thus it comes that Governor HaWley
Of Conn, c:i:ut, Il respectable man wi o
shore at the Centennial in some orna-
mental capacity near the top of the heap:
returned from Europe and made a
speech in Il Connecticut town in which
is Il big sewing machine factory, telling
the workmen that if Hancock was select
ed tl.cir factory would Shut down because
of foreign competition when the fact is
that these sewing machines are now
sent +" every large city in Europe,
and the factories therefore are not at all
affected 10y the tariff. Gov. Hawley, on
the surface. would seem to be a fool as
well us & klaSe: but in truth We cannot
pronounce him to lie anything butan ex-
cellent man and Christian, without con-
signing 10 hell many of our best fellow
citizens Of his political persuasion. who
have taken to lying in this campaign
with equal rack'essneSS ant. zeal.