Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-09-30

RELIABLE and authentic information
has been received that the manufactu-
rers of Great Britain are sending to this
country immense sums of money, to be
used in defeating the Republicans and
breaking down our tariff laws. Some
of this money will be used in our river
towns, which live and have their being
solely because of manufactures which
are fostered and protected by tariff
laws enacted by the Republicans, which
Republicans are pledged to maintain,
and which the Democrats will repeal so
surely as they get into power And yet
hundreds of men in those river towns,
blinded by party passion and bigotry,
will vote for the destroyerS of their
prosperity.
The South will be the ruling section
if the Democrats succeed this year. 1t
always has prevailed in so-called Demo-
cratic councils, and it will continue to.
The Southern people never have been a
manufacturing people. Before the war
they were led away by the siren song of
British manufacturers: "You raise the
"cetton, and we'll do the manufacturing. :"
AS consequence, they are purely ag-
ricultural people, the ruling class despi-
sing manual labor, and believing that it
is the destiny Of superior men like they
are to lord it over great plantations. So,
when the war of the rebellion broke out,
although carried on in the interest of
slavery extension and domination, a
thing utterly revolving to the English
people, their government and people
sympathized with and aided the South.
John Bright and few other men who
who could not stife their convictions for
the sake of avarice were exceptions. The
government and the great body of the
English people smothered their opposi-
tion to human slavery in a desire to
break down the commerce and manufac-
lures of this country, and make this
great continent tributary to Great Brit
ain. Once Portugal was one of the fore
most commercial and maritime nations
of the earth. Manufacturing and the
trades lourished throughout her bor-
ders, and her flag hoated on every sea.
Wine growing was one of her great in
dustries. 1t was almost entirely in the
hands of the ruling class. England saw
the opportunity. She proposed that if
Portugal would admit English manufac-
tured goods free of duty she in turn
would admit Portuguese wines free. 1t
was done, and rs result Portugal, once
prosperous and powerful, is weak and
Insignificant dependency of Great Brit
ain. The History of Spain is similar,and
that of this country will be if its legisla-
ton is directed by the South.
Why men who have so much at stake,
in our manufacturing towns, especially,
can not realize this great danger is past
comprehension. The whole history of
the so-called modern Democratic party
is hostile to the tariff. In 1882 that
party struck down the tariff by law
reducing duties on Il sliding scale for
ten years. The great crash of 1897 was
the result. In 1871 the Wings came in
to power, and enacted the tariff of 1912.
which put new life into the agricultural
and manufacturing industries of the
country. In 1915 the Democrats were
restored to power, and again, in 1916.
they undone the tariff legislation. The
discovery of gold in California averted
the disaster for time, but it came final
ly, in 1857. In 1861 the Republicans
came into power, and since then have
steadfastly defended and upheld the
manufacturing and agricultural in.
dustries of the country, and under the
legislation of Republicans all classes of
our people are to-day prosperous. We
repeat: That any man engaged in man.
ufacturing, or whose well-being is in
any way dependent upon our manufac-
turing industries, should vote the So
called Democratic ticket, is incompre-
hensible. Men at Bellare, for instance, |
whose all is invested in manufacturing, |
can be found who will vote with par
ty which will cripple our manufactures
so sure as that party gets into power.