The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-10-14
Political.
TO BUSINESS MEN.
RINGING LETTER FROM ABRAM s.
HEWITT,
Something that VIII Repay Reading and Afford
Food for Thought
n " York, October 5, 1880.


n W York, October 5, 1880.
Mr.. Holloway, Chairman Business
Mems Meeting Cincinnati, Ohio; re-
gret that your in station has reached me
so late that can only send a brief re-
Spouse by telegraph. l sympa.hize 'ully
with the indignation of the men Of busi.
ness of Ohio and elsewhere against the
impudent assumption Of Republican
speakers that the accession of the DEM
oCratic party to power will be injurious
TO the industry and prosperity of the
country. Having utterly failed in their
appeal to the common sense OF the peo'
pie, they now resort to the last des'
perate expedient OF arousing the fears OF
men who can be reached only through
selfish arguments. Happily, in this
country Of general education, such ap-
peals are Justly regarded as an insult to
the intelligence of the people. They
are equivalent to the assertion that
majority ofthe voting population are so
sunk in ignorance that they can not be
trusted to protect their own rights and
interests Such appeals amount to a de-
NAL of the fundamental principles on
which the doctrine of universal suffrage
is based, and afford the best answer to
the hypoCritiCal lamentations of the Re-
publican leaders in regard to the alleged
failure of negro suffrage. For my part l
am quite clear that the only way to pre-
serve the public credit and to refund the
National debt at lower rate of interest
is to prove the utter fallacy of these Re-
publican ISLANDERS by putting the Demo
cratic party in power, and showing to
the world that debt resting on the
votes of the debtors is a safer and better
security than one created by mere arbi.
irary power. During my recent visit to
Europe saw and Conversed with many
men who bave invested in our securities.
The feeling was universal that the cleo
tion of Hancock would greatly strength
On our credit abroad, because it would
afford conclusive evidence that sectional
animosities hal been forever buried, and
the people of the North and South alike
had ceased TO look backward toward the
bloody scenes of civil war, and that their
energies, heretofore so powerful for de-
struction, would be all devoted to works
of industry, progress and development
Moreover, the Democratic party is every
where regarded as the conservative ele-
ment in our national life. 1t has fixed
principles and definite policy. These
principles and this policy enunCiateO
by Jefferson have been the source of our
growth and our greatness. They are
based upon securing freedom to individ.
aal action. They do not rely upon the
unshaCkled energies of the citizen for
the promotion of the general prosperity,
This consideration presents the true is
sue in the present contest. The Repub.
liGan idea is a strong, centralize5 Gov
srnment, based upon property, with a
powerful. army for its protection. The
Democratic idea is that the powers and
progress reside in the citizen; hat he is
the best guardian of his own RI h s, and
She best Judge U his own interests; that
individual liberty is the fundamental
condition for the true prosperity and the
real greatness of the nation; that we
shall prosper and grow just in proportion
as the shaCkels are removed from trade
and the area of commercial liberty is
enlarged. Nature is the best and most
bountiful distributor, and under her free
grace labor will get all it's share, and !
capital will be productive in the hands
of those who have just right to its con-
srol. At present politicians exercise this
control, and all capital is at the mere! of
the Treasury Department. When the |
Democratic policy is established the
Treasury will be p)werless to distribute |
the proceeds ofindustry to its fayorites,
but equal and exact justice will be meted |
out to the productive classes by the free
play of natural laws The K publican
policy tends to the unequal distribution |
of property and the degradation of the |
laboriug classes to the condition ofserfs |
The Democratic policy looks to the more
equal and general distribution of the pro-
Ceeds of industry by preserving and ex.
alting the rights and liberties of masses
10 condition of comfort and prosperity
Of which we have had fOretaste, but by
no means the full fruition in this CoHu
try. This fruition can only be prevented
by converting the Government of our
fathers into a self perpetuatiDg oblgar.
ehy of office.holder5. This is the great
danger to capital and labor alike, and the
coming election will decide the question
whether our Government is henCeforth |
10 be of the people and for the people, or
whether il is to be run as a machine for |
the benefit of select ring of Office hold
srs and of their patrons who find it for
their interests to pay for the perpetuation
Of ring rule. l appeal then to men of
business everywhere, and to the men
who toll for their daily bread to
settle the question now and forever
whether this Government is to stand
upon the basis OF equal rights to all its
citizens, or whether it is hereafter to be
run in the interest of the special class
who have had their grip on the Repub
liCan party for the last twelve years, and
who will have an underlying mortgage
on the next Administration, If it should
be Republican, with an irrevocabe pow
er of at orney for General Garfield to
distribute its patronage and determine
its policy in favor of property without
regard to the rights of labor If these
rights are not successfully asserted now,
the whole structure of the Government |
will be changed from Republic into an
Oligarchy, based on special interest and |
for the welfare Of special classes.
ADRIAN S. HEWITT.