The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-09-29

To the great majority of voters It does not
make any real difference which party succeeds,
so far as mere party success Is concerned.
They do not expect Office or party preferment
of any kind, and one would suppose, there
fore, that they would be independent voters.
But too often the reverse Is the case, and they
blindly follow party leaders, without taking
the trouble to think and act for themselves.
And yet II there ever was time when the
masses should act independently, 1t is now.
Questions are to be decided In this campaign
that win in all probability affect for years to
come the prosperity of this country and the
interests of the laboring men. Both patriot
ism and selEinterest call men to independent
and thoughtful action.
One of these questions, is that Of the tariff.
Why any workingman viii follow party that
proclaims free trade as one of it's cardinal
principles we cannot understand. He is
thereby voting himself low wages, and fewer
opportunities for work. Democratic news
papers and orators will tell him that the tariff
benefits the employer only and raises the
prices of articles be consumes but an ounce
of fact is worth a pound of theory. The fact
is, that whenever the Democratic party has
been allowed to tinker at the tariff. business
depression has resulted and when tariff for
protection to home labor has been enforced,
work has been plenty and wages have been
good. The man who denies these assertions,
denies facts that are written in the business
history of this country, II tariff for pro-
lection does not help American labor, why is
1t that foreign manufacturers are 80 anxious
for free trade and are flooding the country
with free trade pamphlets, designed by false
reasoning to influence votes against the Re-
publican theory of protections This fact
alone refutes all the arguments of the Democ-
racy in favor of {" a tariff for revenue only"
for 1t is evident TO all that the work done
abroad on goods imported in this country rep
resents that much less labor for home work
ingmen,
Another of the questions to which we have
referred, as of great Importance in the coming
election, is that of nationality. For over four
years war was waged to put down treason
and to establish the fact that this was Ma
ton and not a confederacy. The magnanim-
ity of the Republican party gave restored
citizenship to those who rebeled. These men
now are seeking to grasp control of the gov
eminent that they sought to destroy. A
regard for business prosperity, no less than
patriotic feeling, should make every man who
loves his country revolt at the thought of be-
ing under the control of the "soid South
Does any one suppose that business will go on
improving while the men of the South, who
now threaten to bring back the government
to the states-rights theory of ante-war
days. control the government of the country ?
Certainly not. There will BIO months of wait.
ing to see what they will do, before business
men will risk investments Or open up now
enterprises. The prosperity that now is grow
ing, after years of depression, will not only
stop, but decline. The man who says it will
not, is NOT close observer OF the sensitive.
ness of business 10 the doubts of governmental
stability.
Whatever the opposition may say of former
administrations, they cannot deny that the
administration of President Hayes has been
honest, patriotic aud for the benefit of the
country. Do we want q change by elect
ing party that win bring different theories
both Of politics and finance into govern
ment? At the best, they can do no better for
the coantry, and all their professions point to
the probability that they will do great deal
worse