Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-01-08
NATIONAL RALLYINq POINT.
Iron the Courisr-Joarnai.I
ne Frankfort Ysonan aava

elf Henry Watterson wrote the
free-trads plank in the democratic
platform, he never did better demo-
cratic work; aud We would rather be
defeated in the general election to-,
day than TO yield any part of the
principle which it. zdeclarss.s For
years the democratic party has been
misreprssented by ssuoh-men-as
Fernando Wood and Sam Randall
upon the subject, aud if We are not
able now to stand up to the doc
trine of . tariff for revenue only, the
ooner we find it out the better. The
doctrine Of fres.trade is a true one in
political economy, and q tariff for
revenue only 10 the best form in
which this theory eau be expressed
when the necessities of the public
debt require that there shall be a
large revenue raised. The question
Of the tariff is by no means a local
one, but applicable to the interests
Of every state and to all the people.
In Ohio and Indiana, just previous
to the October elections, the republic
cans sprsng this issue upon the peo-
pie, and so nlsreprssentsd it that,
doubtless, they achieved some
strength by it, but they know it will
net bear open and fair discussion ;
that no good argument in favor Of
protection can be produced, and If
they succeed in this election they
will continue it arbitrarily sgainst
the popular wish and the popular in
tsrsst. 1t 10 . notable fact that the
Golden Club Of England has a stand
ing ofer of a premium for any good
argument in fsver of protection. 1t
ian not and never will be produced"
There was never q siilier cry than
that the tariff for.revenue-ouIy"
plank in the national democratic
platform played any real part in the
result Of Tuesday. 1t was undOubt-
sd!y made . pretsxt by the republi-
can nanufacturers, who wanted a
prstext. aud the incepacity of the
democratic compaign management
greatly aided them in this respect.
Blu the plank embodies a principle,
and that principle an argument,
which, properly handled. would
have made, not lost, votes"
Gen. Garfield aud Mr.. Wattsrson
are beth members of the Golden
Club, the Free Trade League of Eng
land ; and, it the democratic speakers
and writer's had been up to their
work, it would not have lain in II
republican mouth to babble about
the spornities of "a tsrifffor revenue
only.
There will never be q change Of
parties i'll this country until the idea,
therein embodied aud expressed, be.
comes the pivSta ! Issue in American
L nnlIGINA WInInn nurf tive oaoiD,oI
horizontal lines which have divided
the north and tho south, and replace
ing them with perpendicular lines.
uniting the grsat agricultural inter-
ests OF the west aud the south.
The Frankfort Yeoman 10 entirely
right; and though beaten upon SON.
tinental issues, growing out of Ken
tucky's fight for the south. the people
of Kentucky will stand together a. a
solid wall against tho aggressionst of
the cormorants-ths grasPing, pillag,
ing, hesrtless and corrupt corpora
items and monopolists, which the
machine element in the republican
party fosters, encourages and relies
on. The time will come when, there
being no longer q motive for either
q solid soath or . solid north, the
people of the country, its bone aud
sinew, will have to rise in defense OF
their material interests. The time
will come when the tariff plundering,
which has driven our shipping from
the s0as and trebled the price of all
the neGessaries Of life upon the land,
will come home to the brain and
heart OF the American farmer, me-
chanic, merchant and laboring man.
The times will come when the hoist
ing Of \ bleOdy shirt will not divert
the public attention from q system OF
robbery which affects the people of
the north equally with the people Of
tho SOUTH, The time will come, in
short, when an Intelligent domestic
economy will be demanded by the
people of their public msn ; when an
enlightened knowledge Of material
concerns, supported by modern prin-
eiples and laws, will supplant the
sprsad-eagle ~fanfarenade of the senti-
meDtRlists ; when rsason will take
tho place OF passion iu our political
discussions, aud solid fscts, not sulid
sections, shall rale. To that time we
appeal-to Its advent We look conf.
dently, Meanwhile, cenoeiving the
overwhelming character Of the re-
publican triumph, yet also conceiv-
ing the dangers it threatens the re.
publican leaders with, We ehsll pur.
sue the even tenor Of our way, repre-.
senting, always and az far as we are
able, aggregated. popular interests
against cliques, rings and corpora.
tions, the rapine Of the strong, the
Intrigue OF the cunning, the duplicity
Of cheats and the craft otdsmagoguss.
To The people at large The mere
physical ascendency of one set OF
politicians over another set is not ol
% much moment as the separate
measures of government, which arc
advanced from time TO time. On
such ss are to come, there ere many
republicans, with whom we agree,
and many democrats, with whom We
d~isagree-as, indeed, the Yeomar
suggests-aud we shall be glad to &c,
the misleading prejudicss aud ob.
stacles incident to the war, aud the
!, subsequent period of sectional pol
;.ics, out of the way, 30 that We ma,
consider fairly aud iutelligently
questions more relative to the pro
.. In o1.,, I-T- -