Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-08-25
Bookwalter and the Workingmen.

The Cincinnati Enquirer INDUCES in
the following squib:
"Those esteemed Republican contem-
poraries who do not like Bookwalter's
politics will find little comfort in the
statement of fact that Bookwalters Dol.
itics is popular with the working class.
Beyond the mere assertion of parti-
san journal there is no evidence to show
that Bookwalter's newly.found politics
are popular with the working class. On
the contrary, there is any amount of
proof tending to show that the toilers of
Ohio have no love for the political ideas
now represented by this renegade from
the Republican ranks. OF course there
exists in every State certain class of
ignorant voters who invariably vote the
"Dimmecratic" ticket and regularly con-
fess their sins, but the educated, intelli-
gent masses have no sympathy with
modern Democracy. Twenty years. ex-
perience has taught them that Democra-
cy is anything but friend to the indus
trial classes and their interests. They
nave found it to be party of hollow
pretenses and a persistent opponent of
labor. For long time it howled against
providing one currency for the "bloated
bondholder" and another for the work
ing classes, and yet. when the Republi-
can party sought to make the currency
equally good for all classes, the Democ-
racy fought the measure step by step.
and did their utmost to thwart the re-
sumption of specie payment. This
formed part of the Bookwalter poll.
tics. How many of the intelligent we'll
read men of the working classes in this
State approve the course of Democracy
in this particular?
The Republican party gave the coun-
try protective tariff. Under its pro-
visions the industries of the country
have been built up, and the working
classes rescued from peiIBry and want
To-day there is not skilled operator
from Maine to California. who does not
have reason to bless the great American
principle of protection: and yet the Dem
oeratic party is the openly ayowed enc
my of the system. 1t wars against a
protective tariff, and insists upon OPEN
ing our ports to the free introduction of
goods produced by pauper labor. 1t i
well knows that free trade would break
down our manufactures, close our work |
shops and reduce the working classes to |
bsggary. Frank Hurd is the interpret |
er Of the revenue tariff plank in the
Ohio Democratic platform, and he de-
elaFes that 1t means precisely what the
Democrats have been all along contend
ing for, namely, "a tariff for revenue1
0nly"-the entering wedge of free trade.
In his letter of acceptance John w.
Bookwalter gives in his adhesion to this
lbominable doctrine-a doctrine which
ne gorkingmen of Ohio Indignantly re.
,qdiated less than one year ago. In
'he face of this population the ENQUIRER
las the impudence to insinuate that
Sook walters politics sis popular with
he worrying classes" The workinQmen
# Ohio do not fsil to comprshedd both !,
be politics and tactics of Mr.. Book
walter. 1t will he found that they can 1
lot be duped into the support of a partyl I
aving ne higher principles than free
rade and free rum, and that their in G
pgrity is proof against the seductive in Q
uences Of the Book alter rI,-Cleye-l +
'pd Leader - ~ 4. ~ = IL