The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-02
From the New York Freeman's Journal.
A Shameless Appeal to the MOnOP-



ded that the wavering Republicans Of
New York needed a tonic; so he wrots
a letter. Secretary Folger begins by
that it is faint praise" to
say that Mayor Cleveland is as good as
he is, because the Secretary feels his
own deficiencies. This is, indeed,
:" faint praise.' How colossal must be
the presumption of a man whe, ac- |
cepting fraudulent nomination, tries |
to draw himself up to the level of one
who Is beyond reproach! The only
charge that the Secretary can make
against Mayor Cleveland is that he is
Democrat.
'' I am Republican" writes Secre-
tary Folger, ' though [ started in po-
litical life In the ranks of the Democ-
racy, and fed full of it's earlier and
better traditions, when Jackson and
Benton strove for the hard money of
the Constitution, when equal rights to
all men was cardinal principle of the
Democratic Party faith, when economy
in public expenditure and the greatest
possible ease in taxation were not
sentiment, but a practical fact, and
Marcy and Flagg were living exem-
plars. I am Republican. My latter
growth and political manhood is of
the faith of Lincoln and Seward and
Chase and Thaddeus Stevens and the
men of that ilk-a faith that is not yet
dead and that has yet a place in Amer
ican politics, and finds an occasion
and a need for manifestation of its
, power and healthful influence and
effect"
Secretary Folger repeats this confes-
sion of faith several times, though
| why he should have transferred his
allegiance from party which strove
for the "hard money of the Constitu
ton" to one which, Notwithstanding
its moral ideas" has striven with
such effect for the hard cash of the
Treasury that the country is groaning,
in this plentiful year of grace, under a
heavy burden of taxes and monopoly,
he does not explain. Secretary Folger
had better have kept this bombast to
himself. The common sense of the
country laughs at it. The crimes COM
mitted by the Republican, party against
freedom and political manhood are too
numerous and too recent to be put out
of sight by adroit shifting of scenes.
The proceedings of the late convention
at Saratoga are easy to recall.
| Secretary Folger disposes of the
Democratic victory in Ohio in q mag
nificently pompous manner. Like
King Canute, he says to the waves
"Go back !n-but the Democratic
waves do not go back, though Jay
Gould's monopolist grandly waves his
hand and says: 50 am Republican
My name is Folger. Upon the Demo
cratic hill my father" etc. "The Ohi'
election" he writes, took place OF
Tuesday, the 10th day of this month.
This clear statement holds the secont
fact contained in the letter. It re
suited" continued the Secretary, "il
gain Of several Congressman for tn
next Congress. At once there aros
}, a jubilant claim from the organs of tina
. party that the next House of Repre-
. sentatives would be Democratic" Th
' consequence of the claim, groans tn
Secretary, was the shrinkage in valu
. of the great properties of the countr.
= of over $4O,OOO,OO0! Mr. Vanderbilt
the monopolist, was so irritated b.
what Secretary Folger calls ''shrin k
age of values" that he determined t
"damn the public" which he tries t
do by employing boys for mems wor
n on some of, his railroads. secretar
q Folger appeals to capitalists to preven
s this alarming and mysterious ''shrinE
age of values" by voting for hin
l. The capitalists, he claims, are alarme
y by the Ohio victory. They find the
u "values shrinking." Now all th
'G talk of shrinkage" seems much lik
u Dennis Kearney's absurd jumbling
q words which he did not understand.
,e Does Secretary Folger mean that tn
l. great monOpolists haveso felt the Den
j. ocratic victory as to cease in their wor
80 of damning the public"? Does L
s. mean that the syndicates which treb
~ and quadruple the price of everythin
~ that poor man needs are tremblin
< and pausing in their schemes of M
king "corners in all necessary art
cles, from grain to matches? If S
every honest Republican in New Yor
State owes to himself and his famil
'r to vote against a man who shamelessl
>. proclaims himself monopolist. TT
3. fight is not against corporations, bl
r against monopolising corporations.
h railroad is not necessarily a monopol.
he if it comply with the conditions of i
ID charter, and spend a fair proportion
r. its earnings for the benefit of the pu
D. lie. But if it's managers grasp publ
r. land and especial privileges from tt
st people, and then tell the public 10
le 3" damned" it is monopoly. If IL
N victory in Ohio has caused the "va
lg ues" of such monopolies to "shrink,
to the country has everything to gain /
er the coming triumphs of good me
I'd nominated by the Democrats in Ne
is York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana.
es Let us consider the blessing of IL
g. faith" which Secretary Folger pr
ut fesses, let us consider the effects
re protective monopoly on prospero'
a. country. 1t is our boast that even
o. bad year the reclaimed prairies of tt
" West and the fertile fields of the Ea
Of COULD supply half of Europe with tt
a, staff of life." The Summer of IS
g. was not as propiti0us as usual. Ra
III failed and the fields and orchards su
III fered; but in country which fee
III Europe, which furnishes the Britis
OF workingman with the luxury of che,
or and good beef, and sends grain ever
s? where, one bad season should not
st marked with black. After this OIL
er comparatively bad season in a long s