National Republican., 1883-05-14
A Proposed CnmpniUn Issue.

The New York Sun, the ablest of all the
democratic journals, as it is the most direct
and outspoken, sometime ago announced the
opinion that the campaign of 1884 would be
fought out, not on the great issue between
tariff for revenue only" and tho American
system of protection for American labor, but
on the great necessity of turning the repub-
lican party out of power. The Sun recon-
mends an appeal to the people by tho demo-
cratic party on the ground of the superiority
OF its moral character over that of the repub-
lcan party. The editor of the Sun looks with
tho terror of burned child to the fire of "a
tariff for revenue only" and labors with zeal
and ability to persuade its madcap party asso.
ciates Of the Watterson variety of the utter
hopelessness of success for the democratic
party if the old shibboleth of 1884 is to be
revived. But the sm stands almost alone
The democratic press of the country is nearly
a unit in proclaiming FREQ trade as the great
boon to be striven for, and grieves because,
for the purposes Of revenue, which must be
raised for time in large amount, protection
is necessarily given to American industry.
The democratic idea is that protection is a
necessary evil, and the artizans and laborers
of the country are to be asked for their sup
port of the democratic party on the ground
that so long as the national expenditures are
as high as interest and pensions now bring
them, that party will vote for protection
under protest solely to raise revenue, and not
because of any consideration for American
labor 1t is morally certain that Hancock
would now be president but for this English
plank in the democratic platform of 1880
We have an abiding faith that the same
plank will be firmly inserted in the platform
of 1854.
But suppose the Sun could eliminate the
tariff question from the campaign, and the
people could be called upon to decide as be.
tween the two great parties on the score o
wisdom, patriotism, and integrity, would the
republican party have anything to fear? Let
the truth concerning the democratic party be
put in tho one scale, and the old corrugated
ISLANDERS against the republican party which
have so long been on duty in the columns O
the sOl, bo placed in the other, and let the
ten millions of voters decide between
tho two, as they have done Sc
many times before. That each party
has developed great scoundrels nobody
denies, But for tho most part these worthe'
have been the subjects Of high eulogy in the
most pretentous of the democratic and so
called independent papers. The war of thu
the men of purest character. But all thi
has been but the desperate endeavor Of a few
individuals to elevate rogues whose accom-
plices they were, and to tear down public
men who were above jobbery, and who coult
not be induced to betray public trusts.
the SUMS platform is adopted, viz; that tn,
republican party is corrupt and should be re
moved for cause, both parties will go OF
trial, and the popular verdict will be asked
upon the character Of each party, and not O
any few individuals accused, whether falsel,
or truthfully, of personal misconduct.
The work wrought by each party can easil
be shown. The people know that the histor.
of tho democratic party is the history O
every plot against national existence, O
every scheme for state supremacy over tn
national authority which the people of al
tho states had established, and of long-con
tinued struggle TO make the United States
slave empire, subject to tho will of faCtlo
representing but a tithe either of the wealtl
or numbers of the people of the country
They know equally we'll that tho history O
tho republican party is history of tn
preservation of the territories from the bligh
of slave labor, of the successful assertion q
national authority against the resistance of
defeated faction in q presidential election, {
the establishment Of human freedom through
out the land, of the preservation of the pull
lie faith, and of tho only legislation by cor