National Republican., 1883-07-23
THE ISSUES IN OHIO
Stated by the Next Governor in Opening the
Campaign.
The Whole Country Watching the Con-
test and Awaiting the Result
The Tariff the Great Topic in Which All Lines Of
Trade and all Glasses Of People Are Interested.
HoadIy and "Tho Theft OF the Prcsi-
dency "-The Liquor Question.


ker the republican candidate for the govern
orship, spoke here tonight. He made forci-
BILE presentation of tho issues of the campaign
and created u most favorable impression. He
said
The whole nation is watching the fight in
which we are engaged, and this outside in
terost is duo to the fact that the whole ma
tion is to be affected by the result The next
house of representatives is already demo-
cratic; tho senate is almost equally divided,
If Ohio goes against us in October, the future
administrative policy of tho country is un-
settled for year to come, with dangerous
menace hanging over us of an absolute
change to follow. The incoming of the next
congress is attended with the threat that
there is to be n revision of the tariff laws in
the interest of free trade. L need not tell
you people who live in this thriving manu-
featuring city of the effect this has alrcedy
produced. Capital is sensitive it shrinks
from tho very appearance of danger; it al
ways was so, and it always viii bo so. 1t is
shrinking to-day. 1t has boon shrinking
from the moment the present political situa-
tion was made manifest TO the country. 1t
will continue to shrink until we are relieved
from it,
l know a gentleman in Cincinnati who is
engaged in the carriage business. His estab-
lishment is a credit to the city. He employs
more than 200 men, and manufactures more
than ten thousand vehicles annually. He
sells them, not only all over this country, but
all over the world. Ho told me a few days
ago that within the last month he had filled
orders from Japan, the West Indies, Aus.
tralia, and Liverpool. / congratulated him
upon having such business His answer
showed that he knew something more than
how to make buggies, for he expressed tn }
fear that his business was far larger than
prudence justified, in view of the political
situation, and he went on to say, as he ex-
pressed it, that he was already taking in
SAIL" and intends to continue taking in
sail until he saw Ohio go republican i'll Oc-
tober next, and was thus assured that there
was no need to fear the ascendency of free
trade in 1884, And that man was an Eng
lishman born and bred in the heart of Lon
don brought up on free trade, and as firm
believer in its doctrines as Adam Smith him
self until he came to this country and learned
better by practical experience.
But what this one man is doing prudent
men are doing everywhere. The whole coun-
try is taking in sail" and all are watching
Ohio to see whether or not they can put il out
again. The consequence is that notwith-
standing we have n sound currency, fruitful,
and abundant harvcsts, and all the other con-
ditions that favor trade and prosperity, yet
there is q feeling of sensitiveness developing
itself in business circles that is making itself
felt in declining prices for iron and coal, for
wheat, corn, and hogs, and all the other pro-
ducts of manufacture and agriculture, and
this means less production, less demand for
labor and lower wages for the labor that is
employed. These results are neither pros
pective nor speculative; they are present and
actual; they are accomplished facts. But If
the mere probabilities that grow out of the
present political situation can effect such re-
suits, what may we not expect il Ohio in
creases the distrust by her verdict in October
81
this question. 1t affects every kind of trade
and business; it comes directly homo to every
merchant and manufactures, every mechanic,
every farmer every laborer of every kir l..
How is it met by the parties?
No one needs to be told where the repub-
lican party stands. The declarations of its
platforms from the first moment of its exist
ence are all consistent clear plain, and ex-
plict. Every man who reads them can un-
6erstand what they mean. There has never
yet been any occasion for any candidate of
the party in his keynote" speech to inter
pret or explain them. All who read may un-
derstand, but there is no necessity to read
party declarations to understand where the
republican party stands on the tariff ques-
tion.
. Labor in Europe is everywhere
from one and u half to three times cheaper
than here. The consequence is that we can
not compete with that kind of labor unless
we reduce our labor to the same level. The
republican party is not willing to do that
The laborer in this country is part of the
governing power, He is a voter, He has q
voice in the government Aside therefore
from all humanitarian reasons, we want him
to have chance for self-elevation. We want
him to eat meat and be comfortable. We
want him to be able to take care of his family
and educate his children. We want him tC
gather knowledge and be a good citi.
zen, love his country, and be
ale and willing to take care
of it. And for this reason it is that we
say if we cannot go into the markets of the
world without being subjected to an uni just
aud degrading competition, we will make
ourselves Independent Of those markets by
making markets of our own. Instead o.
sending our raw cotton across the ocean to bC
there manufactured and sent back to us, We
will have cotton mills here. We will mine
our own coal, develop our own materials
manufacture our own iron and steel, build
our own railways with our own products, ant
thus have division Of labor, diversity Of en-
ployment, home markets and domestic com
merce. This has been the policy of the re
publican party in the past; we intend to con
tinue il in the future. The wisdom of it IL
best known by its results. Under its iIilu
~ence the material prosperity of the country
has hem such that it is absolutely without q
narallel except in the political growth we
the democratic party went out Of power, the
credit of this nation had been SO impaired
thai six per cent government securities could
be sold in the markets of the world only with
difficulty, even ut ruinOus rates of discount
but to-day our securities stand more than
three per cent. higher in the same markets
than those of England,
But where stand our democratic friends in
regard to this matter? There was u time in
the days of the old democracy when they did
not hesitate to declare squarely for absolute
free trade. In 1876, and again in 1850, they
said they wanted tariff for revenue only
In 1875 there were other issues involved In
the campaign. But in 1850 that was made
the leading issue, IL was thoroughly dis
cussed and our friends did not hesitate to
tell us that they had not abandoned the faith
of their fathers that they were for free trade
and that was what their resolution meant
The verdict of the people was that they did
not want any more free trade. Since then
our democratic friends have been trying tC
better their situation in this regard. They
have Tesorted to various eNpedients, They
have now come to this; let me read from
their platform:
1--WE favor a tariff for revenue, limited 10
the necessities of the government, economi-
cally administered, and so adjusted in its ap'
plieation as to prevent unequal burdens, en-
courage productive industries at homo, and
afford just compensation TO labor, but not tc
create or tostcr mOnopolies."
If We had no outside information in the
light of which we can interpret it, | don't
think IL Would hp nOsgibln for any iutelll.