Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-02-15
The Political Issues.

! d. tcirt. lttAtcu the Cir"do and
.i pets f the two great parties "t
3D., country. They hay u. oUnc>,
30 tia, conviction, bat it certainly
lpw> want oi consideration of the
~ l.ct. some Of the 4 Il rences are
- ,alhlv outlined l.! TIE .ha'rtra"
H..-r, that H. language Is quoted
100 full. We hope that each position
SID. Lc carefully Examined.
First. What Is 'he real Issue on
,Lo uniI? The Republican party is
IN favor Of pro ecIion rs pr tmary
and .sufroliuY "'yrf, and rerenu'
-mplN incidental thereto. Bat the
Democratic party nlhercs to re-
rIan. tarn, which makes revenue
its ,onfrdiuy "iy'ot, but affords
rlotection n incident ia the selec-
tlun of the Articles GA Which the du
tl,. aIe laid The cons Intnre of
ihiS J, that IL, Dcnucra' It. tariff Is
limited to TIE hccc-- +! 'Ni 'nses OF
tho Goycrnnh n , whIi, iir Rnpub-
! Lcnn tariff collects netWtcI one and
.wo hundi, Il nl.l ,ns Of dollars q
wear more dian is needed for the
public oArendi'ur, res. This Is the
/ i,M ,>>pc on the subject, ana 1t
makes the question whether the peo-
, ilo desire 10 be taxed hundred
million dollars and over, year,
mono than is actually necessary or
not.
Second. What is the real issue
on the finance of the Government?
The Democratic party has always
since the days of Jefferson, indeed
since the formation of the Con-
s,itu,ion, made economy in the adj
miuistration of the Government q
cardinal principal. Whereas the
present Republican party since it
came into power in 1861 has favored
n constant enlargement of the ex-
pendi'ures of the Federal Govern
mcnt with a view not only to
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, but also
to the Capitalization of power, and
tho protection of favored interests,
and the creation Of monopolies. In
1873, having an overwhelming ma
iority in both branches of Congress,
the Republican party passed "the
salary grab law" whereby the salar-
les Of the leading public officers OF
the United States were about
doubled, and the President S salary
raised from SIS 900 to $50, 900 a
year, when his perquisites of Office
in the way of the expenses OF the
Executive Mansion were already
over $4,000 a year. Besides this,
the proAigacy with which the
Republican patty Las squandered
and given away the public lands
to railway and other corporation
monopolies, shows wasteful ex-
travagance in that party that
knows no bounds. When this
Republican party came into power,
in 1861, the total net annual ordin-
ary expenditure had been under a
Democratic administration :he year
previous only sec, O5G, 754.71; here,
as under the Republican admins
tration in 1862 the expenditures
reached the sum of s45G, 1863, 500, 81 =,
and they continued to increase i'll
tho same way every year, until in
1865, the total expenditures of Re-
publican party for That gear reached
the enormous amount of 81 ,217
704 ,109.2S, exceeding million OF
dollars a month. During the war
Of course the expenditures were
vastly increased, but since the war,
and exclusive of the war debt. the
ordinary annual expenses OF the
Government have grown to about
three hundred million dollars a
year, an increase on the ordinary
annual expenditures of the Govern
ment Of more than four hundred pei
cent. under this Republican party.
Third. What is the issue as to
the preservation of equality of rights
among the people? The Democrat
ic party has always insisted upon
Jeilerson's idea, that the blessings
Of Government, like the dews Of
heaven, should fall equally and
alike upon all, the rich and the poor
the great and the small, all men pay.
ing it homage, the least as feeling
its care, and the greatest as not ex-
empt from its power. But this Re.
publican party is the party of mono.
poly, of corporations and concen.
trated wealth and which seeks tc
control power by Fictitious interests,
and to transfer it from the hands oil
the many to the few. This is lead.
ing distinction between the two par
ties, made manifest in the the whole
history OF the party struggles.
Fourth. What is the issue as to
the Capitalization of power in the
Federal Government The Con
stitutjon made the States and the