The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-14
HENRY WARD BEECHER.

HENRY WARD BEECHER.
Little Love for Protection, and Less for the
sParty of Historic Imbecility."
CHICAGO, April 12.-Rev. Henry Ward Beech
err who is now in this city, writes the Tribune
the following letter on the tariff, and the rela-
ton of parties thereto:
Only to-day / have seen the following remarks:
Referring to reflection on Henry Ward Beech
er's Repubcanism, the Brooklyn Eagle says: 1T IS
unquestonaby true that if the tariff is to take pack
seat among the issues of the coming presidential cam
paign, Mr.. Beecher will vote for the Republican can
didate. He has said as much himself. That the more
radical protectionsts in the Republican party would
not support Mr. Beecher for the presidency is also
pretty certain. But are not as sure as our Utica
contemporary to be that if the tariff were the
main question in the canvass Mr. Beecher would stul
tify himself by voting for Republican protection in
preference to Democratic tariff reform.
perhaps do injustice to Mr.. Beechers sincerity,
but cannot be blamed for judging his political flu
, ture by his past. In 1880, we suspect Mr. Beecher,
who is not in the habit of jumping at conclusions on
the impulse of the moment believed in tariff reform,
yet he assisted in the defeat of the candidate nom
mated that platform, and the election of radical
protectionst, General Garfield.
rs his disposition to desert his party any stronger
than it was thenl Wedoubt it. Our advice, first
and last, to the Democratic party: Beware of the
counsel and encouragement of those who talk free
trade and vote the Republican ticket Utica OBJ
server.
My personal views and political conduct are of
little value to the public, except so far as they
are supposed to represent the views and pur-
poses of large and daily increasing number of
silent voters have been Republican from
the origin of that party, because it represented
better than any other the doctrines of liberty,
and the conduct becoming great nation in a
mortal struggle with internal disease that was
poisoning its blood That in its long march
from Egypt to the promised land, it never com
mitted a fault, do not say 1t was a weary
way and UNEMPLOYED, ard Republicans were but
men.
1t was the party of liberty as against slavery;
the party of free speech as against in tolerance.
1t boldly faced the threat of secession and
elected Lincoln. 1t had the courage to accept
the risks of war, rather than back down in the
face of Southern threats. 1t was baptized in
blood, and proved worthy of its high calling 1t
had wisdom and courage to recompose the shat
tered columns of this Union, and give to it a
grandeur which has won the respect of the
world.
1t met the bloated currency which the war
had induced. and brought back the current
within the appropriate bounds 1t never was
charmed with the greenback system, but re-
stored the dissolute theories to virtue.
In short, the Republican party has had the
courage to meet every issue which has arisen
for twenty-five years without shutting or eva
sion 1t has had a clean policy, and it has had
age-courage.
The Republican party inaugurated policy of
high-tariff. The necessities of period of gigan-
tic war is the only palliation of such a policy.
But when protection of American industry was
grated upon the tariff, no excuse could be found
for the blunder. 1t is an insult to American en-
terprise to assume that it needs protection.
American industry is no decrepit thing needing
crutches and nurses. Protection puts the gov
eminent into the ridiculous attitude of under
taking to supervise all the various and intricate
affairs Of manufacture and commerce.
1t is the last vestige of that old system of pa
ternal government which seeks to arrange mems
religious beliefs, to determine their social rea-
tons, to prescribe their meat, drink and apparel,
to do for them what free people are thousand
times better able to do for themselves
The aim and drift of protection is foolish and
impairment, but the machinery by which it
seeks to secure this end is worse than the
cause which it serves Corrupt custom houses,
in their nature, are academies of injustice and
dishonesty, abhorred Of God, as they ought to
be of men.
But right in so much, and wrong in so little,
shall one abandon the party, or remain in it to
settle reformation AS long as freedom of dis
cussion is allowed, its members should abide
within and strive for its reformation What
ridiculous and monstrous folly it would be to
leave the Republican party because it is yet
blinded with protection, and go over to the Dem
ocratic party, that has coquetted with almost ev-
cry evil which the war has swept away and
which has not yet shown that it has learned a
single lesson from the grand struggle of the last
twenty-five years 1t has no faith in itself, no
unity in its measure, no wise leaders. 1t has
learned to construct platforms, and then to
away from the only wise planks in them-cour
ageous in words and cowardly in deeds.
What am ! asked to dol To go over from the
Republican party that has had the courage of
It's opinions, to that VOWS free trade prinei-
pies and then plays comedy in Congress, in car
rying out their pretentious reforms that has no
leaders that dare lose in a good cause or suffer
a6u
of free trade arises among them, like Watterson,
he is knitted by his own compatriots When the
Democratic party shall have mission of liberty,
as it had in Jeffersons day, or even in Jackson's
but to mention these names is to throw ridi-
Guile upon the name of Democracy.
When Sampson had slept in the arms of
Delilah he had the grace of suicide given him.
But Democracy that lost its virtue in the bosom
of slavery blind and feeble, yet prefers to grind
In the prison-house rather than seek an honora-
BILE death
There is another contingency IF the en-
gineers and managers of the Republican party
shall select a candidate for the presidency
stained by jobbery in alliance with the policies
of the great railway princes, hand and glove
with corrupt lobbies, and in full faith with cor
rupt and corrupting gangs who swarm our leg
isatures and live by sleek plumber, it will be the
duty of every patriotic Republican to secure his
defeat not by the folly of joining the party of
historic imbecility, but by laying the founda-
ton of new movement that shall respect the
moral instincts of our people-a party of COM
mon sense, based upon moral sense.
HENRY WARD BEECHER