Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-24
The Issue Joined,

The issue between the two national
parties is now fairly joined. The decla
rations of principles have been made and
the candidates placed in the field. 1t re-
mains only for the people to. choose be-
tween them.
The Republican platform is positive,
incisive and aggressive on every national
issue except the silver question. That
put forth by the Democrats deals even
more gingerly with the currency issue
than the Republican, while on every 9th.
er disputed question the Democratic
platform is tittingly termed by Gen. But.
Ter mere aggregation of negations. The
Republicans promise Protection to Amer.
ican labor and declare that the tariff
should be so adjusted as TO insure the
largest diversity of industry and to give
both labor and capital its just reward
The Democrats say nothing of Protec
ton. They avoid the use of the word
and only hold out the promise that they
do not intend any harm to the labor OF
the country. AT the same time they in,
sist that the tariff must be reduced.
How any considerable reduction can
be made without increasing importations
of articles manufactured at home, thus
diminishing their sale and discouraging
their further manufacture here, unless
wages are cut down to correspond with
the tariff reduction, is point no one in
the Convention tried to show. The tar
iff, they tell us. should bear heaviest on
articles of luxury and lightest on articles
of necessity. But we make comparative
ly few articles of luxury. American IL
Dor engaged in manufacturing is devoted
almost exclusively to producing articles
designed for every day use. Apologize
and explain as they may, the Democrats
cannot carry out their design of reducing
our tariff now established on protective
basis without making it much less pro
tective and for many industries elimina
ting its protective features altogether.
But it is not in its public professions
alone that the real purpose of party is
10 be sought, but in its candidates, its
leaders and its record The men who
labored Zealously to effect u horizontal
reduction in the tariff at the last session
of Congress, and whose whole public life
has been spent in fighting it, are the
men who controlled the late Democratic
Convention and moulded its utterances
The candidates are avowed Free-traders
or, as they prefer to be called, revenue
reformers," and the dominant element
in the Convention which nominated
them are of the same economic faith
Though, to deceive the ill-informed and
too confiding members of their party who
believe in Protection, the Convention
couched its tariff declaration in language
purposely confused and misleading, nc
Intelligent person can question for a mo-
ment that the success of Cleveland and
Hendricks next November, with the
control of the House going to the same
party, means an assault upon the tariff
and radical reduction in the present
protective duties.
On the other hand the Republican par
ty, with both its candidates strong Pro
tectlonistS, with its straightforward pro
tective plank, its past record and the
character of its membership and leader
ship: furnishes the strongest guaranty
possible that its success means the per
petuation of the policy of Protection tt
home industry. The lines are drawn
sharp enough for any but the dullest tt
perceive them, in spite of the Democrat
ic attempts to render them obscure anC
uncertain. In 1884, as in 1880, one party
proposes to levy duties only to obtain
revenue, while the party of Blaine and
Logan would levy them with view t
protect American labor and capital from
excessive foreign competitiOn.-Phila
Press