The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-10
Tia Republican Issues.


ssues for that party. for next year. The |
,all is addressed ~, 10 the Repub- |
lean electors of the several States"
md O., $50 all other voters without |
:egard to past political differences"
who are in favor of several PROPOSE
ions, which are expressed in language
as follows: Elevating and dignifyIng
American labor" extending and pro-
,ecting home industry" giving free
popular education to the masses of the
people," securing free suffrage and an
honest counting of BALLOTS 81 effect
aally protecting human rights, IN
every section of our common country;
promoting friendly feeling and per-
manent harmony throughout the land.
| All of these expressions commit what
SYDNEY Smith regarded as serious
! oifense. They overwork the par
ticiple." Some of them are too gen.
aral for praise or assault.
What is meant by ''eleyating aud
digrifying American labor by the
party which is on record for the uni
yersal importation of Chinese laborerS?
| VIII any action by any party, in Ma
| tional convention. have any relation to
the law OF supply and demand in WORK?
| VIII it affect wages, hours or work II
any way? As good old DR.. johnson used
I 10 say: Gentlemen, clear your minds
| of humbug" The most pitiable fal-
lacy is the humbug of supposing that
YOU can humbng others. The men who
work with hands, with tools or with
brain, in this land, know that that kind
of talk in the call is humbug; that 1t Is
uttered by men who take them to be
fools. Sobriety, industry, skill, honesty
and courage enable men to hold their
own at 5readwinning, unless hordes
of heather are brought i'll, to crowd
them out, or thousands of cOnvicts are
put at work which completes with the
vocation and arts of law-abiding citi-
zens. The party of cheap Chinese labor,
and the party whose leg slatOrs are
charged by every Republican paper to
DEFY and disregard the great demand
for the abolition of the present method
of convict labor, talks about ''eleyating
and dignifying American labor. 1t IS
the same party, whose leaders N 1880
forced the policy of threatening thou
sands of workingmen with dismissal II
they dared to vote as they pleased. The
ma ority of the names signed to this call
are those of men who never did an hon
est DAVIS WORK in their lives. Those not
gorced with monopoly gains. made by
robber law. are political tramps, glued
TO the Treasury, and kent from jail or
exile by the fact that they preserved
the grand old party by frauds worthy
of the gallowS or the prison, IN the
South.
Extending and protecting home in
dustry'' means the increase of high tar
iff duties. Already they make every
man who has to buy the necessaries OF
life paw more than price and half for
them. They close the markets of the
world to the manufactured products OF
America. They have wiped out Amer
lean commerce and destroyed American
ship-bu lding. They have caused a
large portion of our factories to stop
and large portion of our foundries to
shut up-because they are gorged with
reproductions that can not be sent
abroad and are not needed at home.
where there is q glut. Stopping or
shortening upon work means the dry
, rot of bankruptcy to the manufacturer
and the quick distress of enforced idle
ness to the workingmen. A prohibition
tariff is constipation to commerce, par
ABYSS to manufacturing, starvation tc
, labor. and confiscation to the money Of
! producers and consumers-al because
more stuff is made than can be sold a
, home, and high duties cut off mar
: ket abroad. The stuff rots unsold II
, the store-houses. The workmen gC
. idle in the streets, to find hunger anC
: hopelessness at home. The honest man
ufacturer is taxed at a ruinous rate OF
the raw materials needed by him in hi'
work. He has to stop; his hands arr
! discharged. The few monopolist:
grow richer hourly on the common cor
. ner they have made on the energies. in
genuity and miseries of men in these
States. Knowing what protection
really means, knowing the prOhigacy i
works in taxes and the ruin It works il
trade. prices, labor, production, man
ufacturing and buying, we say: ''Wel
come the issuer' Civilization. con
science, events, opinion, needs and man
ifest destiny make for revenue reform
The Democra " stand for it, and stanC
or fall with it.
To "giving free popular education t.
, the masses Of the people" no one is op
: posed. The Democracy say: do /
J by States" Every State has its com
! mon school system. Progress from ig
norance to knowledge is going on ev
!. erywhere. The Republicans say: 'D'
. this work through pauper schools Sc
y up in States by the central Government
= through political emissaries." That il
= their last scheme of paternalism. The.
= invent it, t. get mems to use up par
of the yearly S10O,0O0,0O0 surplus
!! which, they say. must be perpetual
i, The DEMOCRATS demand that taxation b.
= = cut down 10 the line of actual expenses
: All beyond that line is robbery. In
: people clearly understand the question
: The other propositions are seif-refut
ing or meaningless. Securing fire.
: suffrage end honest counting OF bal
;. lots is W ork not in the charge or pur
{ pose of those who put in Hayes ant
q Wheeler. by fraud of count, and Gar
' field and Arthur, by fraud of corrup
ton. A committee chairmaned b
;, Sabin, who is declared by every re
u form Re publican to have bough
' his election to the Senate, mOni
| tored by VIM. E. Chandler, VIII
l executed the Florida fraud and tn
: Robson Roach contracts, and coun
y seled in the interest of those who car
ried the last Convention at Saratoga b.
J crime, is simply guilty of satire and e1
frontery in talking of 'free suffrage
: and Ian honest counting" ''Etfectu
= ally projecting human rights" is Re
U nublicap Indictment of the Republicq