The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-10-04
The Peoples Question.

But, go where you will, to the farms
on the border of Canadian provinces,
or to the lowlands of Louisiana, from
the factories of Massachusetts to the
wharves of San Francisco, the people
are talking of The tariff, and of their
personal interests as affected by it. If
the Pharisees and Frauds should be
met by the public journals on the
ground they choose, there would be
two distinct issues this year-a mean
personal one for the newspapers, and
a broad, National and vital one for
the people.
We go to Massachusetts, and find
there ct'tsa1i. journals and colfeg54 30 =,
fessors making pretence CT superior
virtue, whose sole occupation is to
raise tremendous noise about Multi
gan and Fisher. But in the same
State we find thousands of the labor
ing voters, on farms, or in factories
and machine shops, coming out with
rare enthusiasm to meet the Repub-
lican candidate. because his election
means the protection of American
industry. We 60 to Connecticut, and
find a few score unhappy Republi-
cans who cry for Cleveland and Re-
form. In the same State, busy
workshop from end to end, we find
enrolled thousands of Democrats for
Blaine and Protection. We 60 to
Ohio, and find at Youngstown, where
the fires of many furnaces have been
put out by Democratic agitation, 3d.
600 people gathered at a Republican
meeting. In the same State we find
an army of 5000 to 5000 Irish Dem.
ocrats organizing for Mr.. Blaine, be-
cause they do not want British free
trade in this country. We go to far
off California, and among the ma
chine shops and foundries along the
shores of the Pacific we find great
club organized, majority ofits men,
bers being Democrats, because they
know that free trade would be death
to the prosperity of the Golden State
We 60 to the Virginias, and find
Democratic owners of iron mines and
works calling their men together and
saying to them: 1--WE never try to
influence your votes, but it is right
that you should know that we are
going to vote for Blaine for business
reasons. If he succeeds, our works
can go on. If Cleveland is elected
we shall be obliged to close these
Works." We go to Louisiana, and
find even there sugar-planters Or
ganized to defeat the party which
tri d to cut down the duty on sugar
last May.
This is the issue that takes hold of
, the personal interests of nine, tenths
of the voters in every State. 1t
touches their wages and their possi-
bilities of employment ; their homes
and the food for their wives and chill
dren; their dinner-pails and their
bread and butter. If they cared more
for scandal and slander than for their
rights and needs, or were too ignor-
ant to know what their rights and
needs demand, they would vote for
:, Cleyeland. If they want prosperity
for themselves and for all workers,
they will vote for Mr.. Blaine.
1t will not be found possible to
evade this issue or to thrust it back
to a secondary place. The people
make it. They make it because
it concerns their greatest interests,
: They listen with more or less atten-
. ton to what is said about the per-
t sonal qualities and characters of can
' didates, and some of them, when the
more vital question is not directly in.
volved, are influenced by what they
hear. But the Democratic party al
the last session of Congress made the
tariff the one vital, all'important
> issue of this contest. Nobody Car
: now give II any other place. 1t will
: control more votes many times ovel
= than any other issue. 1t will render
u contemplate the appeals that come
: from great importing cities, and will
5 decide the result of the election.
u The fact that the Democratic party
n does not dare to engage in any dis
e cussion of this most vital issue, the
very one which it deliberately raiseC
Il at the opening of the last session o
!. Congress, to which it sacrificed al
q other interests throughout that ses
o sion, and upon which it then boastet
/ that it would be victorious In thi
Is Presidential campaign, has sunk deel
y into the minds of the people. Their
n is reason, men see, for this anxiou
% avoidance reason for the tremen
:, dous effort made to darken the al
) and divert the attention with infa
3, nous scandal reason for the dis
l. honest silence of the Democratic can
,e didate. That reason is obvious. Th
: party means free trade. But it doe
I a 4 a