Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-21
REPUBLICAN PRINCIPLES.
Facts Presented that Show Plainly
Who is the LabOrer's Friend.
A Suggestion to President Cleveland
about Reforming His Cabinet.
The Republican Party and Labor.


The Milwaukee Sentinel in recent ed
itorial on the labor question, makes the
following important points in favor of
the republican party:
Some of the more ignorant of labor
agitators as well as the most INSCRIPTIONS
of democratic demagogues, freely charge
that the republican party has done moth
ing for the laboring men and nothing for
the common welfare. Whatever it has
done for the common welfare has bene-
flied "the laboring classes" although it
has been no part of the republican policy
to recognize classes of citizens. Surely
the republican record ought to be the best
violence in answer to the thOughtless or
malicious charge that it is a monopolistic
party.
The republican party is responsible for
the Homestead and Exemption law
adopted May, 1862 which gives $50 acres
of land to the actual settler in the terri
tories and exempt his homestead from
seizure for debts existing prior to the is
sue of his patent. Nothing ever advanc-
ed the interests of the labOrer more than
this law, which has given homes to mill
ions who would otherwise be among the
wage-workers, and which has enlarged the
field of labor UNNECESSARILY.
The republican party destroyed the
monopoly of slave labor in the south and
has done all that any party could to open
up that immense section to free labor.
The republican party has everywhere
and always been the support of education
al movements, and through all its admin
istration it continued the wise policy of
devOting one-thirty-sixth of all public
lands to free school purposes.
The republican party has pursued the
policy of liberal appropriations for in
ternal improvements, in spite of all oppo-
sition, which policy has not merely devel-
oped the resources of the country and
facilitated the movement of products,
which is one of the first essentials against
local overproduction, but which also fur
nishes employment to labor.
The party has enlarged and extended
the system of pensions to soldiers, distrib-
uting millions of dollars annually among
the people and thus limited distress
and limited the extent of competition in
labor.
The party adopted the eight-hour law
in the case of government employees.
But above and beyond all, has main
tanned a sound financial policy and a
sound tariff system, by which the general
prosperity has been advanced as far as
it is possible for laws to advance it. The
resumption of specie payments was OF
more importance to the laborer than tC
any other citizen. The protective tariff
has protected him against the competition
of the worlds cheapest labor. Whatever
is calculated to advance the general wei
fare must be of supreme advantage to
the wage-worker who depends upon the
general prosperity for employment. No
one has yet produced the least evidence
to support the c'>arge that the republi-
can party has eN IT taken step to impair
the national prosperity.
Senator Spooner has shown that the
failure to declare the unearne6 land grant
of the Northern Pacific was due entirely
to the democratic house; and that the
failure of the measure to break down the
foreign ownership of American lands il
due to the same house.
In short, the republican party has hon
estly endeavored to legislate in the in
terest of national prosperity upon which
depends the prosperity of the laborer
For existing evils no man has been able
to propose a certain remedy and no man
can say the republican party has failed
to adopt any course certain to advance
the general welfare.
1t is question of some Importance
whether the republican party is more to
be trusted than the democratic party, for
one or the other of these two parties is
bound to administer the state and nation
al governments.