Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-07-30
A PURELY RADICAL PLATFORM.

III OlAti ltldJ Jul ANhbtio ht y
see for themselves what the Demo
cratic leaders think Of those ques
tons in which the people are vitality
interested, no matter whether they
are Democrats or Republicans, We
reproduce a clipping which We
made from the Rockingham Regis
ter several weeks ago. We think
it very fully shows what the Regis
ter calls a "Radical PLATFORM" and
in this case we think the Register
speaks the sentiments OF those who
control the Democratic party. We
should add that we do not accuse
the great majority of those who are
members of the Democratic party
of sharing any such sentiments
But we do hold that the politicians
who control the course OF the party
agree with the Register. The clip
ping to which we allude is as fol-
lows;
Mr.. Chas. II. Butcher, of Warren
county, lately president of a Wash
ingtOn city Democratic club, has
announced his intention of running
for Congress in the 9TH district as
an independent candidate. lie re-
Gently graduated in the law class
of Columbia College, with the high
est honors, and is said to be young
man of brilliant talent. His plat
form will be: The Blair Bill; Re
peal of the Internal Revenue Laws ;
opposition to the Civil Service law
and the Cleveland administration ;
in favor of the Labor interest of
the country; against Free Trade
and in favor Of Protection, and
against the Mccormick Anderson
Electoral valley Virginidn.
We shall be happy to add our
mite in helping to butcher this
Butcher. No independents need
apply for the support Of the De-
mocracy of this district. Besides,
this Butcher appears from the
above to be running, except as to
one particular, upon purely Radi-
cal platform.
Now let us see what the VdlleJ
Virginidn says is Mr.. Butchers
platform, and lchich the Rcgiste,
denounces as a "Radical platform.
LIST. He favors the Blair Bill
This is of course Republican meas
ure, for it was introduced by a Re-
publican Senator, twice passed by
a Republican Senate, and twice
killed by a Democratic House.
OF course, then, the Register is
right in terming this a "Radicar
measure, If the Register means a Re
publican measure and of course
we all understand that when a
Bourbon Funder Democrat applies
the term Radical to a Republican
he only means to make up, in what
he thinks is severity, for any lack
of argument. Well, then it will be
seen that the Register admits that
the Blair educational bill, which
appropriates about seventy seven
million dollars to the support OF
public schools, is a Republican
measure.
Secondly. The next plank in Mr.
Butchers platform, which the Reg
lister denOunces as a Radical one, is
".he repeal of the internal revenue
laws" Again we are forced to ad-
nit that the Register is right. This
is also a Republican measure, and
one of which. the Virginia Republic
cans have for years been in favor.
They have declared IN it's favor in
every platform since 1881. 1t is
true that some of the Democrats at
one time pretended to be in favor
of the repeal of these internal reve-
nue. laws, but no sooner had they
gotten into power and obtained the
revenue offices than their zeal for
the abolition of the internal reve-
nue. system began to cool, and now
it has vanished altogether. We
may safely say, then, that this meas
ure is also what the Register is
pleased to term a "Radlca" one ;
provided being opposed by the
Democrats and advocated by the
Republicans makes it 50.
Thirdly. Mr.. Butcher declares
that he is opposed to the civil SER
vice law az administered by Presi.
dent Cleveland. Well, it strikes
us that every honest man ought to
be opposed to a civil service admin
istration which declares that it will
not remove men on account Of poll
itics, and then in less than five
months begins to make sweeping
removals simply and sOlely on politi.
cal grounds.
Fourth. Mr.. Butchers fourth
plank is one favOring the labor in
terest Of the country, and here
again there can be no doubt the
! Register is right in prOnOuncing
that a Republican measure. The
very foundation of the Republican
party is the principal of EQUAL
RIGHTS FOR ALL. Upon the prin-
cipal the "grand old party" was
founded, and it has never ceased to
battle for it. 1t is, therefore, nee
essarily in favor of the protection
of labor.
The fifth plank is against free
trade and in favor of protection.--
OF course the Register is, as it al
ways has been, against protection,
and it can't believe in the DemOc'
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