Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-22
The Real Issue OF the Campaign.

Communicated.
The republican campaign was open
ed at Mineral Point on the 18th inst by
Phil Cheek, candidate for state In
surance Commissioner, who promised
his speech by remarking that he did not
intend to discuss national politics. as
the issue involved in the present cam
paign in Wisconsin is of Il local or state
character and declared it to be An
archy and the Milwaukee riots" of Nav
last.
Is not the election this fall of eight
congressman who will be called upon
to consider and act wholly upon queS-
tons of national character in the
congress of the United States for two
years entitled to the careful and can
did consideration of the voters of Wis
cOnSin? Perhaps not with the Wis
consin republican politicians, whose
main object is to SubSerye their own
individual interests. 1t may be that
the patriotism and intelligence of
Wisconsin voters is the proper subject
for a liberal discount, but | apprehend
that republican stump speakers will
find it difficult 30 apply the Dutch
mans one per cent. in the present
case.
| imagine that the honest voters of
Wisconsin recognize certain duties to
the nation in the election of congress
men, even if the republican leaders do
not, and that will not allow the false
issue of anarchy and riot raised and
paraded by the selfish and vicious mo-
tive of the republican politician and
office seeker to divert their attention
from the all important question:
question which more than all others
affects the interests of the people of
this country, and especially the labor
ing man and the farmer, viz: the eq-
uitable adjustment of our tariff laws.
The present tariff laws constitute
the most stupendeous piece of class
legislation ever inflicted upon the toll
ing millions of this country. This
question should be made TIE issue in
the campaign, and each and every
nominee for congress should be asked
the question, Are You or are YOU not
in favor of tariff reform? and upon his
answer should depend his election
America is the market for the
worlds surplus labor except in the
case of the Chinaman-a where can
the laboring men Of America hope to
receive the full measure and benefit of
their labor unless they are allowed to
60 into the worlds markets with the
surplus product of their labor: Yet
the tariff laws are to this country what
the Chinese was to China. They en-
able the few to make serfS of the
many. and cause foreign countries to
discriminate against us. Because of
our outrageous high tariff Germany
has said To the American farmer YOU
shall not sell YOUR hogs in German
markets, and for the same reason
France has said substantially the same
thing; and then England has said to
her capitalists. take your money and buy
improved farm machinery and take
the same TO India and instruct the ma
tlveS there i'll its use in raising wheat,
and thus make us independent of the
American farmer for the millions of
bushels of wheat which we must buy
each yeaa: do this and the government
will build railroads through India that
you may have easy and cheap facilities
for tranSportating the wheat YOU raise
to England. As a result of this retail
alton on the part of England they can
ship wheat from India to Liverpool
ten cents per bushel cheaper than it
can be shipped there from America.
and while few years ago India raised
comparatively little wheat she now
stands second only to the United
States in the amount of wheat raised.
being according to the census of 1890
24O,OOO,OOO bushels annually. During
the same year the United States pro-
duced 459,479,505 bushels of wheat.
From these figures it will be seen that
India produces over One-half as much
wheat rs the United States, and the
bulk of this product goes directly to
market formerly supplied by this
country.
In view of these astounding facts
does Mr.. Check, the Hon. Il. NJ. La
Follett or even his excellency, J. Rusk.
hope to divert the mind of the honest
voters of Wisconsin from the character
of the various candidates for congress.
and Others who ask for their suffrages
this fall. by the weeping and wailing
cry of anarchy and riot? The very
conception of the idea of the necessity
of electing any one man or set of men
in order to preserve law and order in
the state is an insult to the patriotism
and intelligence of nine hundred and
of every one thousand of
WisconSin's voters, and ought to be
rebuked at the coming election.