The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1886-10-13

or not. The people are Interested III
the discovery Of what will tend to
their own good, and not what will
foster pedigree or illnmine a name.
For reasons like this men should
scrutinize the ground on which they
stand. In all governments there are
always struggles going on between
parties for the mastery. Many q
time these struggles are pushed on
lines which attract the people from
the logic OF reason and blind them
by the howlings Of prejudice. In
such cases the public good suffers,
and demagoguery fourishes. 1t may
be proper to remark here that in no
period Of the history OF our country
was it ever more important to scruti-
nize party faith than now. What
ever may have been said through
sinister design about there being no
difference between the old parties
still It is universally admitted fact
that there are great questions in
American politics wretchedly IN need
of being adjusted. 1t is also univer-
sally admitted that upon two Of these
questions the two great parties in
American politics stand confronting
each other in battle array. The most
vital Of these questions are the Tar
i'll and the Currency, and the forfeit
ure of unearned lands by railroad
and land syndicate monopolies. II
is also universally known that Of
these great parties the republican is
responsible for the donation to these
railroad monopolies the millions Of
acres Of the public domain, while the
democratic 48th and 10th congresses
have recovered and restored to the
public domain for actual settlers
90, 4Sl, 800 acres, and are com
mitted to the further recovery of ev.
cry acre which is possible to be
wrenched fairly from these monopo-
lies. 1t is also universally known
that upon the tariff the republican
party has ranged itself with boosted
pride on the side of protection by
which the eastern manufacturer Ii
enabled 20 pile up his huge profits al
the expense of the southern and
western eonsumer-bY which the
poor southerner and westerner is
made TO pay tax that his eastern
brother might get rich being lifted
above the anxieties of competition
in manufactured products, while the
product of the southern and western
farm is left to struggle against the
competition Of the whole world. The
democratic party has been fighting
this monstrous doctrine for quar-.
ter of a century. All the world i:
cognizant of the fact that democratic
policy is pledged 10 the reduction Of
tariff taxation to the basis of revenue
only. Its belief is that the govern
ment can tax by means of a tariff
only for the sake of getting necessa.
ny revenue and no more, that nc
one class of citizens should have
favors which another cannot have
that the many should not be burden.
ed for the benefit of the few On
the currency it is universally known
that the republican party is the enc
my of silver. With its strong arm
it struck it down. 1t would crush
it out and reduce the currency stand
ard to gold alone. 1t would build up
an aristocratic currency, and actual.
ly paid TO the laborers of the country
what it refused to pay to the credit
ors of the country--recognizing there
fore currency for the poor man and
another one for the rich. The dem
ocratic party is the friend of silver
1t came to Its rescue, and remone-
tized it, and made it co-equal with
gold in the money standard OF the
country. Let it be written in letters
of gold also that to the strength oil
democratic faith and energy the
country is due to day to the fact that
the great surplus flowing into the
treasury is turned into the business
like channel o. liquidating the pub
lie debt The question is, are these
things a fable or are they truth? 1t
is easy to ascertain, for they are mat
tors of history, indlsputable and I'M
deniabIe. A man going over this
ground of reason who feels in his
heart that he is one of the common
mass of the citizenship of this coun-
try, and interested in the common
good of the whole people can scarce