The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-08-26
PARTY WITHOUT AN ISSUE.

The "Sick Man" of the political world
at this time Is the Republican party. 1t
has been striving hard to persuade It
self that the Democracy Is In . bad way,
but its own condition excltes the graVest
apprehenslons of its friends. C-l
Five causes tend to Impair the health,
If not to threaten the life, OF the once
"Grand Old Party" First, II has posi-
lively no issue on which to go to the
people. 1t was kept alive for years after
its mission ends1 by two things-the
nse of money and the abuse OF DemOc
racy. But it Is positively destitute of
an issue. Protection" is an absurdity
becaUss there Is no Free Trade party
and the Republicans, like the Democrats,
are divided In opinion on the tariff.
"Southern Outrages" are unavailable.
The "blOody shirt" is washed as white
as snow. The solid South is failure,
because it Is understood that the South
is as untrEmmelled in Its pOlit1-
cal action as In the North. The
neglect of the Democracy to lower taxa
tion or to relieve public burdens Is
not available, because the Republican
Senate has stood obstinately and obdu-
rately In the way Of retrenchment and
tax reform. Hence the "Sick Man" has
Only one appeal to make to the people,
and that Is: "GiVe US back the Govern
ment fl res Instead of allowing the De-
mOcracy to retain its control"
Secondly, the Prohibition movement
| is q serious cause OF Republican all
ment. As the Prohibition strength In
creases the Republican strength natuI-
ally decreases. For years the Prohibl
tionists have been allies of the Republi-
can party. They have trusted to Repub-
| IicaIism to aid their cause, only to be
BETRAYED whenever the interests of Re-
publican leaders prompted the concilia-
| tion of anti.temperance influence. Now
| the Prohibition party looms up into the
proportions Of an important separate
| organic .tiOn and Is increasing In num-
beTs, especially in the doubtful States,
every year. Since 1t helped to defeat
Mr.. Blaine for the Presidency thousands
Of earnest supporters have swelled lts
ranks in New York, New Jersey, Connec-
ticut, Maine, Massachusetts,, Pennsyl-
vania and the Western States.
A third case of the Republican malady
Is the labor movement. The Republican
party Is the creator of mOnopOlies.
| The encrOachments Of corporations
on the rights Of the people have
bcen made possible by Republican leg
isl lion, There is not an intelligent Ia
boring man In the country who does not
know that the GOulds and Huntingtons
have heen the supporters of Republican
ism; that their money has been spent to
elect Republican Administrations, to cor
Iupt Republican Officeholders and pur-
chase seats on the Supreme Bench for
their Republican tools. The first demand
OF Intelligent labor is for laws that,
while Just to corporations, will limit
the dangerous powers that have been be
slowed upon them under Republican
rules, and prevent them from building
up mOnopOlies, dishonesty swelling
their capital and leVying undue charges
on the !eople In order to pay interest on
| fraudulent stock. Can such reforms be
expected under Republican Admins
traliOn?
Fourthly, the Republican party no
longer has October States" nor can 1t
now concentrate upon them Federal
official army and an unlimited cOrrup-
tiOn fund. Everybody knows how In
diana was carried by ''soap" In 1880,
and how the Republican October vic
tory In that State saved Garfield after
his cause had been paralyzed by the de-
feat In Maine. This advantage Is now
lost to the Republicans.
A fifth cause for the sick Mans" un-
fortunate condition is the loss to the
Republican party of Its heretofore vslu-
able stock Of ghost stories concering
the Democracy. It can no longer make
even the silliest people believe that
Democratic ascendency means the de-
structiOn of business interests, the deg
radiation of the public service, the over
throw of constitutional provisions, the
payment Of the rebel debt, the pension
Ing Of Confederate soldiers and the re-
turn of the South to the saddle. The
Democratic Administration has shown
the stupid fslsity of such ISLANDERS. 1t
has improved the business of the c0un-
try, elevated the public service despite
some undesirable appointments, raised
the standard Of the national honor, done
equal justice to all sections and faith.
fully Obeyed the constitution.
Without issues to present, without
100000 Federal officers to assess, with
out the old assistance from corporations,
without money to purchase votes and
without the power to successfully SLAM
der the Democracy, the Republican
party is indeed very "sick MANN