The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-08-20
A 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 itself that the Democracy is
in bad way, but its own condition
excites the gravest apprehensions of
its friends.
Five causes tend to impair the
health, if not to threaten the life, of
the once "Grand Old Party" First,
it has positively no issue on which to
60 to the people. 1t was kept alive
for years after its mission ended by
two things-the use of money and the
abuse of Democracy. But it is posi-
lively destitute of an issue. "Protect-
ion" is an absurdity because there is
no Free Trade party and the Republl-
cans, 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 untrammelled in its political
action as is the North. The neglect
of the Democracy to lower taxation or
to relieve public burdens is not avail
able, because the Republican Senate
has stood obstinately and obdurately
in the way of retrenchment and tax
reform. Hence the "Sick Man. has
only one appeal to make to the people,
and that is I: "Give us back the Gov
ernment offices instead of allowing
the Democracy to retain its CONTROL
Secondly, the Prohibition movement
Is serious cause of Republican all
ment. As the Prohibition strength
increases the Republican strength
naturally decreases. For years the
Prohibitionists have been allies of the
Republican party. They have trusted
to Republicanism TO aid their cause,
only to be betrayed whenever the in
terests of Republican leaders prompted
the Cancellation of anti-temperance in
fuenoe. Now the Prohibition party
looms up into the proportions of an
important separate organization and is
increasing in numbers, especially in the
doubtful States, every year. Since it
helped to defeat Mr. Blaine for the
Presidency thousands of earnest sup
porters have swelled its ranks in New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and the
Western States.
A third cause 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 been made possible by Republi-
can legislation. There is not an in
telligent laboring man in the country
who does not know that the Jay
Goulds and Huntingtors have been
the supporters of Republicanism that
their money has been spent to elect
Republican Administrations, to corrupt
Republican ofiice-holders and to pur-
chase seats on the Supreme Bench for
their Republican tools. The first de.
mand of intelligent Labor is for laws
that, while just to corporations, will
limit the dangerous powers that have
been bestowed upon them under Re-
publican rule and prevent them from
building up monopolies, dishonesty
swelling their capital and levying un-
due charges on the people in order to
pay interest on fraudulent stock. Can
such reforms be expected under a Re-
publican Administration
Fourthly, the Republican party no
longer has October States,' nor can
it now concentrate upon them a federal
official army and an unlimited corrupt
ion fund. Everybody knows how
Indiana was carried by ''soap" in 1880
and how the Republican October
victory in that State saved Garfield
after his cause had been paralyzed by
the defeat in Maine. This advantage
is now lost to the Republicans.
A fifth cause for the "Sick Mans
unfortunate condition is the loss to the
Republican party of its heretofore
valuable capital of ghost stories con-
cerning the Democracy. 1t can no
longer make even the silliest people
believe that Democratic ascendancy
means the destruction of business in
terests, the degradation of the public
service, the overthrow of constitution
al provisions, the payment of the rebel
debt, the pensioning OF Confederate
soldiers and the return of the South to
the saddle. The Democratic Admins
tration has shown the stupid falsity OF
such ISLANDERS. 1t has improved the
business of the country, elevated the
public service despite some undesirable
appointments, raised the standard of
the national honor, done equal justice
to all sections and faithfully obeyed
the Constitution.
Without issues to present, without
100000 Federal offices to assess, with
out the old assistance from corpora
tions, without money to purchase votes
and without the power to successfully
slander the Democracy, the Republi.
can party is indeed very "Sck Man,
- VOrld.