Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-09-30
THE NORTHWEST
, A Party without an Issue.

The "Sick Man" of the political world al
this time is the Republican party. 1t has
been striving hard to persuade itself that the
Democracy it eKcites the gravest apprehen-
sions of is in bad way but its own condi-
ton its own friends.
Five causes tend to impair the health, il
not threaten the life of the "Grand Old
Party" First it has positively no issue on
which to go to the people. 1t was kept alive
for years by two things-the use Of money
and the abuse of Democracy. But it is posi-
lively destitute of an issue. Protection"
is an absurdity because 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 a failure, be-
cause 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 available, because the Republican Sem
ate 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: '"Give us
back the Government offices instead of al
lowing the Democracy to retain its control"
Secondly, the Prohibition movement is
serious cause of Republican ailment. As the
Prohibition strength increases the Republi-
can strength naturally decreases. For years
fLa
Republican party. They have trusted to
Republicanism to aid their cause, only to be
betrayed whenever the interests of Republi-
can leaders prompted the Cancellation of
auti-temperance influence. Now the Prohi-
bition 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 thous
sands of earnest supporters have swelled its
ranks in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and the
Western States.
third cause of the Republican malady is
the Labor movement. The Republican party
is the creator of monopolies. The encroach-
ments of corporations on the rights of the
people have been made possible by Republi-
can legislation. There is not an intelligent
laboring man in the country who does not
know that the Jay Goulds and Huntingtons
have been the supporters of Republicanism;
that their money has been spent to elect Re- |
publican Administrations to corrupt Repub-
iican ofice-holders and to purchase 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 bestowed upon them under Republican |
rule and prevent them from building up mo-
nopolies, dishonesty swelling their capital |
and levying undue charges on the people in
order to pay interest on fraudulent stock.
Gan such reforms be expected undera Re-
publican Administration?
Fourthly, the Republican party no longer
has "October States" nor can it now concen-
trate upon them Federal official army and |
an unlimited corruption 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.
The adantage is now lost to the Republicans.
A fifth cause for the "Sick Mans" unfor
tunate condition is the loss to the Republi-
can party of its heretofore valuable capital
of ghost stories concerning the Democracy.
1t can no. longer make even the siliest peo-
pie believe that Democratic ascendancy
means the destruction of business interests,
the overthrow of constitutional provisions,
the payment of the rebel debt, the pension
ing of Confederate soldiers and the return of
the South to the saddle. The Democratic
Administration has shown the stupid falsity
of such ISLANDERS. Ithas improved the busi-
ness of the country, elevated the public SER
vice 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, without the old as
sistance from corporations, without money
TO purchase votes and without the power to
successfully slander the Democracy, the Re-
publican party is indeed a very "Sick Man."
~. Y. World.