The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-19
HE Is LOYAL TO THE PARTY.


Chicago Tribune.
The following interview with Henry Strong,
formerly president Of the Santa Fe road, who
has been reported as intending to vote for Cieve-
land on account Of being dissatisfied WITH tne
Republican platform, represents the position OF
many Republicans aud shows how unfounded
Is the Democratic claim to support from 9 nu-
merous class of voters. Mr.. Strong, 1t may 90
said, is pecuniarily interested In various corpo-
rate industries, but is also Q practical s%ericult-
urisi, being an extensive farmer IN limos,
Iowa and Nebraska. Through mis- connection
with land-grant railway companies he has mao
Of over IL. 600, 900 acres of land, now occupied by
$50. 900 persona, who are interested pecuniar'iy
in the result Of the decision of the one question
involved in the present political-industriai con-
test.
SIS it true, MIR. Strong, that you are support
ing the Democratic national tlcketF
mo, 10 10 not true! I am as sound > Republic
an as the Chicago Tribune. We have both sup
ported the party. not blindly, however, ever
since its organization. This report you refer 20
is one of the non e~equiturs of the Democrats
whose one political virtue, If such it can DO
Skled, is q blind following OF their self-consti-
tuted leaders. whether they be New YORK BOW
cry Tammany boodlers or Texas country law.
yers. and who can't understand that the political
intelligence and wisdom Of . party 10 promoted
by the most unrestrained discussion within the
party OF all questions affecting the good OF the
country. Ifths Tribune, for example, 10 ineap-
JIG VI ~ ibA
interesting and far-reaching Industrial questions
on which IN this earliest stage Of the discussion
there 10 not absolute harmony in the party.
then it's senior editor, who has devoted q long
life to the study of American politics, is wholly
undeserving of the Influential position he holds
among American political writers. IL
this were 80. then the Chicago
Tribune or the New York Tribune would be In
duty bound TO irdorse, az the ultimate OF polit-
icA wisdom. the caucus resolutions of the last
ward meeting. This would be initiating the
practice of the Democrats practice which &C
counts for many remarkable performances In
the history OF that party, and for their want OF
progress in political knowledge. On the con-
trary, the Republican party allows all latitude
OF opinion and discussion. We NAV not and DO
not always agree as to what is the best to be
done to-day. or as TO how much of national rev.
enue should be raised from q tax on iron or q
tax on whisky, or as to what extent the duty
should be reduced on the various fabricators or
American industry, but We always agree that
the Republican party has always been. Is now.
land promises ever to be, the protector and savior
of American labor Of every kind against foreign
pauper labor and its ally, the Democrats party"
But, Mr.. Strong, permit me TO ask you
what, IL anything. you have to say about your
reported dissatisfaction with the platform re-
Gently adopted at ChicagoP
al have said, aud still say, that the expression
CT the Republican theory Of revenue contained
In the platform Is not as clear as might have
been. and gives a handle TO our enemies. Every
t6uSlul6 HAL KNOWS .tQht tut thIlu Deeus EoNth-
ing; that the free list may be greatly and ad-
vsntageously enlarged; that the duty on many
things is unnecessarily high; that protection Is
not in proportion to the duty imposed; that the
tariff should not be ,prohi6itory, when from ac-
cidental or artificial conditions OF the homo
market the home product commands an ex-
orbitanr price. For example. when there has
been n great demand for steel rails tbs rail-
makers have combined to put a price on rails
which VAS exorbitant. and 10 so far burden
9OmA to the carving frad0 OF the country
They paid no higher wages than il they had not
combined. They could make such combination
when the duty was SIS q ton. They can Go
it yet with the duty Of $l7 a ton. Now. the
Republican theory 10 that the duty should bs
laid 80 s. TO secure fair wages to employees and
no, exorbitant profits to com bin atoms of capital
lists. On questions Of finance there 10 no excuse
for indulging in sentiment, and were l convinced
that the industrial theory of the opposite party
is the sound theory for this country / would
have no hesitation in supporting IL. But its the
DRY is utterly hostile 10 American labor. The
present inspirations Of the Democratic party
como from thu South. The deus ex machina IL
Carlisle. the Speaker Of the House. he ia .
doctrinaire on the subject of free trade. Ii is he
who appointed Mills, the two Breckinridges, AMI
their Southern allies on the on ways
and means liz Is he who has educated the big.
weli-meanine but politically ~illiterate President
in his theory OF national revenue. Except for
him the astounding presidential proclamation OF
last December would never have been issued. /
fesldo IN Washing ton In the winter. 4 naEe
known the man for years-a genial. gifted.
semi-sducated semi PHILOSOPHER, l have resa
bis frss-trade monographs. which flood
the bookstores in Washington. / have
theories Of finance. 1 have watched him grad
ually drawing his lines OF circumvallstiou about
the Buffalo lawyer who has never read o book
on political economy in his whole life. Hence
that foolish message which sounded the death
kuell of the party who issued il. while it created
almost a panic in American business circles
That the English press and En- glish opinion are
right in universally hsiline the Presidents
message as the first step toward the English
system Of free is beyond doubt or
question. Logically 1t means that or nothing.
But the party courage just now, wheu brought
face TO face with the American voter and chal-
lensed to put in practice their theory, is meas
ured by that remarkable exploit Of political
wisdom rightly christened by the name OF the
Texas attorney who probably never saw q wool
en- factory or al iron-mil!, and who, in rrepar-
iug a purely financial measure. affecting tho
prosperity of an industrial empire Of seventy
millions OF people. obstinately and def
antly closed the doors Of the ways and
means committee of the House of Represnta-
tives in the face OF the only men who
could speak inteiligently concerning the enor-
nous interests involved in the industrial
pro blems pending and under discussion before
that committee; but instead. putting in force the
discipline OF party caucus. dragooDed the blind
or timid members of his party into adoptine q
eaAt4 w bAC ChEhl y kkL
and the absolute iDcapacity of the party ne
represents to deal with industrial question:.
Believing, as 1 must, that our 80 per cent homo
market Is worth more to the American farmer
than our 10 per cent. foreign market, l propose
to stand by the party that proposes to protect
that market. am interested, for example, in
an iron industry that directly and indirectly
gives employment to several Thousand men, and
also gives support to over 30. 600 American citi-
zens. i have a much larger interest In Iowa and
Nebraska farm products. and consequently in
the products Of farm labor, and i confess that
after spending considerable time in reading the
tariff reform literature with which the English
Democratic free-trade party is flooding the coun-
try, / am still unable to see how | am to increase
the price Of my 5-cents-a-bushe corn and my
65-cents-a-bushel wheat by q law which enables
English pauper labor TO close the iron-miil and
drive those 6, 0C0 mechanics out to nv farms TO
increase their production and lessen its market
value
81 understand the Cleveland argument that
the foreign pauper labor will want my beef, and
corn, and wheat. But / know from reliable
statistics that the American three dollar a-day
mechanic is n better consumer than the one
doliara-day fellow on the other side. Besides,
j prefer TO trust our home market. / am reason
ably certain that these American iron-workers
will want my Iowa and Nebraska wheat. / am
not SO certain that the Englishmen might not
get theirs from India, Russia or South America.
! But, however this might be. nv idea of ma
tional prosperity means such variety o: industry
as shall. give occupation and announcement to
A aunrv uarfAfU Of aktll fotcnf aaA sndrc%xu ~