Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-14

! character the acquiesence in makeshlfts
and abuses which can and ought to be
helped, and which, with honest resolution,
| might be helped.
eve have revived the English system OF
rotten boronghs, under which the electors
return the candidate, but handful OF men
| this be SO, and | think 1t is
so, it should give US matter 1or
very serious reflection. | admire the
splendid complacency of my countrymen.
and find something eXhilerating and IN
spring in it. We are nation which has
struck ''ile'' but we are also nation that
is sure the well will never run dry"
''In looking about me, | am struck with
the fact that while we produce great
captains, financial and ind pstrial leaders
in abundance, and political managers in
over abundance, there seems TO be pause
in the production of leaders in states
manship. 1t is not that we have
lost the power OF bringing
forth great ment. They are not the pro-
duct of institutions. though these may
help or hinder them. l am thankful 10
have been the contemporary of one, and
among the greatest of whom l think 1T Is
safe to say that no other country and no
other form of government could nave
fashioned him, and whom posterity will
recognize as the wisest and most bravely
human of modern times. 1t is beneclc-
ton to have lived in the same
age and in the same country
with Abraham Lincoln. But under
every form of representative government
parties become necessary for the marshall
ing and expression Of opinion, and When
parties are once formed, those questions,
the discussion of which would discipline
and fortIfy mems minds, tend more ana
more to pass out of sight and the topics
that interest their prejudiceS and passions
to become more absorbing. What will be
of immediate advantage to the party is the
first thing considered; what of permanent
advantage to the country the last.
I refer specially to neither OF the
great parties which divide the country.
! am treating question OF natural history
Both parties have been equally guilty,
both have evaded as successfully as they
could the living questions of the day. As
the parties have become more evenly bal
anced the difficulty of arriving at their
opinions has been greater III proportion 20
the difficulty of devising any profession OF
faith meaningless enough not to alarm, II
it could not be so interpreted as to concln-
ate the varied and sometimes conflicting
interests of the different sections of the
country.
parties being necessary things, it fol
lows. of course, that there must be pollti-
clans to manage and leaders to represent
and symbolic them. The danger always
is 10 much loyalty to the thing he is sup
posed too represent, till at last the quesUlon
what he represents fades wholly out OF the
mind. If the dangers and temptations of
parties be such as | have indicated, and L
do not think that have Overstated them,
il is for the interest of the best men IN
both parties that there should be neutral
body, not large enough to form a
party by itself-nay, which wouldt lose its
power for good if attempted to form such
a party-and yet large enough to moderate
between both and to make both more eau
tious in their choice OF candidates. Ii the
politicians must look after the parties
there should be somebody to look after the
politicians, somebody to ask disagreeable
questions and to utter uncomfortable
truths. If we have not got all
that we hoped for in the present admin
istration, we have perhaps got more than
we had reason to expect, considering how
widely spread are the roots OF EVIL ana
what an inconvenient habit they have of
handing up suckers in the most unexpect-
ed places. 1t is much that we have COM
PEELED a discussion of the question from
one end of the country to the other, for 1t
can not bear discussion, and !, for one,
have so much faith in the good sense OF
the American people. as to feel sure that
discussion means NlCtOTS. INO SIeeil
questions have been opened anew
by the president, which really
resolve themselves into one-that
of the war tariff. | say of the war tariff,
because it is mere electioneerlng device
to call it question of protection OF free
trade, pure and simple. All that reason
able men contend for now is the reduction
of tariff in such a way as shall be least
hurtful to exporting interests, most help
full to the consumer, and above all as
shall practically test the question
whether we are better off when we get
our raw material at the lowest possible
prices. / think the ADVOCATES of pro-
lection have been unwise and are beginning
to see that they are unwise in shifting the
ground of debate. They have set many
people to asking whether robbing Peter to
pay Paul is method equally economical
for both parties, and whether the bad
policy be not all the more fragrant
in proportion as the Peters
are many and few the Pauls,
but the tendency of excessive protection
which thoughtful men declare most that
it stimulates an unhealthy composition
leading to over production and to the dis
asters which are its tainted offspring, that
it fosters over population, and this is the
most helpless class when thrown out of
| confess ] cannot take a
England | love so we'll. when her leading
industries shall be gradually drawn to the
south. as they infallibly will be by the
greater cheapness of labor there"
'Of the surplus in the treasury will
only say that it has already shown itself to
be an incident to every possible variety of
waStpful expenditure