Montgomery County sentinel., 1888-07-20
THE GREA r ISSUE.


time, and it will be well for them to fully
understand the situation. The older classes,
also, who have voted for several Presiden-
tial candidates, should forget the excitement
and hurrahs of past struggles in the anxious
desire 10 get down at the fundamental facts
and principles. The fathers of the genera
ton, too should turn from the prejudices Of
the past and endeavor to study the present
conditions from correct standpoint, and all
classes OF voters should invoke the best i'm
pulses Of free republic in the determine
ton of this political contest.
From 1876 to the present time the two
great political parties demanded tariff re-
form in the platforms. Each party in 1880
and and 1884 pledged reduction of taxes
upon imports, and many, very many, intel
ligent voters could discover no substantial
difference between the two great parties and
consequently voted for whichever candidate
suited them best. The question of person.
ality determined the result in 1884, and
Blaine was defeated because he represented
elements in his party which the people did
not endorse. Now the issue turns upon taxa
ton and the campaign will be decided upon
this great issue.
The Republican party opposes any change
in the tariff tax except to increase it. The
Republican party will not reduce taxes upon
anything except whiskey and tobacco. 1t
will, by increasing the duties on imports to
the poipt OF prohiki''se' --'s~ily shut this
I, N the Lsa. = ,-.-., world. there
by reducing the number of exchanges and re-
stricting production to that ey.ent We be-
lieve that this is fair statement of Republi-
can policy, and American workingmen are
asked to endorse il upon the ground that
such policy would give them steady work
and good wages and be in every way to their
interest.
We trust that all classes of voters will
give these propositions thoughtful and can
did consideration and that they will re-
quire of those who advance them good sub.
stantial argument and sound reasoning why
they ought 10 be accepted as truth. Ii it
indeed be so that to tax clothes and fuel and
food, while tobacco and whiskey go free, to
shut the farmers and manufacturers of this
country out from the markets of the world,
to restrict production thereby making COM
modties scarce and dear, if to do these things
is 10 promote the prosperity of the country
and benefit the people there ought to be
some way of demonstrating the fact, and if
it cannot be demonstrated certainly no man
in his right mind would be justified in ac
cepting as true anything so evidently alb
surd upon its face. If the only way to pros
perty is through indefinite taxation and
the only safety of the people is in a Chinese
wall shutting out the world there ought to
be some better way of convincing the people
of this than the misrepresentation, vilifica
ton and abuse of those who do not think
this is so.
We hope to be able to show to all classes
of voters during the progress of the present
campaign that the propositions of the Re-
publican party in regard to the relations of
tariff taxes TO wages and to the general pros
perity of the country are utterly fallacious
and misleading. Indeed, we have no doubt
that every intelligent, candid voter who will
dismiss from his mind all prejudice and dis
regard as he ought the contemplate and ut
terly untruthful assumption of the Republi-
cans that those who do not accept their high
tariff notions az true are actuated by snis-
ter motives aud desire to injure working
men and ruin the country will so soon as
he begins to inquire into them perceive the
untruthfulness of these propositions. He
will perceive very readily that there are
really two sides to this question upon which
men can honestly differ and may differ with
out any desire to injure each other or the
country. And he will perceive the more
he inquiries that there is very little reason,
very little even OF argument ever used by
those who maintain that the higher tariff
taxes are the greater the prosperity of the
country He will see that the whole case
of the tariff taxes rests upon a set of as
sumptions not one of which has ever been
demonstrated to be true, and most of which
are SO self evidently false that no man of
ordinary intelligence would ever think of
taking them for truth after he had once ex
amned them.
Whether or not such policy as that
proposed by the Republican party ought TO
be accepted and put into execution in this
country is of course the great issue in the
political contest oil this year. 1t would be
folly toignore it, and it ought to have the fair
est possible discussion on both sides. II the
advocates of the Chinese wall theory would
have the people ndorse their views let them
cease yituperatlve abuse of their opponents
and get right down to argument.
The Democratic party declares for tax
reduction. The Republican party demands
q tariff for protection. The issue joins right
here. We concede that it is right to con
tribute by taxation that which is necessary
for economical administration of the gov.
ernment--upon this isolated point there is
and should be no difference, but the Repub-
licans ignore the necessity of tariff and
build upon protection. If this matter of
protection refers to the country as repub-
lie, then tax for revenue secures that-if
it refers to individuals, then every man,
woman and child should have its benefit.
Do they obtain it--are they enjoying them
These are the questions to be considered and
determined upon before November next.
The issue Is most serious one There are
more than five thousand articles upon which
tax is imposed. That tax amounts to AZ
per cent. Of the value. There are some of
US paying that tax, but none should pay it
without receiving benefit.
The Democratic party who has selected
Cleveland and Thurman demands that this
AZ per cent. tax shall be reduced. The Re.
publican party under the leadership of Har-
rison and Morton declare that not one cent
of this AZ per cent. tax shall be released.
President Cleveland has sent to Father
Strong, of the Cathedral parish in Provi-