River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-08-23

lndL the party ana It's nominees are
better than their platform, aud i'm
mensely better than anything else in
the field, lie will continue to act with
his old party. There has been con-
siderable criticism, favorable and un-
favorable. of his position and his let
ter by the newspapers, and doubtless
also by direct correspondence. TO
this latter class belongs a letter to
DR.. Storrs, that came to lne for peru
sal, and some extracts from which /
venture to send ID the JOURNAL for in
sertion, if deemed of sufficient gen.
eral interest. E. z.
Rer. IL. S. ,StorrS, ID. ID.
REV. AND DEAR SIR Doubtless ere
this you have learned that, whether
with good reason or no, your political
opinions and position are nevertheless
matters of concern to a good many
people besides yourself. Some Of
these, whose cause l am very sure
you would dislike to advance, are
quoting you in order TO bring distrust
on the Chicago Convention, its work
and nominees, and to help defeat these
if it can be done 1t is expect
ed that our enemies will mistake,
misinterpret, and attribute to wrong
motives everything susceptible of
such treatment; but it does not seem
wisest or best for professed friends to
accept the results of such methods, as
their own standard of judgment and
action. And yet it looks as if much
of the unfriendly criticism bestowed
on the Chicago platform by ostensible
Republicans, comes from accepting
the construction put upon it by its
avowed enemies. And it is reason
able to assume that if all the condi-
tions and influences that went to the
making of this much talked about de-
liyerance, were understood and appre-
ciated, and construed in friendly at
mosphere, there would be no need or
call for any defense. 1t may, of
course, be retorted that there should
have been no such ambiguity as per-
mitted misunderstanding, but this |
fear means a degree of skill rarely
found in this imperfect world.
And now passing in brief review
those portions of your letter to The
Independent, wherein you indulge in
rather sharp criticism of what you
consider grave and dangerous mis-
takes in the Chicago platform, shall
endeavor to indicate as simply as may
be, the counter-impressions produced
by the same enunciation of princi-
pies, on the minds of a great many
members of the Republican party,
who see no reason for supposing that
the committee on resolutions in the
the Chicago Convention conceived, or
attempted to carry into effect, any
such foolish and suicidal project as
that of ''destructivciy revOlutionizing
the party in its spirit and aims or,
that if the committee had SO intended,
the hundreds of intelligent and patri-
otto citizens composing the conven-
ton, would have fatuously and wick
eddy aided in its cOnsummation.
And in the forefront of the battle,
overshadowing all other issues stands
the tariff. which, if the truth were
told, was in the campaign of "a as it
is in that of SO, the bone of conten-
tion-the wedge of division-the TONS
et origo that more than a score of
Blaines, or hogsheads of free whis-
key" made the Mugwumps, the Pro-
hibitionists, the Sunday School poll
ticians, possible: and which is to-day
the Shibboleth that is precipitating
and separating from the Republican
party an element that would ever be a
source of weakness and disaster, so
long as it remains in, but not of, it..
We have, how ever, good reason for
graduation, in the assurance that this
process is virtually complete, and that
hereafter we need not fear to trust
those of our own household.
And first of all should it be remem-
bered that the issues before the coun-
try are not the questions of a day,
they date back to the infancy of the
Nation.-to that first blow delivered
by the South-in its sectional chaTac-
ter-at the North, the initial mani
festation of that long, bitter struggle
for supremacy eliminating in the
war Of the rebellion, and that this
blow was aimed at the financial pros
perity of the North through the tariff,
in a determined and successful effort
to overthrow the protective policy of
the government, which the South as
serted was building up the already
hated North ut the expense of South
ern interests. In this it found then,
as now, an active, obsequious servant,
in the Democratic party; which, af-
ter more than half a century's faith
| full service, that long period of
aocuous desuetude-utilized in gener-
ating and cumulating venom,-wait-
ed till accident, violence, fraud and
false promises gave it once more
the opportunity to serve its master,
and to re-enact its own history by re-
peating as its first and only act of
National importance-the onslaught
on that grand and benificent policy,
which was not only necessary to the
saving of the Nation, but to its recov-
cry frem the injury inflicted by ter.
ribIe war, with rapidity and com
pleteness without parallel.
Is it then a matter of surprise, that
when the South with its henchmen
once again rallied their forces for an
attack on this cherished, benedcent