Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-09

will only tear down its protection walls
and let all nations bring in their pro-
ducts free of duty. Eighteen hundred
years ago the devil made an offer very
much like this. He took the Saviour of
of the world up into an exceeding high
mountain and showed him all the king
doms of the world, and the glory of them,
and said unto him, ''Al these things
will l give thee, if thou will fall down
and worship me-" The poor devil did
not own a foot of land, and yet he had
as much to do with the kingdoms of the
world as Democratic free traders have
with the markets of the world. The re-
ply was, ''Get thee behind me, Satan"
So say we to the Democratic party, get
thee hence, for you have nothing to do
with the markets of the world.
If protection should disappear tO-mor-
row we could not export bushel of
wheat more than we do now, as the tariff
has nothing to do whatever with our eX-
ports of wheat, or our exports of any
other product. If we should repeal every
tariff law on our statutes that would not
repeal the tariff laws of Germany, or Rus
sia, or France, or Italy, or Spain, or any
other country, and give us access to their
ports without paving duty. Do gentle
men suppose that because we adopt free
trade that all the other countries of the
world will do the same? We tried few
years ago to influence foreign countries
in relation to the ratio of gold and silver,
but we did not succeed.
PLACE FOR THE SURPLUS.
They talk of the surplus. A single re-
mark in regard to that question and | am
done. l am not troubled 50 much about
the surplus as some gentlemen seem to
be. Some of them have an apprehension
that full Treasury may lead to liberal
pensions, and are anxious to make this
impossible by reducing the revenue
They would not admit this, but l believe
it nevertheless. do not want the rev.
enue so reduced as interfere with liberal
pension legislation. l want to see every
honOrably discharged soldier pensioned,
as the Mexican soldiers have been, and
every widow whose husband helped put
down the rebellion, and every old father
and mother who sent their brave boys
out to defend the flag, never to return.
believe there is no higher obligation
resting on the government to-day. be
lieve in liberal pensions because it is just
and right and wise to make ample pro-
vision for the brave men who fought the
battles of the war and saved the life of
the Republic. The suppression of the
rebellion and the restoration of the Union
upon broad and deep foundation was
the greatest triumph known to civiliza-
ton in all the ages. And who did it?
Some gentlemen are wont to say when
pension measure is proposed that we
have done more for our soldiers than
any other nation. denyit. There are
thousands of as good soldiers as ever
followed the country's flag who are to-
day poor and helpless, who are not re-
ceiving farthing from the Government.
One-third of the claims rejected are as
deserving as one-third of those which
have been allowed. Thousands of wild
ows of the heroic dead support them
selves and their children, by their inces-
SAINT toll, without any aid from the Gov
ernment. Two thousand years ago the
armies of POmpey and Julius Caesar
were better paid and better cared for
than many of the Union soldiers of the
late war. Their pay was doubled in the
field, and on their return they were Civ
en- lands and homes and the trophies of
war. They did not have to wait for age
or poverty or want. A Roman soldier
was hero and patriot, deserving of
honor and emOluments, and not an OBJ
ject of charity.