Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-11-01

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, PLATFORM.


the threshold of their proceedings to honor the
memory of their first great leader the immortal
champion of liberty and the rights of the people
| Abraham Lincoln, and TO cover also with wreathS
| of imperishable remembrance and gratitude the
| heroic names of our later leaders who have more
recently been called away from our council-Grant,
! GARFIELD, Arthur, Logan, COnkling. May their
memories be faithfully cherished. We also recall
with our greetings and with prayer for his recovery
the name OF one of our living heroes whose memory
will be treasured in the history both of the Repub
| licans and the republic-the name of that noble
soldier and favorite child of victory, Philip H.
Sheridan.
In the spirit of those great leaders. and of orr
/ TO all form of deSpCtiSm and oppression which is
the fundamental idea of the Republican party, We
send tTatefnal congratulations to our fellow Amer
leans OF Brazil upon. their great act of emancipa-
] tion, which completed the abolition of slavery
| throughout the two American continents. We
earnestly hope that we may soon congratulate our
feOw-citZenS of Irish birth upon the peaceful re-
cOvery OF home rule for Ireland.
! We Teat1iTm our answering devotion to the Ma
iOna Constitution and to the indiSSOluble union of
the States TO the autonomy reserved to the States
under the Constitution, to the personal rights and
liberties OF citizens in all the States and Territories
| OF the Union, and especially to the supreme and
sovereign right of every lawful citizen, rich or
poor, native or foreign born, white black to cast
one tree ballot in public elections and to have that
ballot duly counted. We hold the free and honest
popular ballot, and the just and equal representa-
ton OF all the people, TO be the foundation of our
republican government and demand effective legis-
latiOn to the integrity and purity of elections
which are the fountains of all public authority we
charge that the present Administration and the
| Democratic majority in Congress owe their eXiS-
tence to the suppression of the ballot by criminal
notification of the Constitution and laws of the
! United States.
We are uncompromisingly in favor of the Ameri-
can system of protection; We protest against its
destruction as proposed by the President and hi
party. They serve the interests of Europe: we will
support the interests of America. We accept the
issue, and confidently appeal to the people for their
/ ha ma in
tanned. Its abandonment has always been follow
ed by general disaster to all interests, except those
OF the uSurer and the sheriff. We denOunce the
Mills bill as destructive TO the general interests of
the country and we heartily indOTSe the consistent
and patriotic action of the Republican Representa-
tlyeS III Congress i'll opposing its passage.
We condemn the proposition of the Democratic
party to place wool on the free list and insist
that the duties thereon shall be adjusted and MAIN
tanned SO as to furnish full and adequate prOtec-
ton to that industry.
The Republican party would effect all needed re-
ductlOn OF the national revenue by repeating the
taxes upon tobacco, which are an annoyance and
burden to agriculture, and the tax upon spirits
used in the arts and for mechanical purposes; and
by such revision of the tariff laws as will tend to
check imports of such articles as are produced by
our people, the production of which gives employ
ment to our labor, and releases from import duties
those articles of foreign production (except lux
urleS), the like OF which cannot be produced at
home. If there shall still remain larger revenue
than is requisite for the wants of the Government
we favor the entire repeal of internal taxes rather
than the surrender of any part of the protective
the agents of foreign manufacturers.
We declare our hostility to the introduction into
TINS country OF foreign contract labor, and of |
Chinese labor, alien to our civilization and Con-
StitutiOn, and we demand the rigid enforcement of
the existing laws against it, and favar such im-
mediate legislation as viii exclude such labor from
our shores.
We declare our opposition to all combinations of
capital organized in trusts or otherwise, to control
arDltaI1y the condition of trade among our citizens
and we recommend to Congress- and the State
Legislatures in their respective Jurisdictions such
legislation as will prevent the execution of all
schemes to Cypress the people by undue charges
on their supplies or by unjust rates for the tranSpOr
tation Of their products to market. We approve
the legislation by Congress TO prevent like unjust
burdens and unfair determinations between the
States.
We reaffirm the policy of approprating the public
lands of the United States to be homesteads for
American citizens and settlers, not aliens, which
the Republican party established in 1862 against
the persistent opposition of the Democrats in Con-
gresS, and which has brought our great Western
domain into such magnificent development. The
restoration OF unearned railroad land grants to the
pubic domain for the use of actual settlers which
was begun under the Administration of President
Arthur, should be continued. We deny that the
Democratic party has ever restored one acre to he
people, but declare that by the joint action of Re-
publcanS and Democrats about fifty millions of
acres OF unearned lands originally granted for the
construction OF railroads have been restored to the
pubic domain in pursuance of the conditions in
serted by the Republican party i'll the original
grants: We charge the Democratic AdminiStra-
ton with failure to execute the laws securing to
settlers titles to their hOmeSeadS and with using
made for that purpose to harasS in
lOcent settlers with spies and prosecutions under
me Ialse pfetense OF exposing frauds and yindcat
ing the law
The Government by Congress of the Territories is |
based upon necessity only to the end that they may
become States in the Union; therefore, whenever
ihe condition of population, material resources,
public intelligence and morality are such as to in :
sure stable local government therein, the people
)t such territories Should be permitted as right
inherent in them, TO form for themselves COnStitu-
ions and State governments and be admitted into
he Union. Pending the preparation for Statehood
III officers thereof should be selected from the bona
ide residents and citizens of the Territory wherein
hey are to serve. South Dakota should of right +
De Immediately admitted as State in the Union ,
mder the Constitution framed and adopted by her n
people, and we heartily indorse the action of the
Republican Senate in twice passing bills for her a
admission. The refusal of the Democratic House
y representatives for partisan purposes, to favor
IDLY consider these bills, is willful violation of the
American principle of local selfgovernment, and ,
merits the condemnation of all Just men. The pen
ling bills in the Senate for acts to enable the people
# Washington, North Dakota and Montana Ter N
ltories to form Constitutions and establish State
governments, should be passed without mneces-
10 all in its power to facilitate the admission of the
territories of New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and r
ArlZona to the enjoyment of SelfgOvernment as II
states; such OF them as are now qualified, as soon as
,OSSlbie, and the others they become So II
The political power of the Mormon Church in the =,
territories as exercised Ill the past is menace to
rec institutions too dangerous longer to be suffer
ID. Therefore we pledge the Republican party to
appropriate legislation asserting the SOyereiGntv
/ the Nation in all Territories Where the same is
and in flrtherance of that end to place
pon the statute book legislation stringent enough T
nd thus stamp out the attendant wickedness of
The Republican party is in favor of the use of
10Th gold and silver as money, and condemns the
olicy of the Democratic Administration in its eff
OrtS to demOnetiZe silver.
We demand the reduction of letter postage to
ne cent per ounce.
In a Republic like ours, where the citizen is the
overeign and the official is the servant where no
iG Inv lnft
! is important that the SOvereigli-the people y
hould possess intelligence. The free school is the
rOmOter OF that Intelligence which Is TO preserve
free Nation; therefore, the State or Nation or
9th combined, should support free institutions of
earning, sufficient to afford to every child growing
p in the land the opportunity of a good common
chOOl education.
We earnestly recommend that prompt action be 7,
AIKEN by Congress in the enactment of such legiSla
ion as will best secure the rehabilitation of our ,
american merchant marine, and we protest against
he passage by Congress of free ship bill, as cal
uated to work injustice to labor by 1essening the
ages OF those engaged in preparing materials, as
ell as those directly employed in our shipyards -
We demand appropriations for the early rebuild y
~ of our navy; for the construction of coast fOrt
ationS and modern ordnance and other approved L
lOdern means of defense for the protection of our
harbOrs and cities; for the payment of
Ist pensions to our soldiers; for necessary works
national Importance in the Improvement of har-
OrS and channels of internal. coastWise and for
ign commerce; for the. encouragement of the
hipping interests of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific
tateS, as well as for the payment of the maturing
uhilNh hVbt- rms BoliNg VIII give 10
ur labor activity to our various industries in -
rease the security of our country, promote trade
pen new and direct markets for our produce and .
heapen the cost of transportation. We affirm this
be far better for our country than the Demo-
ratio policy of lOaning the Governments money
ithOut interest 10 "pet banks"
The conduct Of foreign affairs by the present Ad- "
Illustration has been distinguished bv its inef- A,
cheney and its cOwardce. Having withdrawn !.
ON the Senate all pending treaties effected by n
epublican administration for the removal of for ..
gn burdens and restrictions upon our commerce =.
nd for its extension into better markets il has
either effected nor proposed any others in their
cad. Protesting adherence To the Monroe doe
inc, il has seen, with idle cOmplacency the eX- ID,
nSion of foreign influence in Central America and II:
foreign Trade everywhere among our neghbOrs. an
has refused TO charter, sanction or encourage Sl
ny American organization for constructing the
icaragua Canal, work of vital importance TO the In
alntenance OF the Monroe doctrine and our ma pO
Onal influence In Central and South America ana
acessary for the development of trade with olr es
acinc territory, with South America and with The ,