The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-10-20
DR.. HATFIElD'S VIEWS,
Unsayery Reputation of the Democratic
Candidate.

The Rev. Robert VI. Hatfield. D. D., n
leading Methodist divine, in the October
Statesman, gives his reasons Mt length
for supporting the Republican party. He
saws, III part:
l cannot support this Democratic
party for the following and other rea.
sons:
l. Their candi date for the Presidency
has an unsayory reputation. We are
told, / know, that we have nothing TO
do with the moral character of a candi-
date, and that all personalities are to he
excluded from political discussions.
From this | utterly dissent. The doc
trlne may be convenient and appropri-
ate one for roues and libertines, who
sneer ut virtue and make light of the
vices that destroy domestic peace and
social order. but when candidate So
liciSs the sutfrages of virtuous people
the first question to be asked is: What
is his moral character? 1t is not to the
credit of this country that Grover Cleve-
land was elected President four years
ago; his reelection ut this time would
be- little less than n National disgrace. /
cannot support the Democratic party for
the further reason:
}. That | believe its position on the
tariff question 10 be wrong and antagon-
istic TO the best interests of the country.
am aware that on the question of the
tariff there Is not perfect unanimity in
the Democratic party, but the party az
a whole with the President at its head,
is hostile to tariff for the protection OF
the industries of our country. On this
question the party is English rather than
American. Its policy if adopted must
work general arrangement of business
and i'll time reduce the workingmen OF
our country to a level with the poverty
stricken laborerS of the Old World. The
tariff may, and probably does, need re-
vision, but this revision should be made
by friends who desire its improvement,
not by enemies who are bent on its de-
struction. \ more serious objection to
the Democratic party is found III the
fact:
3. That it sympathizes with and en-.
courages the men who for four years
fought to destroy the Nation, and who
to-day are doing their utmost TO secure
by other means what they failed TO OBJ
tain by war These efforts have been
largely successful, as the colored citi.
zens of the South know to their cost. /
have known the Democratic party for
forty years rs the pro-slavery and whisky
party. 1t plunged the Nation into
war with Mexico to extend the area of
slavery. 1t eXerted all its power to force
the accursed institution upon Kansas.
During all the war for the preservation
of the Union its sympathies were largely
with traitors and rebels. 1t denounced
Lincoln, discouraged enlistments. and
stigmatized Union soldiers as hirelings
and dogs. In National Convention
held i'll Chicago in 1864 it declared the
war failure. and demanded peace on
such terms as jeff Davis would accept,
and it is the same old party still. The
Ethiopian has not changed his skin, or
the leopard its spots. II encourages the
former shareholders in robbing the col.
ored citizens of the South of rights as
dear To freemen rs life itself. The But.
lers and Hamptons and others of that
llk have disfranchised the hundreds of
thousands of colbred voters in the South.
Every important election is controlled
by violence or fraud, and the President
and his party know il is so, and profit
by these gigantic crimes. There are at
this time more than score of men-
bers of Congress who have no
more right to the seats they occupy
than they have to place in the English
House of Lords. If at the approaching
election Mississippi should give Gen.
Harrison majority of 100, 200, every