Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-17
Clearly Defined Issues.

The real political situation can be
stated truthfully in nutshell. There is
now in the Treasury of tine United States,
over and above the reserve required by
law for the sinking fund, $3.50, 900 900.
We are now collecting, over and above
all possible needs of the government,
fully 100000 a month. In other
words, a surplus already large beyond
precedent, without change in our sys-
tenn, if continued for another twelve.
month. will have become $23S, ,OOO, 900.
The Republican plan is to keep on taking
this vast sum from the people, and to
employ it in wasteful expenditures,
foreign to the spirit and even letter of
the Constitution of the United States
Up till within . short time ago it was
possible to get rid of this surplus by ex-
tinguishing portion of the public debt,
but this can only be done now
by going into the market and paying an
absurdly large premium on the bonds of
the Government, none of them being re-
deemable for years to come. The Dem
ocratic party propose to allow this money
to remain with the taxpayers, to vivify
business and encourage industry.
To this end it has made a
trifling general reduction in a
long line OF products in which our
manufacturers encounter foreign compe-
tition, and it has abolished altogether
the duties on number of raw materials,
and on some articles of prime necessity.
In some cases, where the manufacturer
has been encouraged by the removal OF
the duty on raw materials, as in wool
the duty has been correspondingly re-
duced on the foreign manufactured
article, leaving the manufacturer sub.
stantially where he stood before, thus
guaranteeing the American consumer
cheap goods and the manufacturer
an expanded foreign market; while
in others, such as iron, the excessively
high duties have been equi ably reduced.
No headway will be made by howl
against free wool, free lun ber, free jute-
bags and other staples of universal con-
sumption. The great champion of pro-
lection, Blaine himself, is on record, in
an eloquent and forcible speech, as to
the necessity of free lumber. A fastidi.
ously delicate party like the Republican,
ought to have no objection to the Cheap.
ening of soap-that party which is SO
fond of alluding to its opponents as "the
great unwashed." Multitudes of that
party will see no sense in protecting the
glass manufacturers by duties ranging
from 6S to 10S per cent. AS against the
sensible and patriotic programme of
President Cleveland and Roger c. Mills
and Democratic associates in Congress
the Republican party stands for taking
the tax off of luxuries, even to the extent
of giving the people free whisky. No
Democratic inspiration is responsible
for this formal utterance Of the Repub-
lican National platform. 1t distinctly
declares that rather than disturb any of
the pampered, war protected industries
it is in favor Of abolishing the whole
system of Internal Revenue taxation,
whisky heading the list.
These are the issues as made by the
two great national parties. Dominating
them all is the tried efficiency and
patriotism of Grover Cleveland-an
issue of tremendous note Of itself, and
one which will appeal to the voter with
great force.