The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-11-15
WHAT THE CAMPAIGN HAS AO
COMPLISHEn

I
COMPLISHED.
The campaign is over and the mort
impressive of all the Manifestations 2
our political system, the silent droppin1
OF the ballots Of millions Of America n
citizens, all over the land, is, for the
mot art, beyond the reach of news-
paper influence. Now that the people
are quietly rendering their verdict on
all the varied controversies that have
entered into general and local politics,
lt IS timely to improve the lull and to
congratulate all classes OF our readers on
the recent political retrospect.
First II, as is alleged, it was one Of
Mr.. Cleveland's motives, in precipitating
the free trade issue, that be wished to
avoid another personal campaign, his
course was sagactous from that stand
point. In this he was helped by the alb
Isolutelv unassailable characters and
records of the Republican candidates
Tor President and Vice President. From
variety of causes the campaign has
been kept remarkably free from angry
ana abusive personalities and the atten-
tion of the people has been fixed on
great questions of political economy, in
the decision of which the interests of all
are involved.
Second +: The Republicans were
prompt to accept the issue of protection
and showed the courage of honest and
well founded convictions from the be-
ginning OF the controversy precipitated
by Mr.. Cleveland. Doubtless il has
seemed to mere polIcians that the Dem
ocratlc campaigners were "smarter"
than the Republicans 10 that the former
were Revenue Reformers," or Free
Traders,' or "Protectionists, according
to the prevailing sentiments Of their
respective localities. But the uniformi-
ty OF Republican expressians ON the
paramount issue of the day has had it's
legitimate and wholesome effect on the
Intelligent voters who have held the
balance OF power. The Republican
campaign for protection has been sin
cere. honest. consistent. II has sduoat
ed the voters in regard to the larger aud
lesser national economies; it has brought
patriotic sentiment into political econo-
my, and has given to the latter an inter
est that it had not before possessed, as
regards the great masses of our voters.
Third For several years past it has
been the desperate desire of the ruling
portion of the Democratic party, that is
the South, to get the memories and
teachings of the Civil War out of the
national consciousness az much as pos
slhle. But people that could forget in
one generation or in century such
tremendous and terrible Divine tuition
as this people got in the early part of
1.-THE sixties" would be too stupid or
careless to. preserve the institutions that
were founded by heroic ancestors aud
preserved on the battle field of Gettys-
burg, where Lincoln gave in two min
ute speech, the "motive" of the greatest
epic ever lived and fought out on the
face of the earth. No people ever
achieved or kept greatness that had not
large degree of the "historic sense"
Fourth 1t was natural blunder for
Mr.. Cleveland to make that he believed
that the free trade ISSUE would bury the
war memories. But he forgot that free
trade, next to slavery, was the great
issue OF the war against the Union. His
success would have been a magnificent,
though pOsthumous, Confederate TIL
umph. The brainy and patriotic North.
ern men saw the length and breadth and
depth OF this issue at once. They rea-
lized that the tariff had saved the nation
from bankruptcy, had paid off the bulk
of the war debt, had given the North
degree OF material development that not
only overcame all the losses by war, but
had added more to the resources of the
whole country than would have been
possible in fifty years under free trade
policies.
Fifth The Republicn campaign has
brought all classes of voters into rela-
tions of common interest; has educated
the new voters and rising generation as
to the distinctively American ideas and
policies; has shown the grandeur and
beneficence of the Republican states
man hip that saved the Union, put the
Declaration of Independence into the
Constitution, and laid the foundations
for hundreds of years Of industrial and
financial Independence, growth and
prosperity.
Sixth With the administration of
the second Harrison will be ushered in
an era in which the South will most
largely profit by the tenacity of the
North in fighting for the principles,
teachings and policies of the Republican
struggle for Union and for "the Ameri.
oan eystom." Within a very few years
there will be New South" in fact and
not IN show. And the New South"
will rejoice even more that the Old
South had to give up free trade, than
that it had to give up slavery.
And protection has come to stay, We
reserve our expected jubilations over
the Republican successes that we are
sure will be won today-National, State
and local. This lull between the clos
ing of the great struggle and the count
ing of the votes invites the general line
of thought that we have been pursuing.
sustained by feeling that Republican
victories-of the largest and grandest
sort-aTe in the air.