Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-07-27
Dome Department.
MORAL ISSUES TO THE FRONT.

political campaign about to open Is to be
one of principles, rather than of men.
The opinion to this effect seems to be
quite general, while the utterance from
time to time given it, as well as the tone
of the political press, appears to justify
the expectation so formed and expressed.
1t is to be not so much the man, as the
platform he stands on. No doubt each
party will have words of eulogy for its
own candidates, and will try, at least, to
lind flaws in the record of those opposed.
Yet, however large a field there may be
for eulogy. that for personal detraction
is likely to be a limited one, and the
country may hope to see a presidential
battle fought to the end mainly in the
form of a debate-let Us hope it will be Il
fair and manly one-upon matters of
more vital interest than those of a great
mans infirmities or delinqucncies.
1t is a notable circumstance, besides,
that the temperance issue has come at
least to be so involved in this great ma
tional debate as that it cannot by any
possibility be evaded. \ good many
men in this country have been hoping
and looking for such a time to come.
Perhaps no one out of the thousands of
such anticipated the circumstances uu-
der which their hope was to be realized.
or the causes whose operation would one
day place 1.-THE temperance question" at
the very front. and compel Il graphing
with it even by the most unwilling and
reluctant. The civil wal made eXtraor-
binary measures necessary. first in pro-
vidlng for the expenses of the war while
it lasted, and then in paying the i'm
mense arrearage after the war was
over. Out of that grew the in
ternal-revenue tax. From this the sup
ply has become at last so great as to ere
ate a treasury surplus of many millions,
hazardous to the business of the country.
and Offering a dangerous temptation to
corruption in the government. The ma
tlOnal treasury, as a rather remarkable
thing in history, has much more money
than can be properly used, while a con-
tinued accumulation threatens serious
mischief. How to reduce the surplus
has become the perpleXing question in
American politics, not how to raise mon
ey, nor exactly how to spend it, but how
to cut off sources of supply, and prevent
that superabundance of riches, so much
like what many a rich man has found
more a burden and a sorrow to him than
even the poverty in which he began his
career.
1t is in this simple and yet unforeseen
way that an issue which during many
years past has been growing in magni-
tude and enlisting more and more the
best elements in our national life becomes
a prominent one. Two chief methods for
reducing the surplus are proposed: one
a modification of the tariff by means Of
which import duties may be materially
lessened, and so the the treasury inflow
no in tha cappa nrnnortinn hrp,rht damn
This proposal calls up the friends of
protection to American industry" in
which the manufacturing classes of the
country, as well as others, are interest
ed, and the battle is joined between these
and another class of political economists
who hold that while there should be a
limited tariff for purposes of revenue,
there should be only so much of the
principle of ''protection'' involved as
is necessarily incident to such a meas
ure of impOst.
Meanwhile, it is seen that a very large
portion of the money received as ''inter-
nal revenue comes in the tax upon IL
quors and tobacco; the former amounting
to SIS, 10000 annually, and the latter to
$4,000, 900. The abolition of this tax
would reduce the yearly receipts at the
treasury in Washington by the immense
sum of Sill, 200, 900. The friends of pro-
lection, represented in the platform adopt
ed by the late Republican convention,
propose that the existing tariff be left
without change, and so much of the tax
on spirits as shall be necessary-the
whole, if found needful, and upon tobac-
co as well-be abolished. This proposal
brings the country face to face with the
consequences of such a reduction in the
price of these pernicious commodities as
will immensely increase their use, and
in that proportion add to the demoraliza-
ton and destruction they inevitably
cause.
For many readers this recital is unnec-
essary. For others it may be less so, and
in any case, as a matter of history, it
goes to show how, in the order of divine
Providence, moral issues come to the
front and assert themselves as among
those which the rulers of a great nation
must deal with and decide. 1t was much
this way with slavery. That it should be
so with temperance seems almost like his
tory repeating tself.-CChicago Standard
(Baptist).
The black bass fishing among the