Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-30
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 10 cover also with wTeaths
of impeTiShable remembrance and gratitude the
heroic names of our later leaders VINO Rave more
recently been called away from cur council-GTant,
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 herOeSNyhOSe 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 II.
sheridan.
In the spirit of those great leaders, and Of our
own devotion to human liberty, with that hostility
to all form of drSpOtiSm and oppression which is
the fundamental idea of the Republican party, we
send fratern2l congratulations 10 fellow Amer
leans OF Brazil, upon their great act OF eH9nciDa-
ton, which completed the abolition of slavery
throughout the two American continents. We
earnestly hope that We may soon congratulate
fellow-ctiZenS of Irish birth upon the peaceful re-
cOvery of home rule for hClanj.
We reatiTm our answering devotion to the Ma
tlOnal Constitution and TO th2 ndiSSOluble 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 or black to east
one free 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-
republican government, and demand effective legis-
aOn to secure 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
nulifcation of the Constitution and laws of the
United States
We are uncompromsingly in favor of the Amerf-
can system OF protection; We protest against its
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
Judgment. The protective system must be MAIN
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 indOrSe 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 we insist
that the duties thereon shall be adjusted and MAIN
tanned so as to furnish full and adequate pTOtec-
ton to that industry
The Republican party would effect all needed re-
ductlOn OF the national revenue by TepCaliUg The
taxes upon tobacco, which are an annoyance and
burden to agriculture, and the tax uDOn SDiTitS
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 us 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
nome. IL there shall still remain larger revenue
Ian Is requisite Tor the wants of the Government,
we favor the entire repeal of internal taxes rather
than the surrender of any part of the protective
system at the joint beheSt of the whisky trusts and
the agents OF foreign manufacturers.
We declare our hostility to the introduction into
this country of foreign contract labor, and of
chinese labor, alien to our civilization and our Con
StitutiOn, and we demand the rigid enforcement of
the existing laws against it, and favar such im- |
mediate legislation as will exclude such labor from
our shores.
We declare our opposition to all combinations of
capital organized in trusts otherwise to control
arbitrarily the condition of trade among orr citizens
recommend nd tba ats
Legislatures in their respective Jurisdictions such
legislation as viii prevent the execution of all |
schemes to Cypress the people by undue charges |
on their SuppesO by Just rates for the tranSpor-
tatl0n OF their products to market. We approve |
ihe iegiSlatlon by Congress to prevent afke unjust
burdens and unfair determinations between the |
States.
We reatirm the policy of appropriating the public
lands of the United States to be hOmesteadS for |
American citizens and settlers not Aliens which !
the Republican party establishes 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
PuDLc dOnah Ior the use OF actual settlers, which /
was Desun under the Administration of President |
Arthur, should be continued. We deny that the |
Democratic party has ever restored one acre 70 the
people, but declare that by the Joint action of Re
publlcanS and Democrats about fifty millions of |
acres of unearned lands originally granted for the
construction of railroads have been restored to the
puDnc DOMAIN IN pursuance of the conditions III
serted by the Republican party in the original |
grants. We charge the Democratic AdmnStra-
settlers titles to their hOmeSteads and with using
appropriations made for that purpose TO harasS in
nOeeh settlers with spies and prosecutions uilder
the false pretenSe of exposing frauds and yindicat
ing the law
The Government by Congress of the Territories is
become States in the Union; therefore Whenever
the condition OF population material resources,
public intelligence and morality are such as to in
sure a stable local government therein, the people
OF Slch territories should he permitted as right
inherent in them, to form for themselves COnStitJI-
IONS and state governments, and be admitted into
Jne Oiilon- fendlng the preparation for Statehood
all officers thereof should be selected from the bona
hde residents and citizens of the Territory wherein
they are to serve. South Dakota should of right |
be Immediately admmitted as Il State in the Union |
under the Constitution framed and adopted by her
people; and we heartily indOrse the action of the
ltepublcan Senate III twice passing bills for her
admission. The refusal of the Democratic House
OF Representatives. for partisan purposes to favor
aDiy consider these bills is wfu violation of the
American principle of local sef-gOvernment, and
merits the condemnation of all Just men. The PEN
ding bills In the Senate for acts to enable the people
OF washington, North Dakota and Montana Ter
ritOries to form Constitutions and establish State
governments should be passed without unneces-
sary delay. The Republican party pledges itself to
do all in its power to facilitate the admission of the
Territories of New Mexico, Wyoming Idaho and
Arizona TO the enjoyment of sef-gOvernment as
States such OF them as are now qualified, soon as
possible, and the others soon as they become so
The political power of the Mormon Church in the
Territories as exercised in the past is menace to
lfee institutions too dangerous longer to be suffer-
ed. Therefore we pledge the Republican party to
appropriate legislation asserting the sovereignty
Of the Nation in all Territories where the same is
questioned, and in furtherance of that end to place
upon the statute book legislation stringent enough
10 divorce the political from the eecleSiaStc power
and thus stamp out the attendant wickednesS of
pOlygamy.
The Republican party is in favor of the use of
both gold and silver money, and condemns the ,
policy OF the DeGOcratic Administration i'll its eff
IOrtS to demOnetiZe silver.
We demand the reduction of letter postage to
one cent per ounce.
In a Republic like ours where the citizen is the
sovereign and the official is the servant, where no
power is exercised except by the will of the people,
i is important that the sOvereign-the people {
should possess intelligence. The free school is the
promoter OF that intelligence which is to preserve
rs free Nation; therefore, the State Nation,
both combined, should support free institutions of
earning, sufficient to afford to every child growing
lp in the land the opportunity of good common l
school education.
We earnestly recommend that prompt action be :
aiken by Congress in the enactment of such legsla-
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
'uaed to work injustice to labor by lessening the
wages OF those engaged in preparing materials, as
veil as those directly employed i'm our ShipyardS
We demand appropriations for the early rebuild
g OF our navy for the construction OF coast forti
latlonS ana modern ordnance and other approved
modern means of defense for the protection of our
iefenSelesS harbors and cities; for the payment of
uSt pensions to our soldiers: for necessary works
If national Importance in the improvement of bar
,Ors and channels of internal, cOaStwiSe and for
ign commerce; for the encouragement of the !
states, as well as for the payment of the maturing
lublc debt. This policy will give employment to
'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
o be far better for our country than the Demo- d
rattle policy of lOaning the Governments money :
Without interest to pet banks- e
The conduct of foreign affairs by the present Ad
niniStratiOn has been distinguished by its inef-
ciency and its cOwardice. Having withdrawn a
rom the Senate all pending treaties effected by a
republican administration for the removal of for II
ign burdens and restrictions upon our commerce
nd for its extension into better markets, Ii has =
either effected proposed any others i'm their d
tead. Processing adherence 10 the Monroe doc
rine, it has seen, with idle cOmplaceney, the eX
ensiOn of foreign influence in Central America and
foreign trade everywhere among our neighhOrS.
has refused to charter, sanction or encourage
ny American organization for constructing the
Nicaragua Canal, work of vital importance 10 the -
maintenance of the Monroe doctrine and OuF ma 4
Onal influence in Central and South America, and 4
ecesSary for the development of trade with our I
'acilic territory, with South America and with the