Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-07-26
For President of the United States of America,
BENJAMIN HARRISON, of Indiana
For Vice-PreSident of the United States,
LEVI p. MORTON, of New York.
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.

The Republicans of the United States assembled
by their delegates in National Convention pause on
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 to cover also with wreaths
of imperishable remembrance and gratitude the
heroic names of our later leaders who have more
recently been called away from our couneil-Grant
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 heroes whose memory
will be treasured in the history both of the Repub-
licans and the republie-the name of that noble
soldier and favorite child of victory, Philip H.
Sheridan.
In the spirit of those great leaders, and Of our
own devotion to human liberty with that hostility
to all form OF deSpOtiSm and oppression which is
the fundamental idea of the Republican party, we
send fraterna congratulations to our fellow Amer
leans of Brazil. upon their great act of emanepa-
tiOn, which completed the abolition of slavery
throughout the two American continents. We
earnestly hope that We NAV soon congratulate our
fellOw-ciZenS of Irish birth upon the peaceful re-
covery of home rule for Ireland.
We reaftirm our answering devotion to the Ma
tOnal Constitution and TO the indiSSOluble 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 publieeetiOns and to have that
ballot duly counted. We hold the free and honest
popular ballot, and the Just and equal representa-
tOn Of all the people, to be the foundation of our
republican government, and demand effective legS-
latOn to secure the integrity and purity of elections
which are the fountains of all public authority. We
charge tilat the present Administration and the
Democratic majority in Congress owe their eXiS-
tence to the suppression of the ballot by criminal
nllliticdtiOn of the Constitution and laws of the
United States.
We are uncompromisingly in favor of the Ameri-
can system of protection; we protest against its
destruction as proposed by the President and his
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-
ives IN Congress IN 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 prOtec-
The Republican party would effect all needed re-
ductiOn of the national revenue by repeating the
taxes upon tobacco, which are an annoyance and
burden to agriculture, and the tax upon spirits
used in the arts and for mechanical purposes; and
by Sucn revision OF the tariff laws as will tend to
check imports OF such articles as are produced by
ment 10 our labor, and releases from import duties
those articles of foreign production Except lux
urles), the like of which cannot be produced at
nome. III there shall still remain larger revenue
than Is requisite for 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
TINS country OF foreign contract labor, and of
Chinese labor, alien to our civilization and Con-
stitution, and We demand the rigid enforcement of
the existing laws against it, and favar such i'm
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
I9ltrlly le eOhltlOn OF Trade among our citizens,
ana we recommend to Congress, and the State
Legislatures in their respective Jurisdictions such
legislation as Will prevent the execution of all
schemes to Cypress the people by undue charges
their supplies or by unjust rates for the transpGr
tation of their products to market. We approve
the legislation by Congress to prevent like unjust
burdens and unfair Determinations between the
States.
We realfirm the policy of fapproprating the public
lands OF the United States to be hOmeSteads for
American citizens and settlers, not aliens, which
the Republican party established in 1862 against
The persistent opposition of the Democrats in Con-
!reSS, and which has brought our great Western
lOmaln into such magnificent development. The
of unearned railroad land grants to the
public domain for the use of actual settlers which
vas as begun under the Administration of President
Artnur, should be continued. We deny that the
Democratic party has ever restored one acre to the
people, but declare that by the joint action of Re
puDllcans and Democrats about fifty millions of
acres OF unearned lands originally granted for the
OF railroads have been restored to the
PUBLIC domain in pursuance of the conditions in
serted by the Republican party in the original
grahtS: We charge the Democratic Administra-
lon with failure to execute the laws securing to
settlers titles to their hOmeSteads and with using
lpprOpfatIOnS made for that purpose to harass in
locent settlers with spies and prosecutions under
ne false pretense OF exposing frauds and vndicat-
ng the law.
lt,,-n 49,
laSed upon necessity Only to the end that they may
become States in tie Union; therefore, whichever
he condition OF population, material resources
public intelligence and morality are such as to in
ilre stable local government therein, the people
II such territories should be permitted as right
Inherent IN them, to form for themselves COnstitu
ions and State governments and be admitted into
ne Union fendng the preparation for Statehood !
II officers thereof should be selected from the bona
de residents and citizens of the Territory wherein
ney are 70 serve. South Dakota should of right |
e immediately admmitted as a State in the UniOn |
nder the Constitution framed and adopted by her /
eople; and we heartily indOrse the action of the |
1tpuDllctn Senate IN twice passing bills for her
omission. The refusal of the Democratic House /
Representatives, for partisan purposes, to favor
bly, consider these bills, is wilfu violation of the
american principle of local self-gOvernment and /
merits the condemnation of all just men. The pen
ing bills in the Senate for acts to enable the DeOpe
washington, North Dakota and Montana Ter
ltOrleS 10 1OTm Constitutions and establish State
OVernmentS should be passed without unneces-
airy delay. The Republican party pledges itself to
o an III ltS power 10 l;lcllltte the admission OF the
erfltOrleS OF New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and
,rizona to the enjoyment of sclf-gOYernment as
tates; such of them as qualified as soon as
oSSible and the others as soon us they become so
The political power of the Mormon Church in the
as exercised in the past is menace to
zee Institutions too dangerous longer to he suffer
Il. Therefore we pledge the Republican party to
pprOprlate legislation asserting the sovereignty
I the Nation in all Territories where the same is
uestoned, and in furtheranee of that end to place
pom the statute book legislation stringent enough
divorce the political from the eccleSiastie power
Olygamy.
The Republican party is in favor of the use of
ON gold and silver as money, and condemns the
Olcy OF the Democratic Administration in its ef-
)TtS to demOnetiZe silver
We demand the reduction of letter postage to
ne cent per ounce.
In Republic like ours, where the citizen is the
Ivereign and the official is the servant, where no
over Is exercised except by the will of the people,
is important that the SOvereigI-the people
lould possess intelligence The free school is the
romoter of that intelligence which is TO preserve
4 Tree Nation; therefore, the State or Nation, or
)th combined, should support free institutions of
arnng. sufficient TO afford to every child growing
, III the land the opportunity of good common
,hOOl education.
We earnestly recommend that prompt action be
ken by Congress in the enactment of such legisla-
on , ss VIII pest secure the rehabilitation OF our
merlean merchant marine, and we protest against
e passage by Congress of free ship bill, as cal
Hated to work injustice TO labor by lesSening the
ages OF those engaged in preparing materials as |
ell as those directly employed in our shipyards.
e demand appropriations for the early rebuild
of our navy: for the construction of coast forti-
ltlonS and modern ordnance and other approved
odern means of defense for the protection of our
'fenSelesS harbOrS and cities for the payment Of
st pensions TO our soldiers; for necessary works
national Importance In the improvement of har-
us and channels of internal, cOaStwise and for
gn commerce; for the encouragement of the
tipping interests of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific
ateS, as well as fer the payment of the maturing
lblie debt. This policy will give employment TO !
II labor, activity to oar various industries, in
ease the security Of our country, promote trade
zen new and direct markets for our produce and {
eapen the cost of transportation We affirm this =
be far better for our country than the Demo- !,
attic policy of leaning the Governments S money !
thOut interest TO pet banks"
The conduct of foreign affairs by the present Ad-
has been distinguished by its inef- !
iency and its cowardce. Having withdrawn l
I'm the Senate all pending treaties effected by +
publican administration for the removal Of for
IN burdens and restrictions upon our commerce
q for its extension into better markets, ii has ,
ither effected nor proposed any others in their o
'ad. Processing adherence to the Monroe doc =
ne, II has seen, with idle cOmplaeeney, the ex-
lsiOn of foreign influence in Central America aud
foreign trade everywhere among our neighbOrs.
has refused TO charter. sanction or encourage
Y American organization for constructing the
carlgla Canal, u work of vital importance to the