The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-08-17
RIDICULOUS AND BRUTAL.

OF all the malignant, brutal and at the
same time ridiculous assaults yet made
in this campaign upon the protective
tariff which under Republican rule !
proved such an aid and blessing to the
country, there has been none that comes
within gunshot of the tumble of froth-
ings which Tuesdays Democratic con-
vention promulgated in the shape of
resolutions" The only conclusion an
intelligent person can come to after
reading them is that the committee on
resolutions was affected with the hydro
phobia or that it was imposed upon by
some smart Aleck with more of talent
for gush and buncombe than for honesty
or respect for the truth. The fierceness
of the assault, in which such words az
"extortion" and robbery" are so play
ed upon at first somewhat startles the
reader, but before getting to the end the
mental or expressed sentiment is
"Rats!"
But what sort of people do these Dem
ocrats think they are dealing with in
this Second district that they insult their
intelligence bv such lying statements2
Do they not know that every Republi-
can in the district is intelligent enough
to at once brand their platform" as a
parcel of demagogic misstatements? Is
it to be supposed for moment that any
farmer in the Second district believes he
completes with the lowest priced labor
Of the world, the serfs of Russia and the
ryots of IndiaP By the protective
tariff the Republican party has
made home market for 90 per cent. of
the products of American farmers, which
makes them the most independent class
of people in the world. The only at
tempt ever made to reduce them to COM
petition with Russian serfs or Indian ry-
OTIS was by the Democratic party and the
Mills bill, which is so highly commend
ed by this same convention. That bill
robs the farmer of protection on his
wheat, oats. barley, potatoes, ETC., and
had it not been for Republican votes flax
seed and its products would have suffer
ed the same fate. The De nocracy is illv
prepared to pirate about reducing Amer
lean farmers to serfdom. That is and al
ways has been the policy of that party,
and the prosperity the farmers of the
United States enjoy is entirely due to
the watchful care of the Republican par
ty. This is a statement that cannot be
controverted either by facts or Demo-
cratic demagogism.
THAT the people of Minnesota on the
great bulk of their products receive no
benefit from the protective tariff" This
is another sample of the glazing untruths
proclaimed bv these rabid opposers of
the system that has made United States
bonds worth to-day 1875 cents on the dol
lar, when in 1860 they were sold with
difficulty at SO cents, and enabled Amer
lean worklngmen to live well, own their
own homes, maintain accounts in savings
BANKS and enjoy hundred per cent.
more of the comforts and luxuries of life
than the workIlen OF any other country
on earth. The people OF Minnesota as
well as of the entire country are receiv-
ing benefit from the protective tariff.
The Mills bill and its promoters propose
to remove the protection given to stone,
cement, lumber, farm products, and 9TH
er Minnesota products. What dOesthis
| Democratic convention mean by such
phrasesp Does it think the people are
ignorant of the history of the past few
months, or is its committee on resolu-
tons the one without knowledge?
Blu: the climax of this ridiculous dem
agogery is reached In the following as
founding statement, one which should
be framed and preserved as the greatest
of all exhibitions of Democratic incon-
sistency and absurdity:
That to take the property of any per-
son against his will and without compen-
satiOn is moral wrong and a species OF
slavery, and that this is the effect of the
so-called protective tariff"
| The only system ever heard of in this
country that had resemblance to that
described above was one in force In the
thirteen solid Democratic Southern
States quarter of century ago. That
system not only claimed the right to
take the property and earnings of men
but assumed the right 10 buy and sell
the man himself as we'll as his children.
THIS ubiquitous system was for years up
held by the Democratic party, made one
of its corner stones, and it took years OF
bloody war and cost the lives of thou
sands of loyal Americans before the Re-
publican party at last put down the
Democratic rebellion which was raised
in defense of this Southern system of
slavery. 1t certainly is in poor grace for
the Democratic party to talk about
Slavery" at least until some parts of
this dark blot which it put upon the
pages of its country's history are wiped
out.
This protective system which the Re-
publican party favors and the Democra-
cy denounces has done much for this
great nation. 1t has enabled the United
States to earn more than 55 per cent. of
the increase of the wealth of the earth
during the past twenty-siX years.
1t has made our internal commerce
nine times that of the entire commerce
of the rest of the world. 1t has devel-
oped tremendous manufacturing indus
tries which have gwen employment and
good wages to hundreds of thousands,
has developed resources before I'M
thought of, and has created markets for
farm products which have been sources
of income and profit to the farmer.
1t has besides stimulated the inventive
faculty of our people and has offere d
such rewards and premiums for labor
saving devices that American machinery
surpasses that of any other people.
With this grand record it is safe to as
sumo that the people will favor keeping
so benign a system in force to still furth-
er benefit and build up this magnificent
| country Such assaults as the Demo-
Gratis of the Second District have made