The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-01-26
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS.

The country is in danger-iI, double
danger. 1t is assailed on one SIDE by the
rebel and on the other by the free trader.
And the republican party Is graphing
these two enemies, one with each hand.
like the infant Hercules strangling the
two serpents. The republican party,
gentlemen. with the stars and stripes
nailed to the mast, with the constitution
for its rudder and the Declaration of In
dependence for its keel, with the giant
hand of William E. Chandler on the helm
and the eagle eyes of James @. Blaine
flashing across the breakers-the grand
old party battles as of old with the
twin piratical craft of rebellion and free
trade.
That appears to be the situation. The
rebellion is represented by the nomina-
ton of Lamar to the supreme court.
Here is a representative southerner who
fought stoutly against the Union. He
accepted the South's defeat as fnality;
recognized that secession and slavery
were dead and buried; and entered heart
lily, patriotically, efficiently, into the SER
vice of the country. He and the class
whom he represents are in just the place
we fought four years to get them into
loyal citizens of a free and united coun-
try. Because he is just this,-because
once rebel, he now takes high part in
the service of the country, the republican
senators have said he ought not to be in
the supreme court. They have hunt
ed up other reasons, but that was
the head and the front of his Of
Tending. What does their action mean?
1t means that presidential election is
approaching, and that such leaders as
Chandler seek to raise again the old cry,
to inhame again the old passion, that may
formerly won. The war was for the
Union, and we have the Union; by the
sword we sought peace and freedom, and
peace and freedom are established. The
bonds of a restored and purified nation
atty are being strengthened by COM
merce, industry, education, good citizen
ship; and these place-seekers strive to
weaken them, to exasperate and solidify
the North against the South by the old
cry of rebel and traitor. That is the re-
publican craftsmanship of to-day.
Meantime the president has said: 1--WE
ARE taking from the pockets of the peo-
pile one hundred million dollars more
than the government needs; and in doing
this we are also raising the price of sugar,
wool and commodities that everybody
'uses?" Well, what do the republican
leaders say of that? Most of them say:
mWhatever You do, don't touch our
sacred tariff! Spend the hundred mill
ions any how,-spend it on big guns, big
forts, big jobs-give 1T back to the states.
'tO pay poor farmers land-taxes-
buy up government bonds at an enor-
NOUS premium. But whatever you do
keep up the tariff The tariff is the
great blessing of the American laborer.
If you must take off taxes, take them off
from whisky and tobacco. Hurrah for a
high tariff and down with the pestilent
'free-trade!' That is the second article
of republican craftsmanship.
AS for the democratic craftsmanship,
this session of Congress must show
whether it amounts to more than "we've
got the offices and mean to keep them"
Will the democrats follow the PRESIDENT
lead? Will they frame and support some
reasonable scheme of reduction of taxes?
| VIII they address themselves seriously to
| the business necessities of the country?
They cannot safely go on banking on the
folly of the republicans, and the personal
merits of the president. They cannot
safely continue to shirk as they have
| hitherto done the business of constructive
| legislation. 1t is not prudent for them
| to ignore and insult the reform sentiment
as in Speaker Carlisle's appointment of
| the civil service committee. Politics is
| liable to sudden transformation scenes,
| and a month before Blaine's nomination
| in "a the republican party, under
| Arthur's administration, had as good
| prospects for the coming election as the
democrats have to-day. The republican
| party is even now strong in the material
| of its rank and file; it has far better re-
| cord of constructive legislation than the
| democracy; it is liable to shake off its
present bad leadership by some turn as
unexpected as the nomination of Hayes
in '76 or Garfield in 80. Suppose the
party dominates Lincoln instead of
| Blaine-what will then the prospects of
! the democracy, If it has frittered away this
session and has no achievement, no pro-
gress to offer to the country beyond the
merits of the administration? Even from
| the commonest self-interest, the con-
| gressional democrats ought to take seri-
Gus hold of the business of the country
The sober, intelligent people, the class
who are the real strength of the nation,
| and who make and unmake the fortunes
| of parties and politicians, want their re-
| representatives. to 60 to work. They are
contemptuOuS of WORKOUT rant, and de-
| test the revival of sectioualism. They
are impatient of shutting, evasive mae
tivity. They are quite ready for a serious
discussion of the principles of revenue,
taxation, and public administration.
They are extremely Indifferent to party
names, they care very little about re-
publicanism or democracy, as such, but
they want honesty, energy, and courage.
That is why they like Cleveland; he has
| made plenty of mistakes; his administra-
ton is very much of a partisan stripe; he
has to work on the whole with inferior
material to what a republican president
could command. But he has taken hon
est, resolute, vigorous hold of the bust
ness of the presidents office; he has set
| himself largely and faithfully to serve
the country; and therefore he has strong
hold on the country's confidence Will
the public servants in the capitol emulate
the public servant in the White House?
Will Congress give us legislation instead
of buncombe? The country waits to see.
Springfield GLASS; Republican.