Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-16
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.

I
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 republic-the nane 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 deSpOtiSm and oppression which is
the fundamental idea Of the Republican party, we
send fraternal congratulations to our fellow Amer
leans of Brazil, upon their great act Of emancipa-
ton, which completed the abolition Of slavery
throughout the two American continents. We
earnestly hope that we may soon congratulate our
fellOw-citiZenS of Irish birth upon the peaceful re-
cOvery of home run for Ireland
We real1irm our answering devotion to the Ma
tiOnal Constitution and to the 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. hINe OF foreign porn, Wte or Dlack 10 east
one Tree ballot IN public elections, and 10 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
republican government. and demand effective legiS
latiOn 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 eNiS-
tence to the suppression of the ballot by criminal
nulllncatlon OF the Constitution and laws of the
United States.
We are uneompromisngly 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 accent 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 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-
ton to that industry
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 such revision of the tariff laws will tend to
check imports of such articles as 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
urieS), the like of which cannot be produced at
home If 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
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 citizens,
ana We recommend to Congress, and the State
legislatures IN their respective jurisdictions, such
legislation as viii prevent the execution Of all
schemes to OppreSS the people by undue charges |
their supplies or by unjust rates for the transpor-
tatlon OF their products to market. We approve
the legislation by Congress to prevent like unjust
States.
Wereafirm 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 established 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
puDllc domain for the use of actual settlers which
was begun under the Administration of President !
Arthur, 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
puDlcdlS ana Democrats about fifty millions OF |
acres OF unearned lands originally granted for the
construction OF railroads have been restored to the
public domain in pursuance of the conditions in !
serted by the Republican party in the original /
grants. We charge the Democratic AdminiStra- /
ton with failure to execute the laws securing to
settlers titles to their hOmeSteadS and with using
appropriations made for that purpose to haraSS in
nOcent settlers with spies and prosecutions under
the false pretenSe of exposing frauds and yindicat
The Government by Congress of the Territories is |
based upon necessity only to the end that they may
become States in the Union: therefore, whenever /
the condition OF population, material resources. /
public intelligence and morality are such as TO in
sure stable local government therein, the people
OF such territories should be permitted, as a right
inherent in them, to form for themselves COnStit-
tons and State governments, and be admitted into |
the Union. Pending the preparation for Statehood |
all officers thereof should be selected from the bona
de residents and citizens of the Territory wherein
they are to serve; South Dakota should of right
be immediately admitted as a State i'm the Union,
under the Constitution framed and adopted by her
people, and we heartily indorSe the action of the
Republican Senate i'm twice passing bills for her
M he craft I,rrg ]
OF Representatives. for partisan purposes to favor
ably consider these bills is wfu violation of the
American principle of local Self-gOveTnment, and
merits the condemnation of all Just men. The pen
ding bills in the Senate for acts enable the people
o. washington, North Dakota and Montana Ter
fltorleS to form Constitutions and establish State /
governments, should be passed without mneceS-
Sary delay. The Republican party pledges itself to
do all in its power to facilitate the admission of the
Territories of New Mexico Wy0aing. Idaho and
Arizona to the enjoyment of Sef-gOvernment as
states; such of them as are now qualified, As
possible. and the others as soon they become So
The political power of the Mormon Church in the
Territories as exercised in the past is menace to
nee INSTITUTIONS too dangerous longer to be suffer
"a 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
TO divorce the political from the eccleSiaSc power
and thus stamp out the attendant wiekednesS of
polygamy.
The Republican party is in favor of the use of
both gold and silver as money, and condemns the
iOrts to demOnetize silver.
We demand the reduction OF letter postage to
Dne cent per ounce. 81
In Republic like ours, where the citizen is the
sovereign and the official is the servant where no
power is exercised except by the viii Of tle DeODe
il is important that the SOVereigIl-the utnnia -
should possess intelligence. The free school Efbe
promoter of that intelligence which Is to preserve
rs free Nation; therefore the State or Nation, or
both combined, should support free institutions Of
earning, sufficient TO afford 10 every child growing
Ip in the land the opportunity of a good common ,
school education.
We earnestly recommend that prompt action be |
AIKEN by Congress in the enactment Of such legiSa-
ion rs will best secure the rehabilitation of our
american merchant marine, and We protest against
'uated to work injustice to labor by leSsenng the
wages OF those engaged in preparing materials, as
We demand appropriations for the early rebuild
ng of our navy for the construction of coast fOTti
iatiOnS and modern ordnance and other approved
modern means of defense for the protection of our
harbOrS and Cities for the payment of
ust pensions to our soldiers; for necessary works
" national Importance in the Improvement Of har-
lOrS and channels of Internal cOaStwiSe and for
ign commerce; for the encouragement of the
shipping interests of the Atlantic Gulf and Pacific
states as well as for the payment OF the maturing
public 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 :
Without interest to pet banks
The conduct of foreign affairs by the present Adj
niniStTation has been distinguished by its inef-
iciency and its cowardice. Having withdrawn
rom the Senate all pending treaties effected by
Republican administration for the removal Of for
Ign burdens and restrictions upon our commerce +,
nd for its extension into better markets, il has Il
either effected nor proposed any others in their
tead. Processing adherence TO the Monroe doe e
rine, it has seen, with idle complacency, the eN-
enSion of foreign influence in Central America and
4 foreign trade everywhere among our neighbOrS.
has refused to charter, sanction or encourage
n -
Nicaragua Canal, work of vital Importance 20 the =
maintenance nj the Monroe doctrine and our ma 1
lonal Influence in Central and South America. and
eceSsary for the development Of trade with our
'aeihc territory, with South America and with the
stands and further coasts Of the Pacific Ocean. Z
We arraign the present Democratic AdminiStra- \
ion for the weak and unpatrOic treatment of the u
Sheries question, and its puSilanimOuS surrender
the essential privileges tO which our fishing YES -