Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-09-26

sentatives, and the whole country is wait
ing for the action Of the Senate. They
dare not defeat the measure; they will
not stultify themselves to the extent o.
passing it ; they are unable to offer any
sort of a substitute. They can't agree
among themselves. They are caught in 8
bad corner. The Democratic party
SAW THE ISSUE FIRST
and seized it, taking the wind all out of the
sails of the Republican ship and leaving
it tossing idly about on the waves. Theil
great leader, Blaine, assures them that
if they adopt any sort of tariff-reforn
measure it will be contrary to the prin
ciples laid down in the Chicago platform
On the other hand the Republican press
assures the members Of the party repre-
eenting its interests at Washington il
they do nothing the people will reject
them at the polls. They are afraid to go
back or to 60 forward. They will prob
ably sit there until the 9TH of November,
when they will see the handwriting of
their own ruin written on the wall of the
Capitol.
1t is that terrible Chicago platform
which has driven Republicans in this
corner, and it is just judgment upon
them for their duplicity. In every
platform from 1868 to 1884 the Republi-
can party has declared that it would re-
lieve the people Of the burdens which
they were carrying. In 1884 the people
grew tired OF promises, decided that the
party was hypocritical in its professions
of reform and turned them out of the
power they had held for so long period
Now by this latest platform they declare
that they will not reduce the tax on any
OF the 1900 articles which are now
weighed down by the tariff, and tina
rather than help the people
they will reach the surplus by erealing
the internal revenue upon tobacco and
whisky. You are more interested in
cheap timber for houses, in cheap farm
impliments and in cheap clothing than
you are in cheaper tobacco and whisky.
Blaine has offered lucid commentary
on this position by asserting that tobacco
| is really necessity to large number of
our citizens. 1t is an insult to the intelli-
gence and decency of the American voter
to suppose that he can be influenced by
such an idea as that.
WHEN THEY TALK.
1t is about this time of year, once every
four years, that the Republican speakers
begin to talk a great deal abou! laboring
men and they will roll the
word laboring over their tongues
until they make it sound
sweet and soothing. They have great
use for the laboring man about the
time that his vote will come handy.
The record Of the two parties with regard
to the workingman is plainly before
you. The only genuine effort to do
something for the relief and protection of
the working man was put forward by the
Democrats. 1t was the Republicans of
Congress who passed the infamous act to
Encourage immigration, which allowed
the importation of foreign labor under
contract; and the manufacturers sent
their agents out to all parts of thenworld
| and brought in the pauper laborers of
the countries across the Atlantic by the
hundred thousand. They were introduced
everywhere, turning out the American
| laborers and making tramps OF them
This was finally repealed by the Demo-
Gratis, and in its place was substituted
the present law against contract labor
A voice-"Give us something on the
| Chinese."] When it talks to the dear
laboring man in these days the Republi-
can leaders have very little to say about
the Chinese. 1 will not speak of the
conduct of General Harrison in the Sem
ate. as you have heard it often discussed,
how he voted seventeen times to ignore
the almost unanimous demands of the
people of this Coast. But would like to
call your attention to that famous
literary society essay which Gen
eral Harrison read on the subject of the
Chinese which contains, think, one of
the worst insults which was ever offered to
the American people. 1t was not only that
he declared that the people of this State
were insincere in their protests and their
cries for help, and that the worst element
of the State was urging the Cry against
the Chinese, but that he also boldly
asserted that the race would soon ANAL
gamate with Americans and that union
with them would improve our people.
EFFECT ON WAGES.
In behalf of the laboring man, the
Republican orator raises his cry of free
trade and pauper labor. The moderate
tariff reduction of the Mills bill is called
free trade and it is asserted that any
change in the tariff will effect wages.
We have seen the tariff on certain
articles steel rails for example rise
without any improvement in the rates
wages paid the labOrers in the industry
of making them-can we not reverse this
and suppose that reduction of the tariff
will leave the pay of the protected labor
ers much as it is 1t could hardly be
worse and the men live at all, for
we all know that the wages OF
those who work in the so.called protected
industries are below those of the other
lines of labor. But the tariff has nothing
to do with the price for which each
laborer cells the work; that is governed
by the unvarying laws Of supply and de-
mand. In its efforts to reduce the war
tax, the Democratic party has started on
crusade against the monopolist in be-
half OF the farmer and the workingman.
BY the present arrangement the real
moueyed interests of the country, the
banks, the railroads and the great man.
ufactories, do not pay the taxes
which 90 to the general Government.
They are paid by the masses of
the people who buy the taxed articles.
If the screws are turned on us much
tighter our condition will be little better
than one of slavery. The moment the
Government takes more than it needs
for it's actual expenses it is robbing its
citizens or making slaves of them. The
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