The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-05-10
GOOD PLATFORMS.


Truths Of Rspublicanism.
The platforms Of tho Republican conven-
tions Of the great States Of Massachusetts
and Pennsylvania lead on with the cardinal
truth of Republicanism that this country il
to be set apart to freedom, and where free
vote, fair count and an effective system
Of free schools do not exist there is NO re-
publican form of government in existence.
These truths are not temporary, but eter-
nal they are not incidents, but essences OF
National life. They are truths to be en-
forced II the Republic endures; they are
truths whose rejection will ultimately pro-
duce National death or sectional revolution.
There can not long be free voting and free
school cherishiug North, and an heredi-
tarily ignorant and oligarch-controlled
South, any more than there could long be
free-labor North and slave-labor
South. "This country must be all free or
all slave" said Lincoln; it follows that this
Is country in which political conditions
must be everywhere equal. The result
will as surely come to be equality Of politi-
cal condition as 1t came to be freedom from
Involuntary labor.
Next to tho question Of political equality
in importance is the question Of National
commercial independence. And the Repub-
licans Of the great manufacturing States Of
Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania spoke as
firmly in favor Of the protective tarif sys-
tom as did the Republicans Of the great
agricultural States of Michigan and Kansas.
Says the Pennsylvania platform:
''The principle Of American Legislation is
to secure the happiness, the elevation, the
prosperity and independence Of each indi-
vidual American citizen, and the principle is
best maintained by protective tariff, which
has for it's object the elevation and fair COM
pensation Of American labor. The last
message Of President Cleveland is IN open
assault upon our industries, which will, II
unresisted, result in policy of free trade
which in the near future will paralyze or
destroy these industries, reduce compensa-
tion Of labor and impoverish the Nation"
That sounds differently from the Golden
Clubs Chicago Tri6une's commentator Of
the Presidents message as "wise and
statesmanlike. There Is no divergence be-
tween Republican Interpretation OF the ef-
fects Of protective tariff in manufacturing
and agricultural States. The manufacture
ing States known that manufactures have
increased threefold under protection; the
agricultural States know that farm values
have increased more than threefold.
On the same day in which the Republican
COuN6utlUu VI IcuuSylNauld Wdo uCCusTIA8
"the prosperity and independence of each
individual American citizen is best main
tanned by protective tariff" the Chicago
Globe, new and ardent exponent Of Cob
denism, Clevelandism, Calhounlsm and
Democracy, took occasion to say:
"When the st. Louis Republican sets in
vincible facts and figures in the field to
show that much the greater part Of the
wealth of the country is owned in the nine
States which are the chief seats Of the
great protected industries, it does good
service in righteous cause"
And the Chicago Inter Ocean, though by q
very different course of reasoning from
that pursued by these Chicago and st. Louis
Democratic journals, admits that "good
service in righteous cause F." Is done when
it is shown that much the greater part Of
the wealth of the country is owned in the
nine States which are the chief seats Of the
protected industries" For this accumula-
tion Of "the greater part Of the wealth Of
tho country" in these nine States has not
been ut the expense Of the other States,
neither are these nine States likely to con-
tinue to be the sole "chief seats of the pro-
tected industries" Other States, seeing
the wealth which these nine have secured
by manufactures, are developing other in
they develop them they will become more
populous, and as they become more pop-
ulous they will have larger home markets.
Land will rise from its present price Of
S5.16 per acre in the poorer States just as
soon, and not before, the percentage Of pop
ulation enjoyed in trade and manufactures
is raised.
There is no reason why Louisiana, Ala
bama, Georgia and Virginia should not be
as rich as Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsyl-
vania and Ohio. There is good reason why
they are not; none why they should not be.
They are not because they have been, and
part are still, largely hostile to protection,
and capital will not invest where it Is not
sure Of protection; they have not been fa-
vorable to free schools and free elections,
and intelligent labor will not go where these
do not exist; and ignorant and ill-paid labor
is profitless either to manufacturers or to
governments. Another reason why these
States are not 30 prosperous as those in the
North Is that they are not 80 populous.
And q dense population can only thrive
where variety Of industries thrive. When
the time comes, and there are signs Of its
approach, that there are nine States In the
Southern tier as rich as any nine In the
Northern tier, it will be found that tho rich
est States North and South are those In
which the benefits Of the protective system
have been most eagerly sought after. And
when there are eighteen, instead Of nine,
peculiarly rich States, it will be found that
the condition Of their less prosperous sisters
is better than It now il; just as it 10 now
better than it was before there were nine
peculiarly rich States.