Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-10
vital ISSUES
me cheap Coat Questlon.

The Cheap Coat Question.
Thanks to ex-senator James O'Brien, for
letter so clearly exposing the dialoyal aims OF
the democratic party that republicans may
well use it as q campaign document. True,
It vas written for no such purpose; it was
addressed to Mr.. Randall as g recognition Of
his service to the democratic party in re-
slsting he Presidents policy and the Mills
b Il. But the entire letter is, nevertheless,
q strong argument against the policy 60
which the democratic party, in spite Of 1lr.
Randall, is irreFOcably committed. 1t Was
printed in The Herald" on Monday. said a
democrat to Mr.. O'Brien:
II am not going 20 be diverted from pro
tectlng my home and family By any such
humbug as the cry, You want whisky free,
and you want TO lax the necessaries of life.''
Nor viii /, said he vote for a candidate for
congress who will vote as Texas and
have black labor fed on hog and homfny.
and / an not willing to help men into Ofice
level"
This man strikes strong and hard. But
Mr.. o. Brieu himself is not at al behind and
he warns the democratic party that the
wOrking-men win vote against il IL the Mills
bill fs passed, saying:
''They insist that our country attained its
greatness By system Of protection to our
manufacturing interests and our working
man. To withdraw this protection and there
by cripple. if not destroy, these industries
and reduce our mechanics to the condition
of European labor, seems to them to be a
a great wrong, and many of those who earn
their living By honest industry say that they
will not submit TO be robbed Of their employ
ment, which iG the source of their iiVeif-
hood. 1t cannot be expected that they will
vote for candidates who seek to close their
workshops By changing our laws so that En-
glish manufacturers can send their goods
here and undersel their employers. it does
not require argument to show to the working
man that he cannot get money unless he can
get work, and lie cannot get work If the mill
where lie is employed has to close: because
what is made there can be purchased in Eng
land, sent here and sold for less price than 1t
can be manufactured by his employer
They say, "What does it matter If I can buy
my clothes a little cheaper, if / have no
money TO buy either food or clOthingg'
Is it not better to keep in this
manufactured article than to send its
cost TO England, even if our people have to
pay an Increased price for the articleP'
This reasoning fits precisely with that Of
General Harrison the reDublfcan candidate
who insists that "the cheaper coat means a
cheaper man or woman under the coat" To
the worlingman the first necessity is to have
employment and sumctent wages to buy a
coat of any kind and if democrats take away
that employment or deny him such wages, he
has no cause to be glad because it promises to
make coats cheaper. The republican party
submits proof in overwhelming abundance
that protection has reduced the cost of coats
and all other wooden gOOds-sO much so, in
deed, that the democrats IN congress who
support the Mills bill were scarcely able to
believe their eyes when Mr.. Mckinley produced
before Them suit OF clothes bought from MIR.
Morse, q democratic member from Boston, for
$40 Republican policy has done this, and at
the same time has raised wages more than 80
per cent, and increased the number Of Der
sons employed IN WOOlen manufacture more
than 200 per cent. That is the policy which
does in truth protect labor. The democratic
policy opens the doors to foreign wool and
WOollens closes American mills, drives out Of
employment great army OF American work
ers, and then, when they have no work and
no wages offers them coats a little cheaper.
but not so good being made largely Of shOd-
dy.
Mr.. OBrien and his democratic friends
make one mistake, however, which they
need to correct as quickly as possible. They
talk with an eli" Democracy must be de-
feated, they say, if it passes the Mills bill
A little later these men will have more sense.
When man tries to stab you, Mr. o. Brisn,
do YOU call it good sense % stop him after he
gets his knife to YOUR heart3 The Mills bill,
when passed. would shut up thousands OF
wOOllen mills, and the time to stop mischief
is not alter the works have been ruined and
the workers have been left destitute bat
right now. That is what the republican party
Is doing The bill will be beaten probably
by republican votes; nine out of ten, yes,
nineteen out OF twenty Of the votes against
IL will probably be the votes Of congressman
whom Mr. o. Brieu's party oppose. And nine
out OF ten yes, probably nineteen out of
twenty of the votes for the bill will undOubt-
edlv be the votes Of the party which MIR
o. rien and his democratic WOrkingmen sup
port Defeat its bill to-day, and then give it
new lease of power, and the party viii GER
talnlE come III with the same or a worse
bin at the next session, and claim with JUS
tice that the country has approved its
policy
This is a time for American worIlingmen to
have practical common sense They know
what they ought to do. They can defend
their industries in one way surely, and in one
way only, by defeating the party which has
for fifty years fought constantly against pro
lection; by giving the power in every branch
Of The government to tue party which hai
for thirty years eOntended braVelY and con
sistently for protection. They can give, by
their votes in the doubtful states, a power
equivalent to that of 81 representatives anC
y senators to general Harrison and not Il
MI CleFsland.-Nelg York Tribune.