Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-06-28

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| noble soldier and favorite child OF victory
Philip H. Sheridan.
| In the spirit OF those great leaders and of our
| own devotion to human liberty and with that
hostility to all forms Of despotism and oppres-
| sion. which is the fundamental idea of the Re
| publican party, we send fraternal congratula-
tions to our fellow Americans of Brazil upon
| their great act OF emancipation, which COM
pletes the abolition of slavery throughout the
| two American continents.
| We earnestly hope that we may soon con-
graduate our fellow citizens OF Irish birth upon
| the peaceful recovery OF home rule for Ireland.
We reafnrm our answering devotion to the
National Constitution and to the indissolubie
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 in the Union and
especially to the supreme and sovereign right
OF every lawful citizen. rich or poor, native or
| foreign born, white or black, to cast one free
ballot in public elections and to have that bal
| lot duly counted.
We hold the free and honest popular ballot
and the just and equal representation OF all the
| people to be the foundation of our republican
government, and demand effective legislation
| 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 existence to the suppression OF the ballot
by criminal notification of the Constitution
and laws of the United States.
We are uncompromiSi in favor OF the
American system OF prote ton. We protest
against its destruction as proposed by the Pres
ident and his party. They serve the interests
of Europe; will support the interests OF
America. We accept the issue and confidently
appeal to the people for their judgment. The
protective system must be maintained. Its
abandonment has always been followed by gen.
eral disaster TO all interests except those of the
usurer and the sherin. We denounce the Mills
bill as destructive to the general business, the
labor and the farming interests of the country
and we heartily indorse the consistent and pa
triotic action OF the Republican Representa-
tives in Congress in opposing its passage.
We condemn the proposition of the Demo
cratic party to place wool on the free list and
we insist that the duties thereon shall be ad-
justed and maintained SO as to furnish full and
adequate protection to that industry.
The Republican party would effect all needed
reduction OF the National revenue by repeating
the taxes upon tobacco, which annoy
ance and a 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 produced by our people, the pro-
duction of which gives employment to our labor,
and release from import duties those articles OF
foreign production, except luXuries, the like of
which can not be produced at home.
If there shall still remain a larger revenue
than is requisite for the wants OF the Govern
ment we favor the entire repeal of internal
taxes rather than the surrender OF any part OF
our excellent protective system at the joint be-
hest OF the whisky ring and the agents of for
eign manufacturers.
We declare our hostility to the introduce
ton into this country OF foreign contract
labor and OF Chinese labor, alien to our civ
ilization and our Constitutions; and we de-
mand the rigid enforcement of the existing laws
against it and favor such immediate legislation
as will exclude such labor from our shores.
We declare our opposition to all combina
lions OF capital organized in trusts or other
wise, to control arbitrarily the condition of
trade among our citizens; and we recommend
to Congress and the State Legislatures in their
respective jurisdictions such legislation will
prevent the execution OF all schemes to Cypress
the people by such charges on their supplies,
or by unjust rates for the importation of thei
products to markets We approve the legisla-
ton by Congress to prevent alike unjust bur-
dens and unfair discrimination between the
States.
We reaffirm the policy of approprating the
public lands OF the United States to be home
steads for American citizens and settlers, not
aliens, which the Republican party established
in 1852 against the persistent opposition OF the
Democrats in Congress, and which has brought
our great Western domain into such magnif-
cent development. The restoration OF unearned
railroad land grants to the public domain for
the use OF actual settlers which was begun I'M
der the administration OF President Arthur
should be continued. We deny that
the Democratic party has ever re-
stored one acre to the people, but
lcans and Democrats about 5000, 900 OF acres
OF unearned lands originally granted for the
construction OF railroads have been restored to
the public domain, in pursuance of the condi-
lions inserted by the Republican party the
original grants. We charge the Democratic Ad-
ministration with failure to execute the laws
securing to settlers title TO their homesteads
and with using appropriations made for that
purpose to harasS innocent settlers with spies
and prosecutions under the false pretense of
exposing frauds and vindcating the law.
The Government by Congress OF the Terri
tories is based upon necessity only to the end
that they may become States in the Union:
therefore, whenever the conditions of popula-
ton, material resources, public intelligence
and morality are such as TO insure stable local
Government therein, the people of such Terri
tories should be permitted right inherent
in them. to form for themselves Constitutions
and State Governments and be admitted into
the Union. Pending the preparation for State
hood all officers thereof should be selected from
the bona fide residents and citizens OF the Ter
ritory wherein they are to serve. South Dakota
should of right be Immediately admitted q
State into the Union, under the Constitution
framed and adopted by her people, and we
heartily indorse the action OF the Republican
Senate in twice passing bills for her admission.
The refusal of the Democratic House for parti-
san purposes to favorably consider these bills is
wilful violation of the sacred American prin-
ciple OF local self-government and merits the
condemnation OF all just men. The bills in the
Senate for acts to enable the people of Wash
ington North Dakota and Montana Territories
to form Constitutions and form State Govern
ments should be passed without unnecessary de-
lay. The Republican party pledges itself to do
all in its power to facilitate the admission OF
the Territories of New Mexico, Wyoming,
Idaho and Arizona as States as soon as possible,
and the others as soon as they may become
qualified.
The political power of the Mormon Church in
the Territories as exercised in the past is a
menace to free institutions too dangerous
longer to be suffered. Therefore we pledge the
Republican party to appropriate legislation as
sorting the sovereignty of the Nation in all
Territories where the same is questioned, and
in furtherance of that end to place upon the
statute books legislation stringent enough to
divorce the political from the ecclesiastical
power and thus stamp out the attendant wick