The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-08-24
TENDENCIES OF THE TIMES.
The Republican Policy a Political Blum
der-TO Become n Political Crime.
New York Herald, Ind.

|
| The Democratic leaders can afford to 81
still while the country slowly drifts in thell
| direction.
The people made a mistake last autumn
when they voted for Republican policy, anC
are beginning to see it.
| As to Mr.. Harrison, he is an able and al
! honest man. There isn'ta Republican on the
continent who could make a better record
than he. Personally he has claim on the
respect and good will of every one.
| He represents certain party policies, how
ever, which he is bound to carry out He
will undoubtedly be true to his convictions
and there is the danger, for the more he in
sists on carrying out those convictions the
worse it will be for the country.
! Hamilton, the father of the Republican
| party, was an aristocrat. lie had no sym
patty with the governing masses, always dis,
trusted them and preferred a monarchy to a
republic. He had very little faith in the
| perpetuity of American institutions, because
he despised what are known as ''the people. "
| He felt that the moneyed class should be
| the ruling class and that the masses ought to
| be kept in the background.
Mr.. Harrison's party has inherited that
conviction and represents it at this moment.
Under the rule of that party the rich con
tinually grow richer while the poor contin.
ually grow poorer.
Its policy is, therefore, political blunder,
and in its last results will become political
crime.
1t consistently throws its influence in favor
of the monopolst and is the natural parent
of the combine.
While it continues syndicates will flourish
like green bay tree and the workingmen
will be ruthlessy sacrificed.
Wk,s - l., - L.
ton of the few, while tae many are driven to
strikes in order 10 obtain wages above the
starvation point.
The word protection has an alluring
sound; the thing it really stands for is damn
able.
The mill owners of Connecticut and Massa-
ehusetts were hoodwinked last autumn.
They were told that if the protective tariff
were taken off their raw materials they would
be ruined They therefore voted for the
Republican policy, and went to sleep with
the feeling that they had done a public SER
vice.
They now see that unless they get their
raw materials free of duty they will soon have
to close their works and lose what little they
have made.
A very great change in this respect has
taken place within a few months. Eastern
manufacturers are ia the dumps; they voted
for the sword which cut their own threats
unless they Jam it back into its sheath. They
now demand Il very material reduction of tariff
duties Ii Is a matter of life and death with
them.
They couldn't understand this last year,
but now their decaying business has made it
altogether too plain. They are penitent, but
the penitence comes too late.
Ii they had re-estabiished the Democratic
policy Of a lower tariff their business would
now be- booming. They want larger mar
ket for their products. II they could get &C
cess to the markets Of the world they would
undersell all competitors, and their mills
might be run on full time with profit to own
ers and workingmen alike.
But the Republican bosses won't admit
this. and so the mill owners must dodge bank
ruptcy if they can and the lab0rer must keep
from starving II possible.
II is not Mr. Harrison's fault He is a
good man with bad theory, that is all.
The Democrats have been sueered at by
party workers because the last campaign was
an educational one, in which the Demo
cratic party was knocked out
All right Mr.. Harrison's four years will
also be educational, and when they end the
people will refuse to be the cat paws of
moaopolisis any longer. Then the RepubIi
can party, Sith its protective humbuggery,
will be sent flying.
The people are learning their lesson very
RAPIDLY.