Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-11-18
Up AND AT EN-.

The Peoria Transcript Is one oil the
leading republican papers In the state
and It now urges the republican party to
oct to work and redeem itself by adhering
closely and strongly to the Mckinley bill
for the reason that it has not been suffi-
GENTLY tried and that at the end Of two
years people will understand it better and
so on. 1t also urges the passage OF the
force bill, saying that it is indeed one
that it should become q law and much
more to the same effect.
AS the republican party just now Is
between the devil and the deep sea IT is
difficult to say what action il will take.
Neither is il surprising to learn that its
readers are 10 ausndary. They are I'M
decided whether to proceed on the line
marked out In the last session regarding
the Mckinley bill and the force bill, AID
some other matters, or reverse the whole
business and adopt policy more in keep
ing with the interests and the temper of
the people.
John Sherman has always been looked
upon as a high priest of republicanism.
Before his party had sold out 10 the mill
bosses for the fat it could fry in future
campaign, and for past favors received,
he said in the senate:
A system of national taxes which rests
the whole burden of taxation on con-
sumption and not one cent on property
or income is iotrinsicslly unjust. While
the expenses of the national government
are largely caused by the protection of
property it is but right to require proper
~ To contribute to their payment. Ii will
not do to say that each person consumes
IN proportion TO his means. This Is not
true. Every one must see that the con-
sumption of the rich does not bear the
same relation TO the consumption of the
poor as the income of the one does to the
wages Of the other. AS wealth accumu-
lates this injustice in the fundamental
basis of our system will be felt and forced
upon the attention of congress.
And yet he was either wrong then or
wrong later, when he voted for the Nc
Kinley bill Everybody knows he did
not believe in the present tariff measure,
but stultihed himself because it was
iathered by bis own party. In that act
of his Sherman showed that he WAS lack
ing in one of the elements of greatness.
He could rise above the party wish. He
said at the time be voted that he hoped
the mill owners would not take sdvsn-
tsge of the great privilege that was grant
ed them. or tina; if they did he would be
the first that would oppose them. He
gave the lamb into the jaws of the lion
and warned the ferocious beast that if it
put tooth in the helpless creature that
he would protest against it.
The principle of up and at EN-, voiced
by the Transcript. will accomplish MOTH
ing. To bluster and browbest and show
fight would be repetition of the tactics
OF the fallen Reed. The people cannot
be fooled by noise and rosy.colored
promises. So that every thing points to
this: That the democrats will hold the
position they have won for some years to
come. II is party that stands nearest
to the people, and unless it commit some
grave blunder it may be certain of con-
tinued political success for good term
of years at least. In this connection the
San Francisco Examiner says:
Experience shows, therefore, that when
the democrats sweep the country at the
congressional elections it takes at least
six years to dislodge them. In the pres
ent instance 1t is likely to take longer.
Both in 1874 and 1882 the democratic
victories were due to the dissatisfaction
OF the republicans with their party. They
were therefore in their nature temporary
But this year the triumph is due TO the
education of the people in democratic
principles-an education that is constant
ly being extended. A majority of the
people have deliberately accepted the
democratic doctrine of tariff reform and
economical government What hope
have the republican politicians that they
ran ever win than hacE 2