The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-14
sIcKINLEY,s CAMPAIGN.
Tho Significance of the Standardization
Protection Benefits the Farmer.

Protection Benefits the Farmer.
Robert Ella Thompson IN Irish Hiorid
The nomination of Major Mckinley
for the governorship OF his native State
is IN event OF national significance
even Of international significance,
When the news Of it reached England
the London Times drvoted special ar,
ticle to it, pointing out how much was
at stake for British interests. 1t saw
! that his defeat would confirm English
hopes OF the early abandonment Of
protectionist policy, while his election
would m!an that that policy was "a
show itself strong enough to hold
British interests" at bay and maintain
for America q thoroughly American
policy.
In nominating Major Mckinley with
the applause Of the protectionists all
over the country, the friends OF home
industry in Ohio took up the challenge
OF lrst November. More than any other
man in the whole country, Major Nc
Kinley is identified with that policy.
His name stands upon the tariff OF 1880
ms distinctly and indelibly as that Of
Col. Hays on the tariff OF 1885, or that
OF Mr.. Morrill, on the tariff OF 1861. Not
only was he the chief and responsible
author OF that tariff, but he was the
most notable victim OF the wholesale
lying, which produced temporary
fright and reaction with regard 10 it. II
protectionists had taken alarm at the
defeat OF SO many OF their friends last
November, and had been disposed to
get ready to back down from the legis-
Iation af last year, they certainly would
not have selected Mr.. Mckinley for the
first high Office 10 which he could be
cminatcd.
Informally he was nominated to that
on the very day when his defeat was
ascertained. There was no complaint
ond no dismay. 1t was like the memoir.
able moment after the great defeat at
Cannae, where G0,0O0 OF the 10000
Romans OF military age had fallen before
the sword Of Hannibal. Narro and the
defeated consul returned to Rome to
report the disaster and accept what
punishment hostile Senate might
decree. At once all party feeling was
forgotten, and the Senate voted Narro
the thanks OF the city because he had
not lost hope for the republic" So We
rose up to greet our defeated leader, to
assure him that no defeat could shake
our respect for himself and our conf
dence in the principles for which and
the weapons with which he had fought.
We want no better champion in this
preliminary and most significant strug-
Gle than Hon. William Mckinley.
Ohio is normally q Protectionist
State and is community made up OF
very different clements. In the east
and centre there is an overflow from
Pennsylvania, and especially OF that
early Irish immigration OF which Mr..
Mr.. Mckinley himself is n representa-
tive. North OF this lies the Western
Reserve, which was settled mainly from
New England. The southern counties,
as in Indiana and Illinois, were chiefly
settled from Kentucky and Tennessee
by the small Farmer class OF whites. In
addition to this there has been a large
immigration OF Irishmen and Germans
in later times, the latter being especial
IL numerous in Cincinnati. Thus the
State is q better representative Of the
whole country than any other. North
and South and East-Yankee, Scotch
Irish, Irish and Germans meet and are
amply representative. 1t is more truly
the keystone in our modern politics
than is Pennsylvania; and for decades
past the centre OF gravity has lain with
in its bounds.
Industrially it represents pretty fair.
ly the whole country. Two-tifths and
more OF the people are farmers. The
crop runs up into the hundreds OF mil
lions of bushels. The tariff has
brought the manufacturer into close
neighborhood with the farmer, and has
created ample and steady markets for
food and other farm products. 1t has
utilized the natural resources OF the
State until the value of the manufac-
turcd articles is now greater than that
OF the farm produce. The diversified
ton Of labor has given the people free
dom OF choice Us to their occupation.
Those who have preference for the in
dustrial arts have a chance to find work
in them, instead OF being shut up to
farming alone. And the recent dis
covery OF natural gas under the soil OF
the State has given a new impetus TO
manufactures OF all kinds by reducing
the cost of power.
Altogether Ohio is fair sample OF
the whole country, and its share in the
reactionary "snap Judgment" Of 1890
makes its impending choice Of gov
ernor highly significant, especially in
view OF the fact that both parties have
drawn the issue more distinctly OH pro-
lection than on any other problem.
There are those in the East, who would
have liked TO have had the silver ques-
ton made the issue. In some sense it
is so. The prUtectionists take their
stand on the action OF the last Congress,
and insist TINT went very far-as
far us is sate-toward satisfying the de-
mands OF the friends Of silver, as it pro-
vided for such coinage Of that
metal rs actually absorbs into
our currency the whole annual
output OF our own silver mines.
But they do not commit themselves
to either desiring or supporting any
farther legislation, and le,lst of all to
coming the annual output Of our mines,
however great that may become. That
folly they left to the free trade party.
which, in Ohio, stands committed sub
stantially to free silver. Its many
friends in New York do not much relish
this. They would like to see Major
Mckinley beaten, but they know that
his defeat means n big gain for the
free coinage party. II Ohio should take
that ground, it would be much more
significant than would be any similar
action in a State farther west OF it. 1t
would DO the vote OF the biggest and