Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-10-01
STRONG FOR CLEVELAND.
Carl Schurz Gives His Views on
the Political Situation.
Tho Famous Statesman Condemns Uarri-
son aud Mckinley ard Strongly
Tavors Cleveland aud n Dem
ocratic Administration.

Tavors Cleveland aud Dem
ocratic Administration.
In letter to the Cleveland and
Stevenson campaign club of Kings
county, N. Y, on September IS, Hon.
Carl Schurz wrote that In consequence
OF Ill health he would be unable to
speak in public, but took great pleasure
In laying before the people in writing
his views on public questions. The fol-
lowing is the major portion of his let
ter.
II, for my part, although being beyond the
time Of youthful illusions, believe that demo
cratic republic will prove the most excellent
form Of government II administered, not neces
sarily by angels. but by a fairly virtuous, self
respecting patient, self-restraining, sensible,
industrious, liberty, peace and order-lovinz
people, and that the Americans, in the same
measure as they are and remain such people,
will successfully maintain such a government
and be strong and happy in its enjoyment
1t must essentially be government Of pub.
lie opinion expressed in the forms OF law
Such government will, OF course. have
its shortcomings and make its mistakes
perhaps serious ones and plenty Of them. But
as long as the growth and action OF public
opinion In the body polite is free and genuine
the good sense OF the people may be trusted TO
bring about In time the correction OF errors
and OF existing evils-not completely, perhaps,
nor perfectly, but measurablv, suficiently to
make things In the end come out about right,
70 keep our system OF government in steady
working order and to secure 10 our people more
freedom and contentment than they would
have in any other way. Paradoxical as It may
sound, this is the country in which. so gov.
erned things may 20 badly in detail, but vet
well on the whole. This is and will remain
true, provided always that we do not permit
certain evil influences in politics, tending to OBJ
struot tho growth and 70 peryert the expression
Of an honest public opinion among the people,
10 continue and become stronger than they now
Ara The most obvious Of the evil influences in
politics speak Of are money and the machine
Money wrongfully used In elections cor.
Supts public opinion; the machine as far as its
lnnuence reaches, strives by the action OF sell
hsh, welldrillcd and disciplined organization to
obstrutt, override falslfy, cnslave public opin-
lon Thus both tend to poison the very foun.
tain head Of democratic government They do
moro They serve to raise up systematically a
race Of unprincipled sef-seeking, mercenary
politicians, and TO repel from public life men
who with patriotic ambition wish to serve the
public welfare according N their honest convic.
tons. Wherever money and the machine are
strong and successful, they teach the youth OF
the country that no ability, knowledge, honesty,
public spirit fidelity TO duty, devotion 10 the
country VIII Keep them in public position, but
that subscrNency to self-seeking organiza-
lon, the Willingness TO sacrifice to IT all higher
aims, Is necessary to political success; that the
low arts OF the political manipulator are worth
more 10 the public man than true statesman
ship: that those who are constantly troubled
hy principle and a high sense OF duty are I'M
pracucaole vlslcnaries and dudes ana Phari-
sees that such fools may seem to get start
occasionally but not for long; that he who
wlshes 70 prosper IN poilucs must discard such
squeam'sh nohons' that' II he is rch, he must
liberally shovel out his money without asking
where 1T goes; or, II he has ability, he must
place II at the service OF the organization for
veal or woe.
"iIow this sort OF politics practically works
where money and the machine are strong, we
know from the experience Of municipalities
and of states. What 1t would accomplish il 4,
spread over the whole nation we can well con.
lecture These evils'are not confined to any one
party, Both OF them have their sins 10 answer
for. Bnta candid study OF our recent political
history and our present condition has forced
the conclusion upon me that In the republican
party these tendencies have owing 10 peculiar
circumstances, come TO their most dangerous
development
~ cannot say this Of the republican party
without feeling of profoundest regret. As q
political being grew up in and with that
party. During Its great endeavors for human
freedom saw In it all that was noblest and
best But the citizen Of republic is not per
mittcd 10 forget that the duty TO his country
must be more sacred to him than all party sen
tinent or obligation, and that he has no rizh,
to be swerved from that duty even by the i'm
pulse OF gratitude. While the life Of the union
was still hanging in the balance Of battle the
republicans had felt, not unnaturally, thai
the ascendcncy OF the republican party was
necessary TO the salvation of the republic and
that, in maintaining that ascsndency, the end
would justify the means This belief became sc
firmly rooted in the minds Of multtudes Of re
publicans that even when the vital crisis was
over they continued TO look upon any attempt
10 deprive the republican party OF power as 6
heinous offense little short of treason. and they
sanctioned even the most arbitrary measures
adopted at that period to keep the late rebe
states under republican rule, as measures abso
lutely required for the protection OF the liber
ated slave and the preservation of the union
But the prcludices and passions Of the civil wal
could not remain alive forever 10 demonStrat e
the necessity OF republican ascendency Their
the tariff question was advanced TO the fore
ground. By the exigencies OF the war the re
publican party had been drawn into protective
policy The protective tariff, however had a
nrst peeh presented only as war measure,
as temporary necessity Ana aiter the wal
the eontinuatlon OF the protective system hac
peen advocated IN more or less apologize
way WIN constant promises OF revision IN th'
dlrectlon OF lower duties In election cam
palshs IL hao inquired only oy the SIDE OF other
| more prominent issues upon whlch the repuollc
an party reileo ior success
Even then, carried 10 that length our tariff
policy had begun to produce very deleteriou'
effect upon the ways OF thinking and the char
| acter OF the American people. The Americans
had been In their daily life the most independen
people In the world. This qualitywas the glory
OF American manhood. To it more than any
thing else the American people owed their rapit
progress, But the protective system, in it:
| more recent expansion over constantly widen
ing fields, is teaching them, impellmg them
scducing them-not mere handful Of manufac
surers, but almost all classes Of the people-t,
look 10 the government for aid and support ant
protection against loss in almost everything
they do. Any economic system that has tbs
eject Of weakening the spirit OF selfrelianc'
will deteriorate our national character, vii
eventually undermine our free institutions, ant
Is essentially an un-American system Tina
system is bringing forth most characteristic
fruit even now,
"ln iSs, something happened which by the re
publican politicians had been represented Al
equivalent to the destruction OF the country
| Th. ron,lI,oors woro ,,.t.a TOD In , rro.idon,;o