The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-05
THE RECORD OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY.

DcIOE0 the etcctlOn Oh Lincoln the ice
publican party urged the passage Of the
homestead act. This law had been pend.
ing in congress for several years while the
Democratic party was in power, but had
been bitterly opposed by the South in the
interest of slavery. A Republican con.
gress enacted it in May, 1862, and it proved
q great beneicent national policy, as it
created prosperous class OF independent
freeholders in the farthest Western
limits of the Union. The homestead act,
supplemented by the Pacific railway legls-
iation. attracted settlers. stimulated immi-
grafton and transferred the seat of indus.
trial power from the East to the West
For fifteen years previous to the war the
Democratic party, ruled by the South,
maintained q revenue tariff in the interest
Of slavery. The cotton, sugar, tobacco and
rice planting oligarchy of the South
through cheap slave labor developed these
agricultural industries to the exclusion Of
manufactures, and favored free trade. be-
cause they wished to buy their manufact-
ured goods in the English market rather
than build up the prosperity of the North
by buying their goods in its market.
This low tariff policy the moment the
Republican party came into power in 1861
was replaced by the policy of protection to
our home market and home labor. The
fruit of this Republican policy of protec-
ton has been the extraordinary expansion
of domestic manufacturing, the develop
ment of foreign and internal trade, the
cheapening of prices to consumers. and
the liberalization of the industries of free
labor. This protective policy, which has
multiplied aud maintained remunerative
employment for the working masses of the
American people, the Democratic party
now proposes to destroy and proclaim
with the notification leaders of 1882 the
unconstitutionality of protection. 1t is
the old Democratic policy Of negation; of
progress backwards; the policy of cease
lessiy striving to spoil the Republican
horn while confessing its own utter in
capacity TO make a spoon.
The Democratic party in politics has al
ways behaved like vicious Texas steer in
q china shop; what it can't destroy it
seeks TO deface, mutilate and detile Never
weary of sounding the praises of Jefferson
and Jackson, the Democratic party ig-
nores the fact that Jefferson advocated in
public letter the first wool tariff in 1916:
that Jackson defended the constitution.
atty OF protection against Calhoun; that
Van Buren,, Wright, Benton, Tilden and
Randall always upheld It; that no man of
historical renown in the Democratic party
ever denied the constitutionali.y of pro-
lection outside of Calhoun, Hayne, Nc
Duffie, the evangelisss of notification.
and JEFF Davis, Yancey, Toombs and
slidell, the architects of the secession con-
spiracy. the organizers and executors of
the rebellion of is6l-65.
In the face of the decisions Of the United
States supreme court, and despite the
prosperity Of the American people under
the protective system, the Democratic
party, consistent with its policy of mega
ton, denounces protection and throws up
its hat for its obliteration. The refusal of
the Democratic party TO believe in the
beneleence Of the American policy of nro-
lection TO American industries and Amari.
can labor recalls the remark of President
Grant when told that Charles Sumner did
not believe the Bible. ''of course he
Gon't," replied Grant, why should he:
he did not write it." The Democratic
party today seems TO have no reason rest.
ing on fact and logic for denounoing and
deriding the policy of protection save that
1t Is Republican doctrine. and the sole
policy Of the Democratic party j. to deny