The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-09-01
BIDWELL'S VIEWS.
Letter Of Acceptance Of tho Pro
hibition Candidate.
Liquor II the Menace of Labor-The Con
eral Discusses tho Principles of the
Party as Enunciated In
the Platform.
FIRST IN THE FIELD.

FIRST IN THE FIELD.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Aug. 26.-The
letter of acceptance of Gen. John Bid
well, of California, nominee of the pro-
hibition party for president of the
United States, has been given out for
publication. The letter is long
and discusses the principles of
the party as enunciated in the
Cincinnati platform. On the basic
principle of absolute prohibition,
Gen. Bidwell says that the danger
of monopolistic tendencies mepacing
the government is not 50 great as
that of the destructive results
sure to come from the liquor
traffic. It is the constant menace of
labor, which creates the wealth of
the nation, and the traffic is now sap
ping and impoverishing the very
foundation of the national fabric.
Passing to the question of woman's
suffrage he urges the immediate
emancipation of women The nation
that first gives women equal rights
with man, he says, will earn a crown
of imperishable glory. He fears delay,
as England will lead. On the question
of finance he says the position
of the party that the money
should be gold, silver and paper,
issued only by the government, is
fair and broad. He also advocates
the legal regulation of the rates of in
terest in all the states, believing that
it will do much to check the tendency
to Capitalization of the money power.
On the question of labor he says:
In order to relieve the labor of the country OF
it's abnormal and often congested condition
there should be the earliest possible revision
and restriction of the immigration and
naturalization laws of the United States.
These laws, so inimical to American
labor and the best interests Of
all, If not so purposely enacted, have doubtless
been kept in force for partisan considerations
for fear of detriment to partisan interests till
our country has become the almost daily scene
Of riots, lawlessness and bloodshed, and not
infrequently such scale as to portend,
permitted to 60 unchecked, the posi-
BILE suppression of all authority. The
discord between capital and labor cannot safely
| be allowed to continue. No matter what the
cause, it Is imperative to remove it. II it is
| necessary to have organizations as defense
against capital or competing labor such organi-
cations should be authorized and reg ulated by
law.
On the tariff he says:
We must concede that all nations have the
right to levy tariffs. AS Americans we are in
favor of protecting all American interests. The
tariff proposed by the democratic party and that
Of the republican party differ only in degree;
both are sufficiently high to be termed pro-
tective. To the objection that tariffs have been
uneoua1-that is to saw that un6er them the
rich pay comparatively nothing and the masses
nearly all the revenues so derived to support
the national government-must be added the
further objection that they are binding and de-
ceptive
The establishment of system of in
come taxation, he says, could work no
hardship and do no harm. When the
union needed money most during the
re bellion the income tax was imposed
and worked like q charm. He con-
tinues:
1t helped them to save the union, and will
help to save the nation now in another rebel.
ion-the masses against the classes.
One of its beneficial results, he
argues, would be the equal distribution
of wealth, which would go far toward
healing the discord between capital
duO 1dOOi. A0 ou*OSdCCS SOVSAAucAt
control, and, if necessary, the govern
ment ownership of railroads.
On the question of public schools,
made prominent in the platform. he
| says:
The teachings Of the American public school
| should be in accord with American ideas
| and with American civilization, which,
| Of course, is Christian civilization;
| but they must be strictly and ab-
| solutely non-sectarian. The standard OF
| morality must accord with our civilization and
| pervade all the books and teachings of the pub
| lie school, which must not in any phase be a
| school OF immortality.
On the question of immigration he
says the doors must be closed in self
defense, and adds:
We do not want to war against foreigners;
we do not ask foreigners coming to this land Of
freedom to change their faith; we do not pro-
pose to Protestantize or Romantic, or in
any manner sectarianize them. But We
| do insist that they shall not de-
| stroy our liberties by any attempt te
| foreignize or anarchize us or our government;
that they should appreciate our liberties and
| privileges, that are condition OF citizenship;
they should learn to speak our national Ian
guage and to read and write it fairly well.
Gen. Ridwen closes his letter with a
resume, adding that there should be
taught in the public schools the prin
ciples of the freedom of the ballot ano
the settlement of differences between
men by arbitration.