The state capital., 1892-06-04
s11rH YEAR
POLITICAL PARAGRAPH

POLITICAL PARAGRAPH
Ever since England adopted free trade
the expense for the support of her des-
titute population has steadily increased.
Deposits in the savings banks of New
York city have greatly increased in re-
cent years, showing that wage-earners
are prospering under protection.
| The school question cannot longer be
regarded as political issue in Illinois,
for both parties have pronounced for
the unconditional repeal of the much
discussed compulsory school law.
A st. Louis democratic paper recently
| gave two columns to confederate re-
union at New Orleans, and on the same
day gave less than column to the
G. A. R. reunion at Springfield.
| Consumers are what the producers
need Well paid wage earners are
the best consumers, and the farmer is
equally interested with the manufac-
turer in the maintaining of the scale of
wages and the home market.
Although every dollar buys more to
eat and more to wear than ever before,
| yet wages are well maintained and the
wage-earner is able to buy more COM
forts for himself and family than ever
before.
Ireland enjoys all the blessings of
free trade, but her population is lessen
ing year by year, for her sons and
daughters prefer America, where pro-
lection is stimulating production and
where labor is better rewarded than in
the free trade countries.
Dunn's review of trade says that
''prices of commodities as whole have
declined three-quarters of per cent.
and are now Is per cent. lower than n
year ago" 1t may be added that wages
are maintained and the Mckinley bill
still in force.
At the opening of the present century
the land of England was in the hands
of 10000 land owners. To-day there
are less than $4,000 land owners, and
the policy of free trade, adopted near
the middle of the century, has had to
do with this unfortunate change.
Deliberative in its work. patient and
painstaking in its protracted sessions,
the Illinois republican state convention
sought to voice the sentiments of the
people it was called to represent. Ap-
parently its work is approved by the
loyal press and people of the common
wealth. Now let every republican in
the state work unitedly for success in
November.
In 1890 the Misrepresentation set
afioat regarding the Mckinley tariff
L. f~,.o .al le, 1x1
voters from the polls or led them to vote
with the democracy. The predictions
made Of higher prices for everything
the people had to buy have<aok Setiii1
true, and this year the vote will all be
out and majority of it will be on the
side of republicanism.
In other days it was a favorite theme
for democratic orators to depict the
horrors of emancipation, miscegenation
and federal supremacy. Their predic-
tions were not verified. Two years ago
an alarm was sounded over the McKin-
ley bill, and the dire effects of that un-
holy measure were held up before the
gaze of terrified audiences. Once more
the democrats are shown to be false
prophets of evil, but without explana-
ton Or apology for the past they con-
tinue to utter walls of despair as to
what may be expected to happen if re-
publicans are kept in power.
The democratic party of to-day de-
MES and repudiates the democratic
party of thirty and forty years ago. The
republican party of to-day has no dis
position or desire to repudiate any por-
ton of it's past history. Some twenty
years ago or more John M. Palmer was
governor of Illinois, and as governor he
recommended the adoption of the Fif-
teenth amendment to the constitution,
and it was adopted, the democrats with
great unanimity opposing it. They
even declared it was fraud, ravolu-
tionary and void. Now the democrats
of Illinois are talking of Palmer for
president. The world moves.
Taking the bulk of textile goods
which go to the masses, it is within
bounds to say that this country is the
cheapest retail country in the world,
and this, too, in spite of the heavy inn
port duties. In mems wear a similar
condition is also noted, there being no
country where a dollar will go SO far
in providing clothing as in this country.
There is no other country with which
to compare this in the matter of ready
made clothing as pertains to quality of
cloth, finish and style of garment and
cost to the consumer.-American Wool
and Cotton Reporter.
A tariff for revenue means free trade.
England is called a free trade country,
but it levies duties on certain imports
for the sake Of revenue. The democratic
party has repeatedly pronounced for
tariff for revenue only, which means
as near free trade as the laws Of Eng
land. It's orators and editors argue for
it; its party platforms declare for it;
it's candidates sometimes insist that they
do not exactly mean free trade, but the
evidence is that they do, and the chances
are that if they were in power they
would adopt the idea contained in the
confederate constitution of 1861, which
put it beyond the power Of the people
of ever building up an industrial COM
munity by declaring: "Nor shall any
duties or taxes on importations from
foreign nations be laid to promote or
foster any branch Of industry"
In politics the minds of the people
should be directed more to measures
than to men, and men should be meas
ured more by their relation to measures
than by mere personal qualities. When
man-worship governs, principles de-
cline and the liberties of the people be-
come endangered. The republican party
was born wholly of ideas and princi-
pies, and in its early days it called from
the ranks only those who had given evil