Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-11-16
Causes of the Upheaval.

Link aS you Will, Une prime cause O
the disastrous defeat of the Repub
dcan party was the Mckinley bill
with incidental concomitants. Not.
withstanuing the last statistical in
formation obtainable proved beyond
question the wisdom of the law and
the beneficial results accruing there,
from, it was feared by many wise men
of the party as being impolitic and
liable to bring defeat to the Repub-
lican party. Blaine's fight for reci-
procity was one of the redeeming
features of the bill, and has already
done manufacture and agriculture
much good. but venal press and dis
reputable politicians perverted the
truth and made the voters believe it
was injurious to their best interests.
That lie will out-travel the truth
has been we'll exemplified in the cam
paign just passed. That the Ameri-
can farmer has largely imbibed of the
free-trade heresy is patent from the
increased Democratic vote in states
and localities where the American ele-
meDt largely predominates. They be-
lieve the consumer pays the tariff,
and that with the abrogation of the
protective fen lures of our tariff sys-
TEN Goods will be cheaper, and that
barley, oats, beans, eggs, etc, will
fetch better price 1t is unnecessary
to argue on such Illogical reasoning,
but 1t IS nevertheless a fact that SO
far-sighted a conclusion on the part
Of the 'intelligent" agriculturist cost
the party thousands of voters As
many of the large manufacturers we're
becoming we'll off, their employees con
Cluded they were working for little or
nothing, and they determined that a
dose of free trade would enable them
to purchase their necessaries cheaper,
increase their incomes and reduce the
profits of the manufacturers The
absurdity of such reasoning is plainly
apparent, but none are so blind as
those who will not see. This element
also voted almost solidly Iat least in
some of the states) for the Southern
idea of American prosperity. There
were others who voted for free trade
as a means of reducing the immense
immigration fiocking to these shores,
hoping to stem the tide by reducing
the largeness of the pay OF the me-
chanic and labOrer. But it is safe to
assert that a large majority of those
who voted for Cleveland and Steven
son did so from very imperfect
knowledge of the issues between the
two great parties. The utting into
practice the principles of the Demo-
cratic platform will be the surest way
to open the eyes Of these men to the
enormity of their blunder and will
make them wish they had left we'll
enough alone. On the 18th OF March
next the Republican party Will yield
up the reigns of government after a
longcar fruitful of everythinggo
for the people. 1t has been heparty
of loyalty, the party of progress, the
party whose great aim and effort has
been to maintain a government of the
people, by the people, and for the
people. And it can besaid that Ben
iamin Harrison retires from the ex-
ecutive office the peer of any of his
predecessors, exalted in all the ele-
ments that constitute man Of not
only commanding but wonderful abil-
ity, a man who brought to the dis
charge of his Office keen and analy-
tical conception of the duties devolv-
ing upon him, and patriotic devo-
ton to the rights of his country that
will be a distinguishing mark in the
political history of this great land.