The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-01-06
Why Lam "A Republican.

Piles of the Republican party. Fore
most among these is protection to Am
erican industry. Just now this is the
leading national issue. 1t is forced to
the front by savage and persistent at
tack that is made against the protective
system, partly in the interests of foreign
manufacturers, partly under the influ-
ence of coterie of free trade theOrizers
who know good deal about books but
nothing at all about business, and part
iy in accordance with the general Dem
ocratc idea of opposing whatever the
Republican party favors. l belive in
this system because it is wise in princi-
pie and bencficent in practice. 1t was
indorsed by George Washington. 1t
was sanctioned by John Adams, Henry
Clay, Daniel Webster, and host of
the greatest and best men of the coun-
try History shows that when there has
been protective tariff the country has
prospered, and when there has been
little or no tariff protection there has
been little or no prosperity Protection
has given profitable investment to cap.
ital and steady employment to labor at
rates of wages double those that are
paid for the same work in free trade
England or could be paid here if anti
protection Democrats and doctrinaires
had their way. And at the same time
it has, by enormously increasing the
home demand, steadily reduced the
price of almost every protected pro-
duct Protection has enabled the United
States to pay its national debt at an av
erage rate, for the past twenty-five
years, of $l74,000 a day, presenting in
this respect sight which the world has
never before seen Within this past
year, under the operations of the Me-
Kinley law, which its enemies prophe
sled one year ago would raise the price
of the necessaries of life and strangle
trade, there has been more domestic
trade, more exports of American goods
abroad, and actually more imports of
foreign goods, reckoned by value, than
in any twelve months before since our
national existence began. Meanwhile
one dollar has bought more of the nee
essaries of life than ever before, and the
people, rich and poor, have had more
dollars to buy with. | am Republican
because | am prOtectionist, and | am
protectionist because / am an Amer
lean.
Another principle OF the Republican
party is honest money. 1t is that every
dollar" shall be worth 100 cents 1t
is, as President Harrison has said, that
every dollar issued by the government
shall be worth exactly as much as eN cry
other dollar issued by the government.
1t is opposed To the free and unlimited
coinage of "dollars" that were worth 80
cents yesterday, are worth 10 cents to-
day, may be worth 20 cents, less or
more, tomorrow, but never have been
and, unless present conditions of the
mining industry are reversed, never can
be worth 100 cents. The Democratic
party, on the other hand, with a few
honorable excepsions, stands committed
to debased silver coinage to-day, just
as it stood for irredeemable and depre.
dated greenback currency few years
ago, just as it was responsible for the
wreck and ruin caused by the wildcat
banks, the "shinplaster" money before
the war.
The Republican party stands for hon
est elections. In the national platforms
OF the party this principle finds con.
spicuous place 1t is the Republican
party that, for the most part, has Sc.
cured the adoption in many states OF
the Australian, or reformed, ballot, and
it is the Democratic party that has hin.
dered its adoption, as witness the res
peated vetoes of Governor Hill and the
fact that the solid South is arrayed
against ballot reform. am Republic
can because believe in unbought and
unbullied suffrage.
The Republican party is the friend Of
not to speak of generosity, demand:
that the men who imperiled their live:
to save our country requires the re
deemed nation to care for its deliverers
and for their loved ones, with the
open palm of gratitude and not will
the clenched fist of parsimony. am {
Republican because | am a patriot.
The Republican party stands for the
school and the home. From that party
have come the most liberal appropria
tions, the most effective laws, on behal
of free public education. From tha
party have come practically the only
laws that exist to-day designed to re
strict the traffic in Intoxicating drinks
or by other means TO limit the terribl,
evils of intemperance. Per contra
wherever a political party joins will
the enemies of the public school TO pet