Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-11-24
From the Atkinson Champion.
Reform or Revolution.

It is amusing but not very satisfy
ing to read in our exchanges the var
ious reasons assigned for the signal
defeat of the republicans at the polls.
Some say it was the Tariff, some
charge 1t to the foreign vote, some
say it was the pension question, and
so on and so forth by the column and
by the yard. There Is some force in
all the alleged reasons, including the
one that the nomination of MIR. Reid
was a serious mistake; and that the
unfortunate attitude of the admins
tration toward Mr. Blaine went long
way toward giving the party chill.
There is force IN all these reasons
and all of them had great effect upon
the result. This was especially true
in the central and eastern states. In
the West, in the Missouri valley and
west to the Pacific, the silver ques-
ton cut large figure.
But there Is one cause for the great
political revolution greater than all
others combined. 1t was not personal
dislike of President Harrison; it was
not any charge against his admins
tration of public affairs, for that has
Tariff, for IN the region of protect
confronted by the most significant
losses. 1t was not the Alliance move
ment altogether, for, in Iowa, Repub-
licans regaIned the state; they large
~ increased their vote in Nebraska
over 1890; and in Kansas they nearly
overcame the s;xty-three thousand
opposition majority of two years ago.
But there has been a large and gen
eral aggregate loss to the Republi-
cans from the relative vote of 1888
1t was a combination of dissatisfac-
ton rounded up in one real cause;-
distrust of the professions of the Re
publicans.
That distrust had become deep
seated and general. There was rea-
son for it too. The party of Abra-
ham Lincoln had become the party of
the Platts, Quays and Depews. Its
promises have been trihed with in the
house of its friends. 1t promised a
revision of the tariff and made the
revision OdiOus to both producer and
consumer by making new industries
It's particular pets. 1t was so framed
as to leave 1t open to the suspicion
that It's real heart was more in the in
terest of capital than of labor. Mr..
Blaine saw the error and sought to
nullify it by reciprocity features. We
believe that America has been vastly
benefited by the doctrine of prOtec-
ton, but the doctrine of protection
for the sake of protection was not the
doctrine of the Republican party Of
Lincoln, Grant or Garfield. Under
existing conditions there has grown
up in the United States a state of af
fairs akin to those In England. There
are the very'rich, the middle classe.
and the very poor.
Something is the matter The PEG
pie know that sure enough and ap
pveciate it strongly. The great bull
of the owners of three-fourths of al
the wealth on this continent live nortl
of the Potomac and east of the Apa
lachian range. 1t is not the result o
their superior thrift, knowledge
pluck, age or geographical position
They are lOaners of money and mer
chandise. The balance of the UniteC
States are borrows of money and mer
chandise. Ninty per cent of all tn
interest paid by the borrowers of thi
SOco- " NOW NOf
York and Pennsylvania. They con
troll the money market in all the Soutl
and In all the West. Four years ag,
the Republicans promised to attemp
t. remedy these conditions. Tw,
years ago the Democrats promised
free coinage of silver Wall stree
raised the cry that is for the benef
of the silver regions of the West" I
was beaten.
The advocates of the gold STANDARD
own and control this country to-day
And that, too, in face of the declara
ton of all parties for bi-metalism
Democrats never desert their part,
on account of its broken promise S. I
they did there would be no demo