Huntsville gazette., 1893-06-10
TWO STRONG PLANkS.
Pungent Passages in the Republican Leagu'
Platform


Platform
| In the platform adopted by the ma
| tional repu blican league there are two
planks which must meet with the
hearty approval and Endorsement, not
only of every republican, but of every
American citizen of patriotic impulses,
and who favors honesty in politics.
They are as follows:
'sThe foreign policy of Benjamin Harrison
| and James G. Blaine deserves and receives the
commendation OF all Americans who believe II
| preserving the rights and dignity of the unileo
| States and in extending the scope OF its infiu'
| ence. In accordance with that policy we re
| affirm our determination to encourage the en-
| forcement of the Monroe doctrine; not only as
| it applies to North and South America, but
also to those islands in the Atlantic and Pa
cific, which are or may become necessary TO
the protection Of our coast line and our trade
When the American flag covers American in.
terests and American honor 1t must never be
lowered
Whereas The democratic party for the
first time in thirty-two years has succeeded TO
power, in both executive and legislative
departments of the government, we now direct
attention to the fact that it should either give
the people fair trial of the policies advoca ted
in its national platform or admit that 1t
gained supremacy by gross Misrepresentation
and hypocrisy"
The people are rapidly finding out
that the cry of ''jingoism" against
Blaine, and the partisan attacks upon
Harrison because of his manly and pa
triotic action in the case of Italy's
bristling up because of the lynching of
the New Orleans Malta, and his firm
and eminently proper curbing of the
pepper-pot braggadocio of the hot-head-
ed Chilians, were false and misleading,
and that those two republican leaders
did what, at the time, was best and
wisest to preserve the honor and main
tain the dignity of the United States.
Ana the declaration of adherence to
the NJ onroe doctrine is one that should
receive responsive Endorsement in the
heart Of every American patriot.
1t will be noted that the plank not
only applies that doctrine to the con.
tinental ports of North and South Amer
lea, but to all insular points in the
oceans east and west of us, (which are
or may become necessary to the protec-
ton of our coast line and our trade. "
In the discussion of this point-if it
membere that conditions have changed
much since the Monroe doctrine was
originally promulgated. Swift steam
ers and telegraphic communication by
cable have made countries next-door
neighbors, though many a league of
blue water rolls between. Hawaii is
nearer San Francisco to-day than Cuba
was to New York, or even to Charles
ton, half-century ago. Brazil and
Chilli are as near to us in this year of
grace as were Great Britain and France
when Monroe enunciated the patriotis
dictum which bears his name. Dis
tance is not now measured by miles,
but by the time taken to cover it.
The second plank quoted above calls
the attention of the nation to a self
evident fact-that the democratic party
shall either give us a fair trial of the
policies embodied in the platform on
which it won its national victory last
fall, or that it must stand self-convicted
of gaining supremacy by hypocrisy and
fraud. The point is one it will be well
for every one to watch. The democracy
shows strong symptoms of being unable
to do anything except tinker. It's his
tory in the past has been remarkable
for the apparent inability of that party
to develop a sound and statesman-like
policy on any great public question.
Its forte has been destructive rather
than constructive. 1t has full power
now, and must stand or fall by its abil-
ity to carry out the promises it made to
the people. Win it be able to carry
this out? Next winters session of con-
gress will tell us-Toledo Blade