Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-10-10
Republican Opinion.

The following is an extract from the
speech of John K. Cowan Of Baltimore
on accepting the nomination for Con.
gress for the 4th district of Maryland
which shows that McKinieyism is not
the old doctrine of the Republican
party
what is their programme Do
they purpose to restore the Mckinley
act? Do they purpose to go back to
Congress for the purpose of again
throwing all business into uncertainty
by putting that act upon the statute
books which has been denounced, and
properly denounced, by the Demo-
cratic convention as the eliminating
atrocity of class legislation?
mo, gentlemen of this convention,
McKinleyism was not the old doctrine
of the Republican party; McKinleyism
is the new doctrine of the Republican
party. They tried to elect John A.
Logan to the vice presidency of the
United States after he had voted for
free coal. Henry Wilson, who became
Vice President of the United States
along with Charles Sumner and the
whole Republican delegation of Mass
achnsetts, voted for the free trade tar
iff of 1857 that practically gave free
wool. Mr.. Allison (now Senator from
Iowa, and who is one of the most
prominent Republican candidates for
the presidency announced from his
seat in Congress that the wool tariff
was fraud, though possibly not all
intentional fraud Levi P. Morton,
who has been nominated by the Re-
publicans for Governor of New York,
voted for free salt and to put various
other articles on the free list. Ben
jamin Butterworth, a prominent Con
gresham from Ohio. denounced the
Mckinley tariff, you know, as one
(which gave the manufacturers and
trusts the profits and the farmers the
husks and humbug." Laughter and
applause
The fact about it is that John Sher-
man, if you will permit me to read a
single-just one single remark of his
made when L was one of his cOnstitu-
ents in my native State, many years
ago-made this declaration in 1868:
Livery advance toward free ex-
change of commodities is an advance
in civilization; every obstruction to
free exchange is born of the same mar
row, despotic spirit which planted
peaceful commerce.
Don't that sound like Cowen on
free trade except better words
Great laughter and applause.
Every obstruction to commerce is a
tax on consumption; every facility to a
| free exchange cheapens commodities,
increases trade and production, and
promotes civilization Nothing is
&hox III
ton; and nothing is better for the
peace of nations than unrestricted free
| dom of commerce with each other"
CHANGE OF POLICY.
II could stand here by the hour and
quote from the old Republican doc
trine, before that party became steep
ed in McKinleyism, and before the
chief Republican protected industry
was frying fat out of the manufactur-
er. Laughter and applause. They
were all verging toward moderate pro-
lection, as it was termed. To use the
language of James A. Garfield, as he
put it, 1 believe in the protection that
leads to ultimate free trade He him
self was elected President of the Uni
ted States after he had both voted and
spoken for free coal and free salt.
The Republican party of to-day is
not the Republican party of years
gone by. They have gone after Nc
Kinleyism; they have gone after OBJ
struction to trade; it is protection run
mad. Against that scheme the Demo
cratic party protests, and on that
Democratic platform am a regular of
the regulars. So much for the great
partisan question of the tariff, which
shall not discuss any longer.