The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-24
Republicanism's First Duty,

NtpuDilCdnlSn'S y flTSt Duty.
There is little danger that any Repub-
llcan leader, however apprehensive for
the welfare of his party and his coun-
try, can overestimate the gravity of
the responsibility imposed upon the Re-
publican party in consequence of the
late elections By those elections Re-
publicanism was adopted as the favor
lite governing force, not simply of a
small plurality of the citizens of this
nation, but of substantially unani-
nous north and east, and a west which
has repudiated Democracy utterly, and
which Is only waverlng between Re-
publicanlsm and Popullsm, with its
true sympathies all with the former.
Even the south discarded the political
solidity which had been mistaken since
the war and threw nearly one-half of its
intelligent vote into the scale of Re-
publican restoration, leaving its old
ally, the free trade Democracy of the
north, helplessly and hopelessly strand
ed All this, We are convinced, came
about by design and not by chance.
1t was a deliberate withdrawal by the
people of their previously misplaced
confidence, and a restoration of it in the
hands of trusted servant and we'll
tried friend. Hence, the uncommon
need, in the next congress, of cautious,
conservative and confidence-w worthy
legislation; Of action which shall show
by works instead of words that the
peoples trust has not again been wrong
fully bestowed.
In our opinion, there is no question
likely to come before the Fifty-fourth
congress in the form Of general law
which is of equal gravity and import
ance with the need Of a resolute and
manly overhauling of the whole ques-
ton Of immigration. The tariff is set
tled-at least for three years. The cur
| rency problem is just beginning to go
| through the primary stages of public
| discussion and popular education, and
will not for considerable time yet, be
| ripe for the legislative harvest. But
the abuses of American hospitality and
| the pollution of the well-springs of
American government by those per-
sons from foreign lands who come
here without comprehension jof our
laws and stay here without sympathy
with our customs, our principles and
our destiny, have grown, it seems to us,
| to dimensions which demand effective
cure. We believe time has come
when the Republican party may, with
out offence to any naturalized citizen of
honest purpose and true allegiance,
| take a bold stand, not alone against
| the inpour Of cheap-made foreign
| goods which threaten the liveli-
hood of the operatives Of our factories
and mills, but also against the poison
Gus tide of anarchistic immigration
which swamps our home labor by its
unthinking cheapness and enthrals our
capital in its steadily growing network
of socalistic plotting and nihilistic fer
ment and unrest. Yes, more than this,
we believe that unless Republican
craftsmanship rises to the full measure
of it's clear duty in this matter, unless
it shakes off the barnacles of political
timidity and gingerly fear of offending
some special class, race or sect, it will
forfeit the favor of the great mass OF
patriotic American citizens, native and
naturalized, who, without bigotry, lit
tleness nor malice, yet believe that citi-
zenship in this republic means some
thing, and that the prerogatives of that
citizenship have long enough beer
dragged, coward fashion, in filth and
fog and prejudice and fear.
1t Is not mere accident that the slum:
of our cities are at once the hotbeds Of
social crime and the nurseries of poll