Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-10-18
Let Us Reason Together .

1 a
proposition? Does il not he IT the foun-
daiion OF American prosperity? Does
! i not indicate AmerIcauism. and the
second duty party attachments? Thus
far be people can 81 agree, whether
thew be Democrats. Republicans, Popu-
/ lists or Prohibiti0nisis. The next ques
ton TO be considered is. which of the
party organiZat ons is best calculated 70
adl ance the Interests Of the American
neople. irrespective Of race or CT ndiiifnf
Our country is NaiiOo; it is made up
Of many races, bat il exists under one
flag. and those who live under that en-
blem Of power. whether native DOrn,
nauIalized citizens, eolored re pc ele-
vsted from slavery. sre entitled TO equal
privileges before the law. and equal
rpcoe milton at the bslot box.
This II another propt sition Fundamental
in our affairs, thst can not be End will
not be controverted. There are IN this
country two great PAL ties Coutending
for mastery in the Government of the
| United States. There are also other
parties, third and fourth parties, who
cannot fully agree with either Of the two
msin parties, but for the purpose OF this
article 1T is not to include incidental or
CARNATIONS. We reduce, there fore, the
great contest for the government OF this
country TO the two organizations which
have controlled it for more than third
Of century. and which il may reason
ably be expected will control il under
such changes as future events may dict
ats for many years in the future. The
interests of so-called third parties. or
independent paItles. which represent
classes, may be best promoted through
those organizations which represent the
Anne rican people.
We are not among those who believe
the Democra tic party wholly bad, or
the Republican party wholly good. In
each of these parties there is q vast
amount OF human nature. and liability
to error to which we are all subject.
We do not belieye President Clevelsnd
bv way of illustration is un-Americsn
and wholly fraudulent, we do not believe
that even President Cleveland. or his
predecessors in office on the Republican
side, Grant, Hayes. Arthur or Harrison.
were altogether above the line of honest
criticism. But each of these represented
party, and that party still lives. Pre-
sident Cleyeland's party, which is now
in full power in this Government, still
lives Their Achievements are recorded
in the history of this Government. and
it remains for the people of the United
States to decide which of the different
policies is best for the people of this
country.
In looking into history. we find that
the policy Of the Democratic led up to
a destructive and expensive war, while
the policy Of the Republican party led
the country successfully out of that war
and up to the establishment of absolute
freedom. In this, the whole country, with
out regard to section, acquiesce. The
Democratic party, took no part IN this
achievement except to obstruct IL. AT
the same time it is in all fairness to be
noted that the Democrats as individuals
did their full share in making the war
for the Union success Thus these
citizens rose above craftsmanship, and
reached the full leYel of Americanism,
and they deserve full credit for
the uucontested supremacy OF the flag
which now floats over every State and
Territory within the limits of the Unite
States. To this extent we are on the
basis of fundamental Amercanism, aud
not on the basis of partisan or sectional
divisions in the line of civil politics.
From the close of the war up 10 1892,
with occasional Interruptions. the Rep
ublican party was in power in the I'm
tied States. What did it accomplish? 1t
81 asrx.. ,Nf . bAx hah
brought about the resumption of specie
payments, and thus every dollar 10 cir
culaton, whether paper, gold or silver,
became equal TO every other dollar.
AT the same time. while fully protect
ing the industries of this country. en-
iarging the field for labor and insuriDg
adequate compensation for the wage
carriers, itabolished most of the internal
revenue lakes, leaving on the whiskey
tax and the tobacco tax as monuments
perpetuating recoile ctions of the war
period. Under its legislation, and in
spite OF these changes, the absolute sol
vency OF the Z. S Treasury was also
maintained, and cue If The charges
made against the Republican policy by
Democratic opponents was an excessive
surplus in the Z. S. Tres sury.
This sketch, necessarily brief, brings
us down to the Inauguration of the De-
mocratic party; to the substitution of
the coherent policy of the Republican
party. As result depression has been
substituted for pros uerity, full employ
ment at reasonable wages for working
people has been followed by depression
in business, lower wages and idleness
of millions of willing workers who have
been unable to obtain employment even
at reduced compensation.
We are not unmindful of the fact that
many of our Democratic opponents, in
dividually and in convention assembled,
claim thst the prevailing distress is lar
gely attributable TO the prosperity of the
country under Republican management.
In other words. that business, by reason
of that prosperity. was inflated. and
that we ara now experiencing the inev-
table collapse. 1t is amazing, under
the circumstances, that this collapse
should not have occurred until the De
mocratic party, loaded with free trade
threats and q general disturbance in fin