Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-24
STANTON SPECTATOR AND GENERAL ADVERTISER.

d G. e n e r A J. A
tional calamity, and demand their
and extension on such terms !,
as will equalize our trade With other
nations and remove the restrictions
that now obstruct the sale of American
products in the ports of Europe, and
secure new markets for the products
of our farms, forests, and factories.
OUR MERCHANT MARINE.
We favor restoring the early Ameri-
can policy of discriminating duties for
the upbuilding of our merchant marine
and the protection of our shipping in
the foreign carrying trade, SO that
American shipping. the product OF
American labor employed in American
ship-yards, sailing under the Stars and
Stripes, and manned, differed. and
owned by Americans, may regain the
carrying of our foreigd commerce.
MONEY.
The Republican party is unreserved-
" for sound money. 1t caused the
enactment of the law provided for the
resumption of specie payments in 1879;
since then every dollar has been as
good as gold.
We are unalterably opposed to every
measure calculated to debase our cur
rency or impair the credit of our coun-
try. We are, therefore, opposed to
the free coinage of silver, except by
international agreement with the
leading commercial nations of the
world, which we pledge ourselves to
promote, and until snch agreement
can be obtained the existing gold
standard must be preserved. All our
silver and paper currency must be
maintained at parity with gold, and
we favor all measures designed to
maintain inviolably the obligations of
the United States, and all our money,
whether coin or paper, at the present
standard-the standard of the most
enlightened nations of the earth.
SUGAR BOUNTY.
We condemn the present administra-
ton for not keeping faith with the
gar-producers of this country The
Republican party favors such measures
of encouragement and protection as
will speedily lead to the production On
American soil of all the sugar which
the American people use, and for
which they pay to other countries
more than 800. 1000, 900 annually.
PENSIONS.
Veterans of the Union army deserve
and should receive fair treatment and
generous recognition Whenever prac
ficable, they should be given prefer
ence in the matter of employment, and
they are entitled to the enactment OF
such laws as are best calculated to Sc
cure the fulfilment of the pledges made
| to them in the dark days of the coun
| try's peril. We denounce the practice
| in tho Pension Bureau, so recklessly
and uniustly carried on by the present
administration, of reducing pensions
and arbitrarily dropping names from
| the rolls, as deserving the severest con
domination of the American people.
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
Our foreign policy should be at all
times firm. vigorous, and dignified, and
all our interests in the Western Henri
sphere carefully watched and guarded.
The Hawaiian Islands should be con-
| trolled by the United States, and no
| foreign power should be permitted to
interfere with them.
The Nicaragua canal should be built,
| owned. and operated by the United
States; and, by purchase of the Danish
Islands, we should secure proper and
much needed naval station in the West
Indies.
! ARMENIAN MASSACRES.
| The massacres in Armenii have arous-
ed the deep sympathy and just indigna-
| ton of the American people, and we
believe the United States should ex
ercise all the influence it can properly
| exert to bring these atrocities to an
| end. In Turkey, American residents
have been exposed to the grayest dan
gers, and American property destroy
| ed. There and everywhere American
citizens and American property must
be absolutely protected at all hazards
and at any cost.
MONROE DOCTRINE.
| We reassert the Monroe doctrine in
! it's full extent. and we reaffirm the right
of the United States to give the doctrine
effect by responding to the appeals Of
any American State fer friendly inter
vention in case of European encroach
ment. We have not interfered and
shall not interfere with the existing
possessions of any European power in
this hemisphere, but those possessions
must not, on any preteXt, be extended.
| We hopefully look forward to the even
tual withdrawal of European powers
| from this hemisphere; and to the ulti
mate union of all the English speaking
part of this continent by free consent
of it's inhabita nts
From the hour of achieving their own
independence the people of the United
| States have regarded with sympathy
| the struggles of other American peoples
to free themselves from European dom-
| nation. We watch with deep and abid
| ing interest the heroic battle of the
Cuban patriots against cruelty and OPP
| preston, and our best hopes go out for
! the full success of their determined
contest for liberty.
The Government of Spain, having
lost control of Cuba, apd being unable
to protect the property or lives of resi-
dent American citizens, or to comply
with it's treaty obligations, we believe
the Government of the United States
should actively use it's influence and
good offices to restore peace and give
independence to the island.
THE NAVY.
The peace and security of the repub
lie and the maintenance of its rightful
influence among the nations of the
earth demand naval power commens-
urate with its position and responsible
ity. We, therefore. favor the continu-
ed enlargement of the navy and a com
plete system of harbor and sea- coast
defences.
| IMMIGRATION.
For the protection of the quality of
our American citizenship and of the
wages of our workingmen against the
fatal competition of low priced labor,
we demand that the immigration laws
be thoroughly enforced, and SO extend
ed as to exclude from entrance to the
United States those who can neither
read nor write.
| CIVIL SERVICE LAW.
The civil-service law was placed on
| the statute book by the Republican
party, which has always sustained it,
and we renew ourrepeated declarations
that it shall be thoroughly and honest-
~ enforced, and extended wherever
uracticab;e