Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-02-27
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY's DUTY
Toledo Blade

Toledo Blade
This years Presidential and Congves
sional campaign will necessarily be
fought on two issues-tariff and cur.
rency. The position of the KeDubli-
can party on the former is clearly un-
derstoOd by every voter. But on the
second issue, the Republican national
convention owes it to the country to
make clean cut, emphatic declara-
ton, which shall be impossible of dou'
BILE cons truction
| The Republican party in the past,
has won its victories by plain speaking.
Any voter knew exactly where it
stood OH any Of the great issues Of the
past. 1t has never bowed to popular
fallacies, no matter how glitterins
their promice. \ striking example OF
this Is its position regarding our eco
noinic sys tenn. The Republican ma.
tional platform OF 1860 contained this
plank:
/ Resolved, That, while providing
revenue for the support of the general
government by duties OH imports,
sound policy requires such an adjust
ment III these imports az to encourage
the develupenent Of the industrial in
terests OF the whole country; and we
commend that policy of national px-
changes which secures to the work
ingmen Liberal wages. to agriculture
! reiuunerative prices, to mechanics
| and manufacturers an adequate re-
ward for their skill, labor and enter
prise, and to the nation commercial
prosperity and independence.
That position is the cor rect one and
the Republican party has adhered IT,
it steadily. There have been q few
weak kneed men in the party ranks,
who have favored some Yielding to the
clamor of deceived people for slow
tariff" and 'cheau Imports" but they
have never been able to swerve the
party faith. The Democracy took up
the low tariff fallacy. and preached it's
glittering theories SO well that it won
national power in all branches of the
government in 1892, The Democrats
passed low tariff bill. The people
have found by bitter experience the
fallaciOus nature of the doctrine, and
are eager to return to proper protec-
ton and sufficient revenue.
The Republican party is stronger
to-day oilf saIa pro lection issue than it
has been sisfse 1880. Time has vindi.
Gated the correctness of it's position.
The same policy must be adopted ON
the money question. 1t is cowardly
to attemptsSasion, by the adoption
of Il plank fslvoring ''bimstali sm".
That wOrd-bimetall ism--is an eva
sion, because it is interpreted differ
emily by different people. The free
silver men call themselves bimctallists
but they interpret bime:allism to
mean the free coinage of silver at 16
to l. They are really silver mono
metallists.
The Republican party, if it desires
the confidence and support of the ma
ton, must express itself squarely on
this question. 1t mustIecla-e against
any step which will alter the presen t
standard of values, If it declare for
the use of both metals ais money of fl
nal redemption, it must define It's
method of reaching that end, and con.
denim the free coinawe of silver at IL to
l.
In brief, there are but three possible
modes of action on the silver question
to re-habilitate silver can he had. and
there is NO present prospect of that.
They are:
First-To leave things as they are.
maintain the present standard, and
cease the effort to make u money met
al vi silver.
s cond-To put a dollars worth Of
silver in silver dollar. and allow the
coins to be represented in our circula-
ton 10y silver certificates.
Thirl-To adopt the silver stan
dard. and drop to the level of Mexico
and other second-rate countries in our
financial system.
There is no other possible way open
for the United States, acting intlepen-
IDENTIFY of other nations, than one of
these three. The proposition of silver
men to open our mints to the free coin
age of silver at 16 to means the
third proposition named above.
A Republican town caucus was
held at the town hall Monday even
ing for the purpose of e&cting dele
gates to the county convention which
meets in this city the sixth OF March.