Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-03-09
THE NEW REPUBLICAN ISSUE.

Most political parties. have their
prominent characteristics, or to use a
more congeniai expression, they have
their particular hobbies. OF the repub-
lican party this is especially true. The
casual observer need not be reminded
of the fact-he knows it to be true. The
tariff, in the earlier days of republican
ism, was the hobby of that great party
but new issue has been born and is
now sailing along on the popular tide.
People have lost confidence in protec-
ton and free trade allke-those chest
nuts have been cracked, literally ground
in the popular mill as it were, and they
were found to be utterly hollow. 1t
was on account Of this that new issue
was sprung, and that issue the single
gold standard. 1t found hearty wei
come among the republican leaders,
was spontaneously accepted by the ig-
norant classes of the east, and, while 1t
was offensive to the more enlightened
republicans of the west, only cOmpar-
atively small number sought to alIy
themselves with the bimetallists. Most
OF them preferred to sacrifice and for
sake what they thought to be right and
to surrender to prejudice rather than TO
see the party of their fathers disrupted.
1t is this foolish loyalty to party that
hangs like threatening cloud over the
human family. The same principle,
differently applied, crucified Jesus
Christi assassinated Caesar, it tortur-
ed Martin Luther, 1t burned Joan of
Arc at the stake, it murdered Abraham
Lincoln and it is today dragging every
politician in the nation down to the
lowest dens of lnfamy.
But we diverse: The one thing that
is necessary is that the masses under
stand that 1T is the aim and purpose of
those who look after the best interests
of the republican party, to deceive
those from whom support must come
to insure success. 1t is for this reason
alone that the issue was changed from
protection to sound money. 1t was a
timely change. aud the line OF battle
was marked out by the keenest fore
sight. 1t indicates generalship in dem
agoguery. Protection had been given
frequent trials and had resulted in
nothing but harm. Public patience
was transformed into public turmoil
and public wrath. The American peo-
pie arose and said as in one voice, ''tbis
is not the remedy" But the dema-
gogue and the shyster was on the alert
and he smiled complacently. He was
not alarmed. He gathered his hypno-
tized flock around him and told them
that conditions had been changed and
that our system of finance had been
disturbed. The honor of the country
was threatened, the monied men had
become alarmed, confidence was gone
and all that was necessary to put hui
mainly on the road to content and hap
piness was an unequlyocal stand for the
gold standard and the ultimate triumph
of the new born scheme The result
was that the new prescription was &C
| cepted and the republican party won
:
clans are in clover, fguratiyely speak
ing. But, 10 the poor labOrerl he is in
a wilderness of thorns and cookie burrs.
| He is the victim of false promises and
is now paying the penalty for dense ig-
norance and blind prejudice. Wages
reduced in all the principal factories
strikes terroriZlng the public-these are
the only agents that attest to the feast
bility of the gold standard But the
issue is transient; it will fade away
soon: it has served its purpose. A few
years will bring new hobby. What il
will be nobody knows, but 1t will come
with time. New issues, false theories,
unfaithful promises and skillful decep-
ton is the lifehlood of republicanism.