The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-03-29
The Tariff Curse.

IEftoS Cdu dlu Will DC CiOOOON l-AAo ldi'
The republican party, through It's
greed, has gotten onto ground that
is untenable from an American stand
point on the tariff and other iss ues and
has made itself vulnerable to attack
from many points Of the political
compass. The tariff. however, is the
main issue upon which we should
assault the enemy with the logic Of
patriotic argument and u honest
opinion is that with wal waged along
this line we can rout republic anism,
saddle, boots and spurs. Eastern
democrats are up in revolt at the
open policy of tariff plumber held to
by the republican party and condi-
tions were never more favorable to
throwing New York andother eastern
states back into the democratic
column than at the present time.
With the Empire state in line and
democratic congress the coast is made
clear for the election Of a dem ocratic
president to succeed Theodore ROose-
welt. All that is necessary is to heal
existing sores and unite the party
throughout the nation on this one
great issue.
In a speech delivered in Brooklyn
on Saturday Of last week, in which
state the slogan now is 'get together
and capture congress" William Hep
burn Russell, chairman Of the Greater
New York democracy, said:
"The most pregnant issue of the
next national campaign should be the
tariff. The democratic party should
declare for reciprocity with all nations
where amity Of commerce exists and
for such general reductions in the
Dingley tariff law as, while pro ecting
the wages Of labor, shall lighter the
burden of indirect taxation upon the
American consumer We should
stand for a tariff policy that viii pro-
mote u industrial Development and
make for Industrial and home COM
petition by largely increasing the
free list so far as raw materials are
concerned.
Gprho dapoooratio boete oro @,.ooni
zing. The democratic masses are
ready to rally around the old demo-
cratic banner. Harmony is coming
in city, state and nation, Let US
receive it with glad strains Of music
and garland it with the laurel wreath
of democratic victory
While this encouraging vie W from
New York should be heralded with
delight throughout the west tin ere are
doubtless those who will hold back
and charge the democracy of the
Empire state with dishonesty Of
purpose. Wide divisions in the party,
east and west, have been made, and
the healing will not be Of a day Yet,
the quicker we get togeth er the
better, for we are confronted with a
common enemy that cries out for
centralized power-fayors empire over
republic-proposes to continue fatten-
ing on ill-gotten gains.
1t is useless for the INTELLIGENCE
to insist that democratic victory can
be won in this nation without Sec
tional concession, for past history has
demonstrated that it cannot be 50.
Conditions that exist in one state, OR
a group Of states, may be made
prominent and the people may be
unit in fayoring these conditions yet
it may be that a larger and greater
section Of country holds different
views. Hence, with their respective
ideas pushed to the point Of deter
mination to win at all hazards, on
side issues, we find a divided party
and defeat as the inevitable result on
the main question before the Amer.
lean people. w believe in mutual
concessions for the good of the party
and in sectional sacrifices where the
greatest benefit to the greatest nun.
Der is to be achieved.
AS ~eifecting the masses there is no
question but that the great, the
paramount issue up for settlement
today is that of tariff revision. 1t is
a question that goes to the very door
of every citizen of this country.
Tariff taxation, levied for tribute, has
builded up trusts and a nonied
aristocracy that are going to exter-
inmate American industry unless
checked in their r%avenous, unpatrIotic
career. The tariff Is the father Of
the trust and the trust is the destroyer
of honest competition in the COM
merce of the country. Today, the