Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1884 — The Opening Campaign. [ARTICLE]

The Opening Campaign.

The campaign of 1884 is opening. The skirmishers are deploying, and here and there is heard a shot from the outposts; soon will come the heavy boom of the artillery and the rattle of musketry from the two great parties opposed to each other in such a struggle as will swallow up any possible side scrimmage with which political infants may amuse themselves. The columns of the Journal are sufficient evidence that the Indiana division of the grand army of Republicans is mastering to take the front rank again, as.it has always done. There can be no object in Republicans misleading each other. Public and private reports are in perfect harmony, and, therefore, it may be accepted as true that in the preliminary muttering, the inspection of-the party yanks and dpiipmenl has been such as to give hopeful warrant of success in November. But this hopefulness may be easily overdone, and prove a weakness instead of an element of strength. No man nor no army can tight well unless there is such a stimulus as brings every faculty and (ability into the highest actio.'. Looking over the whole field, and calculating the chances carefully, while’ Republicans have everything to encourage them, it is. nevertheless true that the contest will be no child’s play or dress parade. We have no patience with those carpet knights, those political featherheads, who affect to see nothing of supreme value involved in the struggle bet ween the Republican and Demo cratic parries; who talk flippantly and with persiflage about the issues, or rather the lack of issues, between the contestants; who assert that there is nothing involved other than a scramble for Office. Conceding the corrupting influence of the thirst for official place, it still remains true that office-holders ___ -v__— —A—r_£ L 2 :

and office-expectants are the smallest possible percentage of the whole people, certainly of the Republican party, while this evil influence is steadily de-' cress in the wise, opcratiou the civil-service reform pct and the steadily increasing public opinion fa vol inn civ i'-iervice reform. Whet .<■!•• wisely or foolishlv, it E still the fact tlr.it tin overwhelming majority" of the Republican voters of the Coimfry arc impressed with the belief that jfhete is, mOra in Republicanism than public place, and that Republican principles are not synonymous with postoffices. There is a large, a controlling, majority of the Republican party which believes there is somethii’g vital and fundamental to nationality and good governmeiit iii the Republican party, and for that they will Contend in the'approaching election with i.s much real anti disinterested patriotism as they have ever done. VVlTe+e'vxr tl+e ptu'ty loses tlie jiower to tints vitalize the canvass with principle's appealing'to the higher motives of intelligent, moral and rea-omibfe men, the party will have passed- into decadonee, and its end will be a mere matter of time. What is involved in the present struggle between the parties? In the first place, the blood of the Abel of American citizenship cries from the ground of the Southern States. Clubbed, whipped, scourged, shot to death, the citizenship for which hundreds ,of thousands of men died lies prone in certain States. There is no use in trying to blink this fact. It starts up with horrid front to confront those who would drown its memory in forgetfulness. Like Banquo’s ghost, it will not down. Coushatta, ” CbTfax" Grant _ Meqhattfcs’ Hall, Ellenton, Hamburg, the Chisolm massacre, Danville. Copiah County—these, and scores of other names that could bo called up, mark a broad path through a dark and bloody ground. Only yesterday the Supreme Court of the United States, in an opinion concurred in by all the Judges, affirmed the constitutionality of the power of Congress to protect American citizenship wherever it was conferred, and warned the American people against the lesson of all republics in ftistory which had been overthrown by violence or corruption. Associated with this murderous prostration of the ballot in Southern States there is the power of corruption which threatens a like prostfatibifjfi bthef/sectibnA. What party stands for corruption in politics? What party nominates its candidates with sole reference to the “bar'l?” What party introduced Tildenism into, politics, attempted the corruption of Statesand the purchase of the Presidency? What party is the willing tool of the liquor league? What party stands to-day eaten through and through with plutocracy, and in which a poor man has little or no chance of promotion ? Gall the roster of the Democratic candidates and then call the roster of Republican nominees, and see in which party poor men have been honored—' men representative of the great middle class "of "theAmmicanpeople. Franklyconceding that there has been much to find fault with in the Republican party, that 1 tere and there it has been tarred with the stick of corruption, it is still indisputable that the party has not nationalized the mighty dollar, and does not march under the banner of any barrel, whether of money, Standard oil, or whisky. No such-test of availability is ever mentioned in connection with any Republican named for high office. . Next to citizenship, there is the tariff. Trimmers would like to have it appear that there is a fundamental difference between the parties upon this question, but any candid man knows better. It is not a question of the reform of the tariff, as some Democrats would have us believe; but it is a question of the retention of the principle of protection to home industries and home labor in the American political system. Whatever may be individual differences in the one party or the other, the clear, sharp dividing line is upon the very essence of the principle of protection, and the divergence is just as decided today as it ever was. Civil-service reform in its best meaning is involved in the pending’election. The defeat of Pendleton in Ohio, and the prevalent idea that the DemocraticHouse of Representatives will refuse to make an appropriation for the com mis of the two parties and the utterances of their leading papers and public men, are evidence sufficient that Democratic success means to turn back the hands upon the dial of civil-service reform. Individual and isolated opinion cannot have any effect upon the general trend of the parties. A sound financial policy is involved. There are many indications that the wisest statesmanship and the most thorough honesty are yet needed before the United States is put upon a solid financial foundation. Squalls are already beginning to arise, and a fina - cial storm could be easily' raised by demagogues and empirics, especially were the industrial basis of the country to be disturbed by Democratic success, These are some of the leading questlons upon which the Republican party is right and the Democratic party is wrong; They are national questions: they affect nat'onal policies. There are those local and minor, but which by many may be regarded as more important even than these. Whatever they may be, whether they involve public morals or private righto, the Republican party is still nearer the right and the Democratic party nearer the wrong. On these questions the parties will gc to the battle, and the man who thinks there is nothing in the wager worthy of his best achievement, simply makes an exhibition of his own want of earnest conviction. —lndianapolis Journal. -/—/._■■ 1 ?-