Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1902 — SOME OF THE ISSUES [ARTICLE]

SOME OF THE ISSUES

Various Phases of the Political Conflict Upon Which the State Is Now Entering. "7 AN INDIANA EDITOR'S VIEWS Text of a Paper Read Before a Recent Editorial Association Meeting at Indianapolis Concerning Present Day Politics. At the recent meeting of the Indiana Republican Editorial Association held at Indianapolis, Mr. Ed. T. Staley of the Tipton Advocate discussed “Political Issues That Now Confront Us.’* “The question of territorial expansion has been settled; we have expanded, and no power under the cycle of the sun can contract us. The Philippines are ours, ours by every right recognized by the civilized nations of the world, and wherever our flag floats, whether on TaifcTof ses; Tffider the midnight sun of the northland or far down under the Southern cross, it Is there to stay and no man or set of men dare haul it down. What may be the position of the Democratic party relative to our newly-acquired territory is difficult to forecast. It may, for policy sake, declare in favor of abandonment, but it is the history of that party that it never relinquishes anything of value on which it lays its hand. As to how these new possessions are to be governed or the positions they are to occupy temporarily or permanently Is a matter for the American congress and the executive to determine. I, for one, am perfectly willing to trust the present law-mak-ing and law-enforcing bodies to deaT honestly, fearlessly and intelligently with all the great and important questions as they may be presented. _ “ ‘The tariff is a tax and the consumer has to pay it,’ was the old Democratic war cry, which was forced to give way to the slogan of the boy orator of the Platte, namely ‘The free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1, with or without the consent of any other nation on earth,’ but unless the signs of the times are greatly at fault, the country has heard the last of that; free silver is dead and lays side by side with the remains of the rag baby once so dear to the Democratic heart. But Bryan and Bryanisin is still a factor to be reckoned with, for try as they may, the better element of the Democratic party cannot shake him off or eliminate his policies, and in my judgment he is destined to play another engagement in the leading role. Anti-expan-sion, opposition to colonial government, down with the robber tariff, smash the trusts, together with other wild and fantastic notions, constitute basic principles on which the Democratic party will enter the coming campaign. As for the tariff, we have nothing to fear, for the reason that it took the country too long to recover from that alopathlc dose of free trade administered by the last and only Democratic administration during the past 40 years. The memory of that widespread disaster and ruin wrought by that one Democratic prescription still abides with the people, and they want no more of it. The fact is the people as a whole are satisfied with the present tariff law and they will not approve of any revision of schedules or tinkering of any kind. Possibly there may be some inequalities, some duties may be too high and some too low, but whatever defects may exißt, they are of minor importance, not off sufficient magnitude to warrant an effort to correct them at the risk of disturbing the business of the country. Business, like caDltal. is extreme-

IV ' sensitive - * >arroeu. Therefore it is to be hoped that the Republican congress will not at this time attempt any revision-of the.iar-J iff, and I am reasonably certain that the Democratic party will not be given an opportunity to do so. “The trusts, or ‘unholy combinations,’ of which we hear so much about, but whose baneful influence we feel so little, will no doubt cut quite a figure; our friends, the common en- ; emy, will endeavor to prejudice the j minds Of the people, as they always I do, by the portrayal of imaginary conditions. No doubt there are good trusts and there are bad trusts, just as the interest of the individual or of a given community may be affected, but for the life of me I cannot see how the gooß is to be maintained and the bad eliminated. In fact, I can see no legal remedy. Democratic platforms bristle with ‘whereases and resolves’ against the iniquitous trusts, but these so-called declarations of principles present no welhdeflned plan whereby the evils complained of may be abolished or even regulated. Of course, they tell Us that our protective tariff laws breed trusts and that a blow at one is a blow at the other, which is doubtless true, but they failed to tell us that a blow at the tariff is a blow at all manner of business. Which is a fact that experience has amply demonstrated. The question is one that will have to be met, and let us meet it boldly and fearlessly. The advantage is with us. Let the Republican press everywhere appeal to the reason and not to the passions of the people. Prosperity unequaled In the history of the republic has come to bless us and the people know the source from which it came. Never since governments were known among men was such a marvelous transformation scene witnessed as that which followed the election of William McKinley in 1896. Glorious McKinley, may the memory of his splendid Christian character, his heroic and selfsacrificing devotion to the cause of the plain people abide with us through the coming years. Let us not only cherish his memory, but let us emulate his noble example. His faith assassin, his work was not done, but in the people and the ultimate triumph of right principles whs sublime. Cut down by the hand of a cowardly so clearly were his policies defined that it only remains for us to follow the pathway which he so plainly marked out. Let us stand by our guns, answer shot for shot and under the leadership of our magnificent president, Theodore Roosevelt, and our gallant senators and representatives in congress, we shall achieve another splendid victory when the fall election comes.”