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The Lesson Of Maine

The Lesson Of Maine image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
September
Year
1871
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

IS otwitustundmg the jrostrat.ion of ïnlustry m Alaine by a tariif falnoly eaUèd jrottíctive, that State has votod uiiui; B90N to sustain tho party onginutuig and uiliolding suuh a tariii', and has givoii ït au verago niujority uion a pretty íull voto. It is trae We ciinv.iss was a quiet ouc : the " still hunt " was preterroa by the iuauagc;rs ou both sides. Yet tho tantt Ljuusuuii was brought to tho atteution ot votors (uite Wideiy, and m soiuo localiUos wiiu tnarked and favorable etfuut. Uthec causes, more thun DailUluing this, gave gams to the KepUDÜOan party, and íeuurud a unijority lor lírh un a iittlu largur, judguig t'ioui the eariy returns, tnitn was giveu him in 187 . Are we to infur, tuea, that the pooplo ot' Mame want to have cutinued tnat tariit' oy wliich tUeir chieï muustry lias been jjrostrated f JJo they lovo toe systum wiucli depresses all tueir business, dnvi;.s populatiou t'iiim the Utate, and givcs to tliat oommonwealth, so glonously endowed by nature, au unenviable roputation as one of tho two Northern btates in whieh population has actuaüy dnuinislu:il wii luit iast doeadu 'f Wu do nut believo ït. lu olden Umus Maiim was thu moraing star 01 many Democratie victories, imil lier peoplo, then trained to the tlltil.'llhO of NnUlul I Lll:l JICKt I OpilllOUS, llUVt: only Ihhii greatly Btrengtüened in thoir conviutions by the (evers expeliente through whiuli they h;ive panuOl hincu monopolista gained powur. lï the pcujiie oi' Mame were to vote upun thu tariit' qui;stion directly and oxeiusively, probaüly not more than one-third ot' thum wuuld sustain the protoctivo system. But other intcrosts supposed to be involved in the election, and uuovo all attaohment to party, iuHuenee thciu to adhere still to a ticket whiuh, however strongly it iaay havu bei n ideiititiod with tlie protuctivo poliey, nevurtheluss represuntód their wishes and piejudiecs in other respecta, lt is due to tho Democraoy of Mune to say thit they made an cariiest effort to avoid old piejudiees and defunct tjaustions, and to confino the coutust to topics ot the hvmg present and near futuro. 'X'heii platform was widely noticed as a peculiarly progrussive and liberal one, and their candidatos wcre popular, iíut Maine doos uot stand alone. So oloir lias bi'come the connection and intordopeudenee of organizations in the different States under that liadical rule whioh tendi to fuse all States into a cüut:aii.i il nationality, and all looal combinations into one national party, that the gilibiiings of a political ghost away m si mie Southern State have as ruuch eti'uct apon Hm votois of ,i,iiii:: as the utteranees of their own eandidates. No matter how iully the Maine Demouracy accepts the solution of war probloins every mutt :r of (is-ent fruni any othor qnarter is gatl.ercd up by Radicalism as proof th it the national jJcinoeiatic party doeno . hold the sa mi ■ position, an i tliat the Ccmourats of M une are either gulty of fraud or aio in a mini ri y in the piirty, and would bo poweiless to snapt; its courso if it shoud win power. I tdeed, such is the uHV'ct of suspieion and prejudice that .-.ober oitizens of a Northern State aetually believs thit the incoherences of persons far aw ly, in Stans where no present political uontcsl gives shapo to iliscussion, aro a üetter test of the will of the Democratie party than t'ie known and daily avowed opiuions o: their own Democratie neigh jors. Thm it comes to pass that every ofl'ort to pu' aaide lettled (jucstious iu Maina is defeated by the iinniobility of politieal tossils in (ieorgia. The ovil done by one goosequilt, wandering without competen guidance over paper in a uewspaper ofttce at the South, outweighs all the goor that can be done by níty thousand intelligent citizens of Mainó stiiving to ric thumsülves of opprossive taxatio i. Absurd as that prejudioe is whi;h acetpts such utterances a proof of the pnrposo of a party, it is one of thn vital t'acU o: our time, and any politician who do s nol wish to rival Mr. Stephens hinis :lf in practioal unwisdom will not attempt to iguore it. Üther inftuem o i contributed to make il impossible to secure from tho people oi Maine a fiir verdict upon económica] ijucstions. But tho rhief was this rooted projuUce against Denio:racy regardi ig rat questi ms, so eff .ctively stiiuul teil intoa;tivity by wi.d wor.ts aad a;;ts oi JJeniocrats m oth:.r sections. Inst-.uul oi blinking this fnct itis wiser to face it, und to cumprehend that no " new depiiiture" om in: effjctiva forgooil until it uiii!)r.5os luniocrats of all tlie States amt tinds formal exprega .OB in a nationul coi.voution. Until then itadicala will doolare and will casily nuiko nieu boliove, that the few wlio muundei abouj tlir xiast are botli mort: numorous and more potent in tbo Democratio party than the many who work intulligently and honestly for tho futuro. Until tin n jmjudice will mako men accept any craz" Bourbon as a better repreeentative of the party than any State conventión. Even then, unlosa the oourao of the national conventión shalJ bo be such a.s to meet and crush tliis preju lici , aad to force upon publio consideration new issurs, the sanie causes wliicli winuglit dei'iat in Maine will prove pot ■ 1 1 1 clsewhrre ; the same issaults upon the party will be invited by similar follies of word and act; and those new questions uj5ii which public opinión sustaina Deinociacy, and would visit Rdinalism with ovcrwhelming rebuke, will still bo driven from tlie attent.on which they morit.-

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus