The Topeka Call

GERMANS SPEAK.
THEY TELL WHY THEY SUPPORT HARRISON FOR PRESIDENT.
Some Important Suggestions Which Every German Voter Will Read - Views of Many Prominent German-American Citizens.
The following letter addressed to …all voters of German descent" has been issued by a large number of leading German-American citizens of New York:
Recognizing the great commercial and industrial importance of the approaching presidential election to our adopted fatherland, and being fully convinced that the Republican party not only represents the best interests of the nation. but is ever most actively engaged to further them, the undersigned citizens of German descent have constituted themselves a committee to work for the election of the standard bearers of that party. We have no active connection with politics, but as citizens and business men who realize that the prosperity of this country is due to the wise commercial policy of the Republican party, we consider it our duty to give energetic expression to our convictions, and to oppose the vague theories of the free traders, which have no substantial basis in fact.
The Republican party has, true to its traditions. declared itself for the protection of our industries and for honest money. The Democratic party has declared itself for unlimited free trade and for a return to that dangerous system of state banks which in times past affected our commerce so disastrously. It was the small business man and the workman who were chiefly injured by that system, and it is these men who will be injured if it is reintroduced.
Both free trade and protection have been sufficiently tested. The direct consequence of the free trade legislation of 1833 was the marked decline in our national prosperity, which culminated in the great commercial crisis of 1837. Protection took the place of the tariff for revenue only; the country recovered, commerce and industry thrived, till in 1846 the tariff was again reduced and the terrible panic of 1857 was the result. Again the people of the United States declared for protection. The consequence was a development of all our national resources beyond the wildest expectation and a general prosperity such as the world had never seen before.
When Grover Cleveland. true to the reactionary principles of the Democratic party. declared himself for free trade in his message of Dec. 6. 1887. the people. mindful of the bad experiences which it had made in the past with free trade, rejected the Democratic party and again intrusted the government of the nation to the Republican party.
Never was the balance of trade so favorable to us as now; never was the prosperity of the whole country so general; never were the wage earners so well off.
The legislative activity of the Fifty-first congress and the shameful inactivity and uncertainty of the Fifty-second congress sufficiently illustrated the difference between the parties.
Both the presidential candidates have been tried by the people: both have served a full presidential term; their administrations belong to history.
Every reason given in the year 1888 for the election of Harrison is valid today, only in a higher degree. Through his firm stand on the silver question he saved the country from great financial crisis.
Disdaining grandiloquent promises and preferring to gain the respect of his fellow citizens by a blameless administration, President Harrison has fearlessly defended the honor and dignity of the nation, and has once more forced from foreign nations that respect for the stars and stripes which had been almost entirely lost under Cleveland, Under President Harrison civil service reform has been a reality, while his appointments to the most prominent offices are admitted even by his most bitter political enemies to be unassailable.
If we compare with this the administration of Grover Cleveland, we find that in spite of bombastic promises of reform in the civil service, the spoilsmen never since the days of Jackson raised their heads so boldly as when Grover Cleveland, through Adlai E. Stevenson, deposed 44,000 postmasters who had honestly and faithfully administered their offices to make room for the Democratic place hunters who were to help him to a second term of the presidency. Not only has Mr. Cleveland been untrue to all his pledges of reform, but as a matter of fact he has ever yielded to the worst elements of his party whenever his personal interests were at stake. and in this very campaign we find him allied in the closest possible way with Tammany Hall.
The letter is signed by Dr. William Balser. C. F. Balzer, Julius Bien, Julius Bien, Jr.. S. Bachman, Emil Berolzheimer, Blumenthal Bros. & Co., Dr. P. A. E. Boetzkes. Julius Brunn, Gustav Blum & Bros., Henry Brennich. Herman Cantor, George Dennerlein, Leopold Deutchberger, Alfred Dolge, Frederick Flaccus, P. Goepel, William F. Grell, F. W. Holls, Charles Horn, C. A. G. Intemann, Max Jaegerhuber, Gustave L Jager, Gustave H. Jaeger, Sit. Car. Kapff, Dr. Hermann Kudlich, Adolph Kuttroff. William H. Klencke. S. .J. Lesem, Lucius N. Littauer, Joseph Loth & Co., Charles Maurer, Paul H. Mehlien, Henry Merz, Carl Merz, Dr. N. W. Muller, C. W. Neuling. George Rau, William Reichman, Henry W. F. Schulz. Nicholas Schultz, Charles Splitdorf. Charles Stahl. Moritz Seckler Ralph Traufmann. Edward Vorster. William Vigelius. Dr. H. J. Wackerbarth. William Wicke. Wurzburger. Goldschmidt & Co., Henry Zimmerer: from Newark. Dr. Edward J. Ill. Fred Kuhr J. L. Kufer. Herman Lehilbach. Car. Lentz, Paul Roder. Carl F. Seitz, Julius Stapff, R. G. Salomon. and from Brooklyn, Louis Bossert, Herman Liebmann Charles Naeher. John Rueger and H. C Roehr.