Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-10-28
Revenue Reform?"

Mr.. Wheeler, the gentleman who delivered
an address in Armory Hall month since,
writes Us the following letter;
EDITOR LIrcHFRLD ENQUIRER.
Dear Sci have just learned of your cour
| teous notice of my Lltchfeld address. Allow
me to make one or two suggestions on the
subject
The difference, as understand it, between
tho Democratic and Republican candidates for
Congress in Connecticut and New York is
this The Democrats belong to party which
has done all that has been done since 1842 for
revising and simplifying the tariff The Re-
publicans belong to party that has opposed
every such measure and 10 now furnishing
manufacturing centres with cards and hand
bills which maintain the necessity of preserv
ing the present tariff just as it is, and hold up
| to public contempt the Democrats for eadeav
oring to modify it. The object of my address
was to show that the interest of both manu-
facturers and workingmen to it required
change because the cost of manufacturing isso
much increased by taxing raw materials. such
as Copper. Lead, Nickel, Rags and Paper
stock that our manufacturers have practically
no foreign market.
reada petition from the Connecticut paper
manufacturers for the removal of duties on
| the chemicals used 10 manufacturing paper
| and showed that by admitting Hides free
| we had trebled our export of manufactured
| leather.
The tariff is as sure to be reduced as slavery
was to be abolished. 1t is better for the man
| ufacturers of this country to have it judlc-
| iously revised with the assistance Of COM
mission of experts such as that proposed by
Senator Eaton, than to have it swept away at
| the next commercial crisis by an outburst of
| public indignation.
Yours respectfully,
EVERETT P. WHEELER.
The foregoing is written in the spirit of the
Cincinnati platform proposing policy which
demands lower duties and a tariff for revenue
only. Gen. Hancock, on the contrary, adopts
what in old times Mr.. Clay used to cali his
American system, and announces himself
Protectionist. Coming as Hancock's letter
does, just after the severe Democratic defeats
in Indiana, we look upon it as an effort by the
Democratic managers to retrieve their for
tunes in the East by an explicit abandon
ment of the revenue refor N principles adopted
at Cincinnati. If our view is the correct one
the party does not deserve support either
from Protectionists or from Revenue Reform
erS.
There is no place In America better able
to understand the English style of conducting
elections than the Fourth Congressional Dis
trict of Connecticut, the home of the Sails
bury Plan and of the distinguished Estates
man" who invented it. The first difference
noticeable between England and Western Con.
= A.
the variety of corrupt practices known to Old
England. Under our own simpler forms of
procedure, we are led to believe that the
chief mode of influence il that of bargain and
said. There is practically no danger to either
party In this. No such thing has ever &C.
CURED in our courts, at least for generation
past, as a prosecution for election bribery.
A man who wishes to sell his own VOTE or to
buy another mans vote, need have no fear of
the law. In England, on the contrary, the
person bribed may inform on the person who
bribed him, without fear of involving himself
in the same punishment On this account the
bride has to be skifully disguised If A
wishes to influence BIS vote, be gives him $5
to allow party flag to be set up in bis yard,
or to do some other apparently Indifferent
thing.
In this country bribery is direct; 1t is forced
to no concealment because there ia no effect
i've law or public sentiment against it. But
there Is second, very important difference
When it is proved that member of Paria-
ment has been elected by corrupt practices
he is unseated although he was himself igno-
rant that any such practices we're employed
In America we still require proof Of CON-
plicity on the part of the candidate. The
mere fact that Congressman has profted by
another's corruption does not deprive him Of
his seat.
In all these and many other particulars the
English laws are a decided improvement on
our own. But they do not put q stop to cor
ruption. The recent commission has un-
earthed an immense amount of thinly dis.
guised bribery. The only certain check on
such practices will be public opinion which
shall condemn both the briber and the bribed:
the one to the contempt of all his fellow cit
liens; the other to have his name scratched
by every respectable voter.
Gen. Wade Hampton has not been fortu-
nate In the present campaign A hot speech
OF his was first reported from Virginia which