The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-07-14

assembled, nave Wduc PLATFORM. Cur Us
teemed young friend, Frank Hurd did not
get the convention quite up to his own
heroic stature OH the Free Trade question,
but he came near enough for all practical
purposes. Watching the tussle of the Dem
ocratic party with the tariff question is one
of the most entertaining of modern shows.
The result is always like that at Columbus
yesterday-a draw. That is to say, the
party never goes goes quite far enough for n
principle and always goes little too far
for policy.
The declaration in favor of tariff for
revenue only" is mere generalization too
vague to suit the Free Trade doctrinoires,
and yet specific enough to excite the apprc-
tensions and array the active antagonism
of the industrial interests. The saving
clause, however, lies in the appended de-
mand for q commission to revise the tariff.
If the Ohio Democrats had been wise they
would have stricken out the body of their
plank and contentcd themselves with the
appendix.
Whenever any practical reform Is effected
in the existing tariff il will be done by u
commission, something after the plan pro-
posed by Senator Eaton, and all the vague
gencralitios OF party platforms in the mean
time can amount to nothing. Under such
circumstances it is obvious that no party
can fight an effective political battle on the
tariff question. All that the Democrats OF
Ohio can do Is to make another fruitlcss tilt
lagainst the manufacturers windmill and
get knocked down for their Esins. 1t is toler-
ably easy to forecast what the character OF
the campaign will be. The Republicans Will
devote their energies to arot'sang and alarm
ing every skilled workingmap in the State,
ltl,s prutluct of whose labor is inl any degree
II I,otected by the present tstritf; " and le-
lfore. the canvass is three weeks old the
lbempcrats will have been forced back upon
Itheir. f,yorite ground of dR4ending theiI
lplatf6m The result, in the existing frsne
of tho public mind, is not hfsrd to forcsee
Fosterwill have, rs we said some time ago
seven chances in ten of ge-election--ont
chance natural and the Other six on account
lof thu. inflllible tariff blun1cr ofthe ISmoc
Tracy
1 tFt ItsiSoDo why w iSSiSN e'es
lthis should be so. The practical diffcrenc
tbetween Republican and Democratic admin
tistration in the affairs of the State is to
iIlipht to be worth discussion. But ther
lis very practical and very importan
difference between the success of part
specifically pledged to conserve America
Interests by land and sea, as the Republ
cl,ns of Ohio are pledged; and n part
: pledged, as is the Ohio Democracy
al vague and loose generalization whicl
id it means anything at all, meal
Something that would be unwise, even if
Were practicable, which it is not.
1t is therefore n matter of regret
: all rejecting men that there shou
}. bel great party organization in the cou
$ trly so persistently bent upon assailing VIII
J. THE cumulative verdicts of dozen clectio
g halyc decided to be cherished public inte
# est The chatter about subsidies III
= '.mLonopolies'' does not relieve the blund'
o TIL one means, in every practical interpl
8 tatIion hostility to revival of Americ
q commerce and aid and comfort
4 thd, most enormous monopoly in C
: jst, ,nce-thc English monopoly of t
G oceI an carrying trade while the 9th
d tae ans nothing at all if we are to interpl
wh lat the Democratic party would do frC
the votes of its representatives in legis
= tioih, whenever any measure affecting t
Il eau sc of monopoly is brought forward.
&c the whole we should say that Brother +
10 ter Ought to resolve himself into commit
rs and return vote Of thanks to the Den
+ crat ic convention.